Is Drinking Shower Water Bad?

Published on Thursday, February 12, 2009, by Roxanne Webber / Edit Post

It turns out that mothers the world over are right: Don’t drink the shower water. Lynn Kirby, a water quality engineer for Seattle Public Utilities, recommends “not using hot water for drinking or cooking” for two primary reasons: the potential for bacterial growth in the hot water heater tank, and because “hot water tends to corrode pipes more quickly than cold water, so you may get more dissolved metals from the hot water tap compared to the cold.”

The biggest concern is lead. Although lead solder was banned in the United States in 1987, there are still millions of lead-soldered copper pipes that haven’t been replaced. Hot water running through these pipes can cause the lead to leach out. The Environmental Protection Agency calls lead solder “the major cause of lead contamination of household water in U.S. homes today.” The only way to know if your water contains lead is to have it tested. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lay out how to determine what steps to take, and the National Safety Council recommends buying a commercial lead test or consulting the nonprofit corporation Clean Water Lead Testing Inc. for a mail-order lead test.

Heat from the hot water tank will also tend to dissipate the residual chlorine in the water, says Kirby, which “could result in the growth of bacteria in the hot water tank.” But, like the potential for lead exposure, there’s no way of determining if the bacteria are actually harmful (or exist) unless you test the water. So slake your thirst outside the shower.

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  • Yes, in India and Africa...

  • Yeah, the article in general seems overblown because the lead in pipes problem is not nearly as much as the initial headline makes you think it is.

    And thanks to Oneiron for bringing his petty political arguments to a food website.

  • Tap water is not safe to drink due to the fluoride content.

  • I use hot water from the tap all the time. Not writing like Poppy8sd is a good thing. I do not write like Poppy8sd. Draw your own conclusions.

    I actually thought this was going to be about how people might not want to drink their shower water, since a lot of water these days is reclaimed (aka recycled). That would have been informative and interesting. This lead-scare handwaving stuff is...+READ

    I use hot water from the tap all the time. Not writing like Poppy8sd is a good thing. I do not write like Poppy8sd. Draw your own conclusions.

    I actually thought this was going to be about how people might not want to drink their shower water, since a lot of water these days is reclaimed (aka recycled). That would have been informative and interesting. This lead-scare handwaving stuff is neither. I'm disappointed.

    Here, allow me to begin:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reclaimed_water

    Note this bit: "state regulatory agencies do not allow reclaimed water to be used for drinking, bathing, or filling swimming pools. " So drinking the shower water is fine.-COLLAPSE

  • So, basically if your house was made after 1987, and you don't have a crappy water heater, it's perfectly fine, what a scaremongering article. I don't think drinking a little bit of hot water from a home with an old tap is going to kill you.

  • Tap water is full of chemicals that could harm you in sufficiently large doses (anyone remember the study claiming to find traces of prescription drugs in tap water?) However, it is highly unlikely that any of these chemicals exist in sufficient quantities to be a cause for alarm.

    If your house has 150-year-old plumbing, sure, get the water tested for lead. If not, consider the fact that we...+READ

    Tap water is full of chemicals that could harm you in sufficiently large doses (anyone remember the study claiming to find traces of prescription drugs in tap water?) However, it is highly unlikely that any of these chemicals exist in sufficient quantities to be a cause for alarm.

    If your house has 150-year-old plumbing, sure, get the water tested for lead. If not, consider the fact that we all would have died of lead poisoning long ago if the mere presence of lead in the environment were harmful. Oh well.-COLLAPSE

  • Poppy's posts, especially the 8:58 one, are a strong advertisement for formal education and the intellectual rigour that any formal system of education demands of graduates who would seek to advance human understanding. Doctors in Googlography (three levels below the University of Phoenix, it seems) are weak and incoherent.

    There's surely some smidgens of truth contained somewhere in what this...+READ

    Poppy's posts, especially the 8:58 one, are a strong advertisement for formal education and the intellectual rigour that any formal system of education demands of graduates who would seek to advance human understanding. Doctors in Googlography (three levels below the University of Phoenix, it seems) are weak and incoherent.

    There's surely some smidgens of truth contained somewhere in what this person's written, but the posts read like someone on chrystalmeth firing a shotgun at crows on acid: yes, there may direct hits, but only a few.

    I can't even imagine what would emerge if we brought up the subject of flouride with this person -and how it breeds red-diaper babies. (Bunkers, bunkers everywhere!)-COLLAPSE

  • LOL, now I know why it tastes so mettalic! But then hey, I have worse things to worry about than drinking a bit of shower water (I think :D ).

