We don’t trust drinking fountains anymore, and that’s bad for our health
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We don’t trust drinking fountains anymore, and that’s bad for our health
1–10 of 200 posts
Re: We don’t trust drinking fountains anymore, and that’s bad for our health
#2When I first came to US, I didn't mind drinking public fountain. But one day, I walked by one and a dog was drinking from it, licking all over it in the process. From that day onward, I stopped.
Still, I have to wonder: is that reasonable of me? And otherwise, is it expected to let your pet sharing the same water source with human?
Re: We don’t trust drinking fountains anymore, and that’s bad for our health
#3When I first came to US, I didn't mind drinking public fountain. But one day, I walked by one and a dog was drinking from it, licking all over it in the process. From that day onward, I stopped. Still, I have to wonder: is that reasonable of me? And otherwise, is it expected to let your pet sharing the same water source with human?
Of course it's reasonable of you.
The burden of proof is on the water fountain (or more specifically, the designers of the water fountain) as to whether drinking from it is safe.
This is not a problem with being overly cautious. This is a problem with an antiquated design.
Re: We don’t trust drinking fountains anymore, and that’s bad for our health
#4I grew up in LA, where water is scarce, and valued. Water fountains are around, but they have valves, which break, stick, or otherwise cause problems. When I lived in Chicago, I was shocked to see that their water fountains have no valves: They run full flow 24x7. Given the weather (frozen pipes) and the water resources available to Chicago (Lake Michigan), it makes sense for them to do it this way, but I had a lot of dissonance when I first saw it.
Re: We don’t trust drinking fountains anymore, and that’s bad for our health
#5Been seeing these water bottle refill stations pop up around:
http://blog.hughessupply.com/files/2011/11/EZH2O_Single_L_Fi...
Re: We don’t trust drinking fountains anymore, and that’s bad for our health
#6Yeah, I stopped drinking at water fountains after I realized that half the kids I saw drinking from them were practically swallowing the spigot whole. It's not tap water I'm afraid of, it's the distribution device. It's a attractive breeding-ground for every form of nasty.
Re: We don’t trust drinking fountains anymore, and that’s bad for our health
#7When I first came to US, I didn't mind drinking public fountain. But one day, I walked by one and a dog was drinking from it, licking all over it in the process. From that day onward, I stopped. Still, I have to wonder: is that reasonable of me? And otherwise, is it expected to let your pet sharing the same water source with human?
Here in Seattle, quite a few water fountains in public parks have a 2nd fountain at ground level for pets. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean that all dog owners will be courteous enough to use them, but at least it's a start.
In reality, though, all kind of other gross things are going to get on outdoor fountains even if we keep the dogs away, not the least of which comes from the other people who used them before you.
My understanding (and this is just what I've heard, not something I've investigated) is that if you let a well-maintained fountain run long enough, say 10 seconds, before drinking from it, it's almost certainly fine. Of course, this assumes there isn't any visible contamination on there that the water's flowing through. In short, I don't hesitate to use them if they look OK.
Re: We don’t trust drinking fountains anymore, and that’s bad for our health
#8Herpes.
Re: We don’t trust drinking fountains anymore, and that’s bad for our health
#9When I first came to US, I didn't mind drinking public fountain. But one day, I walked by one and a dog was drinking from it, licking all over it in the process. From that day onward, I stopped. Still, I have to wonder: is that reasonable of me? And otherwise, is it expected to let your pet sharing the same water source with human?
Of course it's reasonable of you. The burden of proof is on the water fountain (or more specifically, the designers of the water fountain) as to whether drinking from it is safe. This is not a problem with being overly cautious. This is a problem with an antiquated design.
What exactly is antiquated about the design of modern water fountains? How could the designers of the water fountain effectively and reasonably communicate that the water fountain is safe to drink from, and do so for the design life of the fixture?
Sure, some water fountains look old...but I imagine that if you live in a major city, odds are (from a logistical standpoint, unless you live in a new subdivision) the tap water to your house or apartment flows through pipes that are older than that water fountain. A dog drinking from the fountain is gross, but I'm not sure the onus is on the designer to totally prevent people from acting silly.
Re: We don’t trust drinking fountains anymore, and that’s bad for our health
#10I grew up in LA, where water is scarce, and valued. Water fountains are around, but they have valves, which break, stick, or otherwise cause problems. When I lived in Chicago, I was shocked to see that their water fountains have no valves: They run full flow 24x7. Given the weather (frozen pipes) and the water resources available to Chicago (Lake Michigan), it makes sense for them to do it this way, but I had a lot o…
I've never heard of such a thing. That would be so strange to see.