Job Discussion Forums

[logician]

I've been asking my Taiwan acquaintances about washing my plates, forks, cups, etc. in the non-sterilized water.

The consensus seems to be that it's safe to wash dishes in the tapwater, it's even safe to brush one's teeth in the tap water, but it's not safe to drink the tap water.

This doesn't make sense to me.

If the tap water is biologically harmful, wouldn't the viruses and/or micro-organisms be dangerous even if one just washed one's dishes in the tap water? Or do the biological agents need to be imbibed in large quantities (e.g. an ounce of tap water) in order to make them harmful?

Does anyone actually know the biology behind all this?

[TaoyuanSteve]

You also have to bathe sometimes as well. I think the best you can do is minimize your intake of unfiltered water. Full-on elemination of all contact with unfiltered water is probably not possible. In the case of washing dishes, you are usually adding large amounts of detergent which could be said to have a cleansing effect on the water (if you are washing dishes in your sink, you want to think back to those times you washed dishes at home for some perspective: by the time you reached the end of that stack of dishes, the dishwater was probably not suitable for human consumption either. But you likely squeezed through those final dishes without much worry). Also you will be drying the dishes. You may also want to consider whether or not the noodles you just bought from that food stand were cooked in tap water, whether or not the ice cubes in your coke or high-ball are made from unfiltered tap water. What about that soup? Reasonable precautions are a good idea, but don't worry excessively.

[wombat]

You could drink tap water consistently for months and not even get an upset stomach. Or you could swallow a small amount and get quite sick. The water itself is obviously not poisonous, it is just the offchance that there could be a concentration of bad bugs in the water. It all comes down to luck, and commonsense.

Technically it would be possible to get sick by using water to brush your teeth when you rinse for example, but the chances of this occuring are very small. It is less likely that washing dishes etc. would be a concern. In fact most locals are more afraid of the detergent used to wash dishes than the actual water that it is washed in, which I find amazing!!!

[jason_seeburn]

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[Xenophobe]

I was fortunate that my apartment came equipped with an RO filtration system. Never had to boil water or haul jugs of water for the five years that I was in Kaohsiung. They aren't expensive and I would encourage anyone who plans on staying in Taiwan for awhile to have one installed in their apartment. Costco sells some good ones if you're interested.

[Sheep-Goats]

I've used tap water to brush my teeth, wash dishes, and gargle in Bangkok, Phnom Phen, Georgetown (Malaysia), and out of a little moutain stream in on the Thai/Burmese border and have never had a physical problem as a result.

Your body can handle one or two microbes. In fact, one or two microbes are present in your tap water back in the US. What your body can't handle is an already-present colony.

Don't be a puss -- just make sure to dry them properly so you don't get stuff growing on your dishes. But you'd do the same back home, yes?

[markholmes]

The trouble is with river water is you never know who's crapping in it further up stream.

But your right, I haven't had any stomach problems for years, other than mild complaints which generally occur when I arrive back in Canada or England (its not a question of quality, just unfamiliar microbes).

Having said that I wouldn't down a glass of Taipei tap water.

I gave up using water to brush my teeth years ago.

[logician]

[Aristotle]

Don't drink the water. It's Russian roulette.
There have been confirmed cases recently of industries dumping toxic chemicals into the island's water supplies on Taiwan. Boiling the water won't get rid of chemical pollutants.

[wood]

You might as well forget the idea of not drinking untreated water when you're here. Anytime you go to a restaurant, especially one that uses ice cubes, you are getting untreated, tap water. Even the bottled water is suspect. Anytime you buy cold drinks such as zhenzhu naicha, you are more than likely getting untreated tap water. For the most part, it probably won't hurt you. Worrying about it too much probably will.

[daily chai]

True. My spouse won't partake in grass jelly drink or "lemonade" jelly drink from the market because it's from untreated tap water. I used to get it all the time with no troubles.
Aristotle's right, boiling/bleaching won't get rid of industrial pollutants. But perhaps a diet rich in vegetables will get the anitoxidants going full steam. Miso was documented in WWII for its chelating properties (ability to grab heavy metals) when no one at a miso-serving hospital in Nagasaki got radiation illness. We drink miso every day in Formosa.

I second the recommendation for a home water filter. HEAPS more convenient than bottled water. Our bathroom tap has the filter so we brush with filtered water. Not the kitchen--we haul out a pot of water when making soup. Steve's right about funky dishwater. Seems that flukes would dessicate when the dishes dry, and the detergent is probably bad for them.

Our washer goes on cold water only. A neigbor recommended using some gel additive to the water when washing socks to prevent fungal/bacterial overgrowth. I've seen it in a yellow bottle with a footprint on it. Anyone like this stuff? Anyway, the point is there are options available to make life livable.

[mjed9]

[logician]

[markholmes]

Are you sure the water in the drinks in the night market hasn't been boiled? Chinese have got a thing about not drinking unboiled water.

As to my comments about not using water to brush my teeth; I brush dry with only the saliva in my mouth (I know it sounds disgusting but its actually not). After I'm done I usually drink half a pint of bottled water, so I guess I wasn't entirely truthful.

I'm 36, have white teeth and have never had a filling in my life.

I started dry brushing when I lived in Guilin, China and the water used to come out of the tap a deep (quite attractive, but none the less worrying) brown colour.

China buffs will know that Chairman Mao brushed his teeth in tea and consequently had horrible brown teeth. He also never washed his willy!

[jason_seeburn]

The chinese on Taiwan for sure boil all their water before they drink it. They have these little boiling machines that they use where the water is boiled every ten minutes or so. I remember getting tired of drinking warm or hot water all the time.