Are Drinking Water Stations Safe?

Because water is so important for overall health, many people make the effort to drink more water at work. And, many workplaces do supply drinking water stations for their employees. While most employees appreciate the effort, the problem with these stations is often that they dispense contaminated drinking water to everyone who uses them.

 

There are many problems that can occur with a city’s drinking water. Anything from excess lead to sickness-inducing bacteria can be found in the supply of most cities. Those statistics are becoming better known each year as tests have begun to show more and more contaminants in the water. What is less well known is where the water in the station has actually come from.

Contaminated drinking water is exactly what office workers are trying to avoid when they go to a station for a drink. Most workers feel that they are getting better, cleaner water from them than if they simply went to the faucet to get a drink.
What many people don’t know is that a lot of the water that is sold for use in office coolers is nothing more than simply tap water with all of the impurities that come with that source.

 

Like bottled water, the kind from drinking water stations is often the same water that so many people are trying to avoid. It may contain harmful bacteria, heavy metals and harsh chemicals like any other tap water. And, the water in bottled water and drinking stations is not tested for contamination as often as the municipal supply is.
While it is better to be drinking water than drinking sugary drinks or nothing at all, these stations may not be the best places to go to get it.

Another problem with drinking water stations is that the bottles are generally made from polycarbonate plastic. This is a type of plastic that has been found to leech a toxic chemical into the liquids that it holds.
It has been found to be potentially harmful to anyone who drinks the liquids stored in it. That liquid when used at office water stations then has the potential to cause health problems in everyone that uses it.

 

Polycarbonates contain a chemical called bisphenol-A that is worrying many scientists and governments. This is a substance that Congress is considering banning because of its associations with cancer and other health problems.

It is possible for these to leech out of polycarbonate containers and to then create a supply of contaminated drinking water for the office.
A better option than drinking water stations is to have a different container to bring to the office for staying hydrated. It can be impractical to bring many bottles of water to work, but there are other solutions that can still deliver the necessary amount of water each day.

 

A sports bottle with a filtration system can provide clean water every time it’s filled up, keeping it full of filtered water all day without the risks of bisphenol-A and contaminated drinking water. This allows workers to keep their energy levels up throughout the day with clean water but does not require them to risk their health by doing so.