Also in Europe: You should not drink tap water in these holiday countries

Also in Europe
You should not drink tap water in these holiday countries

In Germany we are very fortunate to have access to clean tap water at all times. But not everyone on earth shares this happiness. According to the Federal Foreign Office, around three billion people have no access to unpolluted drinking water.

Contaminated drinking water is the biggest danger on vacation

But the problem does not only affect the world’s poorest. Even in many holiday countries, we should only drink packaged water to avoid getting sick. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 80 percent of all travel illnesses are due to contaminated drinking water. This makes it the greatest health risk on holiday.

Even the tap water in the most expensive hotel can contain pathogens, chemicals or other residues that can make us ill.

“Above all, human and animal faeces, surface toxins such as pesticides from agriculture, waste water from poorly controlled industrial plants or a high content of natural chemical contaminants (…) can endanger health, especially if you are exposed to these substances over a long period of time,” he said the Foreign Office.

In some, mostly tropical countries, you should avoid ice cubes and salads yourself, and neither use tap water to brush your teeth nor to clean contact lenses. Young children, pregnant women, the elderly or people with a weakened immune system should be particularly careful. If you want to be on the safe side when it comes to drinking water, you should buy packaged water in sealed bottles – even if this involves a high level of plastic pollution. It would be more environmentally friendly to filter the water, clean it with special tablets or – if it looks clear – boil it.

The US health authority “Centers for Disease Control” (CDC) has identified 180 countries in which tap water is problematic. The authorities are also issuing a warning for these popular travel destinations.

You should avoid tap water in these 30 holiday countries

The general rule: Before you travel to a country, you should find out whether the tap water there is safe or not.

Sources: Foreign Office, CDC, Travelbook, Focus.de

Sar
Bridget