That graphic confuses me. Specifically the bit stating that it isn’t that the water is necessarily unsafe or polluted but that as a tourist our bodies might not be used to it.
What does that actually mean? Despite the OP’s HS language teacher’s claim, bodies do not generally build up a tolerance to contaminants, other than to infectious agents by past infections or immunization.
Went on Honeymoon to Aruba. They have the second largest water desalinization plant in the world, so their water is quite safe to drink. At least, I drank plenty of tap water, didn’t worry at all about ice in my drinks or whether I was eating a raw salad washed in the local tap water. I suffered no ill effects. So, Aruba is a good tropical destination if you don’t like being hyper-vigilant about what you eat and drink.
Well, the largest body of fresh water in the world is Lake Baikal. It is enormous and contains 20% of the world’s fresh water. Since it is located in Siberia, it is virtually pristine because much of Siberia is an uninhabited wasteland. I’m sure the FSB would be happy to give you a guided tour of the gulags located there. LOL
I found out about this lake from a poster here at SDMB.
Seems about right, basically western Europe/Scandinavia, North America, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and South Korea. Those are basically all the places you’d expect. The rest are basically one-offs scattered around. Jamaica is not on that list, but I was there back in the mid 1990s and was cautioned about potential “runny belly” but fortunately nothing came of it. We were very close to an aqueduct from the mountains and a water treatment plant, but I don’t know if that’d matter.
If you’d been travelling in Austria or Germany in the 1980s, you’d have been well advised not to drink the local wine, much of which was adulterated with toxic chemicals. The water’s always been quite safe, though.
When I was in England in the 90s the water seemed to irritate my gums ;It felt like they were covered in canker sores. Has anyone ever heard of or experienced that? Maybe it was caused by something else, though I can’t imagine what. It was no picnic but it was better than having tummy trouble.
I had no idea Simpsons was basing that episode on real life.
I think this is actually one of the big “good news” stories in the world that tends to get forgotten amongst all the bad news. When I was a kid (I’m in my forties) huge chunks of the world had water that is not safe to drink. Not just the “third world” as it was back then but southern Europe too. Greece definitely, people said France but I’d like to see some evidence for that (I grew up in England so am inclined to chalk it up to anti-french sentiment)
Now absolutely anywhere you go in Europe you can drink the water, and a lot of the developing world too. I had no problem drinking the water in Mexico for example.
That’s right. It’s bugs, not chemical contaminants. To pick an example familiar to Americans, Mexicans’ immune systems are adapted to Mexican tap water and it’s perfectly safe for them. Americans will get Montezuma’s revenge until their immune systems catch up. Then they will be a able to drink it too.
A certain amount of caution is wise for travellers. But it can be overdone. It is a good idea to get required immunizations, and consider hepatitis A. Pick popular and hygienic looking restaurants and street or beach stalls. If the locals do not drink unbottled water, then you should not either. But I tend to prefer other drinks anyway and these often come in cans or bottles. I do not tend to eat large amounts of uncooked vegetables. You can follow reasonable practices and still get gastro, so knowing where to get antibiotics and travelling with basic supplies is a good idea. In Mexico, the problem is sometimes unwanted minerals, not always bugs.
Several decades ago, I was preparing for a trip to India. I spoke to a nurse. She said water isn’t the only problem (and don’t forget that the ice in your drink is made from the same water).
But also, you shouldn’t eat raw foods like salads because of dust. She said that even though they may wash the food (there’s water AGAIN) a little bit of dust can make you sick. “If it’s peeled, it’s ok” because you’re taking off the outer part, that would have dust on it, “If it’s cooked, it’s ok” because that will kill bacteria.
IIRC she said we eat a little dust from time to time but we’re used to our local dust so it doesn’t make us sick.
I drank tap water while in New Zealand back in 2013 without any ill effects. Some friends that live in Lees Valley have a natural spring they use for their water, best tasting water I have ever consumed.
That’s what got me the last time I was sailing in Baja. Did a week south of Ensenada with no problems because all we ever drank was bottled water and beer. But on the way home we stopped at Rosarita Beach for breakfast and had Bloody Marys. Spent the next 48 hours in the bathroom.
I wonder if it’s not so much either contaminants or bugs so much as different minerals and/or taste in some cases. Because I tend to have some mild GI effects even when I travel within the US - and I suspect that a city three hours away doesn’t have bugs that are that different from home.
In support of the OP. When I first visited France in the 1980s I was warned by various Irish people not to drink the tap water because it would make me sick (even though the locals can drink it just fine). Same when I first went to Spain in 1987. So even though it may not have been justified in fact, it seems to have been a very widespread belief.
In the decades since then I have drunk lots of tap water in France and Spain with no ill effects.
We spent a year in Germany 1966-67. We didn’t like mineral water, would ask for tap water. You’d’ve thought we’d asked for urine, the way they’d react, but eventually they’d get it for us. Never got sick. I was 6; sisters were 9 and 12; parents were, well, parents (OK, 39 and 40).
It’s something that used to be told to British tourists too, and I mean going on holiday to other Western European countries. I think it was partly fear of foreigners, and partly sensible, because, staying in a hotel, the water in the rooms actually wasn’t (and often still isn’t) intended to be drinking water and Spanish guests wouldn’t drink it either.
Tap water from a kitchen tap is fine, though.
Humans drank dubious water and ate dicey food for many, many thousands of years. Your body has good defences against infection. That does not mean one should be reckless, but if there is not an active boil order then I would guess the water is reasonably safe in most American cities. However, it is possibly less refreshing and delicious than Canadian water. I have never seen a news article about a Canadian river catching fire. Just saying.
You weren’t drinking Regina water in the '80s.