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I'm personally uncertain if anything like this is backed by research.
Yeah, 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.
Also the human body spends all day killing most common bacteria, mold, and similar. You don't even know it is happening. If you got sick every time you came in contact with another person's bodily fluids then you'd be sick almost daily, you'd certainly never go out to eat again, or ride public transport.
My point is, your fears are entirely unfounded. Water fountains are fine.
Yeah, 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.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
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…
When 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?
Americans are absolutely nuts about what they'll let their pets do.
When 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?
Let's start with the assumption (not necessarily true) that one who drinks from a public water fountain consumes significantly more germs than one who drinks bottled water. Is this even a bad thing? I would think that this regular exposure could help strengthen the immune system. I'm personally uncertain if anything like this is backed by research.
There has to be a better option.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
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…
Good design can always find a solution -- off the top of my head, integrating some kind of sterile recyclable mouthpiece dispenser would assuage most concerns
Been seeing these water bottle refill stations pop up around: http://blog.hughessupply.com/files/2011/11/EZH2O_Single_L_Fi...
Let's start with the assumption (not necessarily true) that one who drinks from a public water fountain consumes significantly more germs than one who drinks bottled water. Is this even a bad thing? I would think that this regular exposure could help strengthen the immune system. I'm personally uncertain if anything like this is backed by research.
When I was elementary school age I saw some older kids at the park taking turns peeing on a drinking fountain (and laughing). I have used public drinking fountains since, but only when the need was severe. There has to be a better option.