Sharon Gruber is Bread for the City’s Nutrition Consultant.
During the two years I have seen patients in Bread for the City’s medical clinic, I have heard innumerable patients tell me that they won’t drink the DC tap water. They say that they are scared that the tap water has lead and other contaminants, and they don’t trust that it is safe. After some bad publicity in recent years about traces of pharmaceuticals in the water, and a history of withholding information from the public regarding lead in the water, fears of unhealthy tap water are not without reason.
Some people say they are okay with drinking the water if it’s filtered with a Brita, PUR, or other relatively low-cost filtration system, but many claim that they only feel comfortable drinking bottled water.
Last week I spoke with a patient who doesn’t have kitchen access in his basement apartment. “I won’t drink tap water, so I buy some bottled water and have about two bottles of juice and two bottles of Arizona Iced Tea a day.” We did the math, and at about six dollars a day in drink expenses, that amounts to roughly $180 a month.
If he felt comfortable drinking the water from his sink, how much less money would he be spending on beverages? How much more money would he have for purchasing healthier food with less sodium? How much money could he save each day to put toward renting a place with kitchen access?
In the meantime, what can we do to combat the fear of water and the idea that it’s preferable to drink sugar-laden bottled iced tea than some of the clear stuff from the tap?
If the water is safe, as we are assured it is by DC government, the Washington Aquaduct, and the Washington Sewage and Water Authority, then I think they need to make a concerted effort to better explain the steps they have taken to ensure safety. Too many people are still afraid to drink it, and it is unacceptable that a significant part of the public, including those with a limited income, feel forced to spend their money on beverages, many of which end up being unhealthy. This issue will not correct itself.
For more information about water quality in the District, go here. For more information about the downside of bottled water, go
here.