  • i think the stress of such extreme paranoia might be more detrimental to your health than any of the water issues you are worried about... do you know what excessive worrying can do to your neurons? considering i could get hit by a bus tomorrow, and there is no way to avoid all the environmental toxins there are out there, i'd rather take a 7 minute long hot shower today than stand in a freezing...+READ

    i think the stress of such extreme paranoia might be more detrimental to your health than any of the water issues you are worried about... do you know what excessive worrying can do to your neurons? considering i could get hit by a bus tomorrow, and there is no way to avoid all the environmental toxins there are out there, i'd rather take a 7 minute long hot shower today than stand in a freezing one hoping live long enough to continue being miserable into my early 100s...-COLLAPSE

  • ~jspear
    Thought of listing it, but didn't know if enough have to be relevant. –Well water The best (Tested, often), all of us should be drinking it that's why it exists. The farther away from nature, in everything, the more harmful. Snow run-off: isn't, anymore, automatically safe; chemical industry far too powerful/ widespread, e.g., polar bears: found to have Teflon in their blood. --They...+READ

    ~jspear
    Thought of listing it, but didn't know if enough have to be relevant. –Well water The best (Tested, often), all of us should be drinking it that's why it exists. The farther away from nature, in everything, the more harmful. Snow run-off: isn't, anymore, automatically safe; chemical industry far too powerful/ widespread, e.g., polar bears: found to have Teflon in their blood. --They ain't using "non-stick" pans
    so how did it get there.
    ~CoryKatherine
    -"If you can't reheat tap water to cook..." --"RE-heat" was the point. --Don't re-heat water, use COLD --once, fresh for each use.
    -"PUR --a filter?" --You didn't bother finding out --before you bought it or now, even with the link info??? I did. Answer: depends on which model; if you bought: "Aesthetic Effects" filter --nope.
    -Dentists, new immigrants, builders, migrant workers: supposed
    to be following EPA-mandated laws. --Ditto: every household, but oh oops dead batteries just got tossed into garbage; oh oops cleaners just dumped some Tetrachloroethylene. --Maybe when they leach --into ground water, it won't be ground near your home.
    -"…water...throw out all my shampoos and makeup too, probably, and lotion, and deodorant...” –FDA was bought off from testing ANY personal care products, in 1930s. Keep the carcinogen-inducing ones you like, just don't go whining looking for 'why me' sympathy when those 'do the job.'
    ~feltlikealifetime
    If a topic doesn’t please you –you want it removed –and Nobody else
    should read it??? That’s pretty “Off with her head” Queen of Hearts, lol. –I think eating pig parts is diz-gusting, should I attempt to get CHOW pig parts ref's off the site --the web??? Here’s a bit of magic: if you don’t like this/a topic Don’t > and SURPRISE –page WON’T open! Problem Solved.
    ~ potter
    lol, Amen.

    People Think Somebody must be watching/wouldn’t allow toxins in consumer products…

    To “crap/no big deal/not worth worrying” about: “small amount” of http://www.nsf.org/Certified/DWTU/ in lead-laced water—daily + “small amount” of toxins -growth hormones -carcinogenic dye in cattle fed pesticide-laced corn + “small amount” of toxins in milk/dairy –chickens –fish –fruit, produce –WHO is keeping track?

    Before 1973: breast –testicular cancer in those under age 40 was so rare, considered an anomaly. Now, after chemical industry got better/best lobbyists: 20 -30-something women fear breast -cervical cancer for good reason; US has highest rates of cancer on the planet. Oh well. Forget it, kick back with a “diet” soda –water, artificial flavor, “sweetened” by three neuro-toxins, aka: aspartame, so lethal criminal to be on the market. –But just one won’t kill you, it’s cumulative, takes lots till a child gets inoperable brain tumor, unknown before “diet” gum –ice cream –candy –soup –J-ello –frozen dinner appeared,1983.

    In California: municipal water utility in your area is required to give you test results showing what is contained in water they supply to you, free, once a year.

    Until you add certified filter to all taps: run tap water until no odor, clear before using. Or don’t.-COLLAPSE

  • Seems to me the problem is with the article's title, which editors might've thought sounded like more fun than one that's related to the main point of the article, which is that hot water, especially if it's sat in a holding tank, is more likely to contain toxins than water from the cold water tap. I think this is relevant to people who cook with water. For those who don't--lucky you can pull up...+READ

    Seems to me the problem is with the article's title, which editors might've thought sounded like more fun than one that's related to the main point of the article, which is that hot water, especially if it's sat in a holding tank, is more likely to contain toxins than water from the cold water tap. I think this is relevant to people who cook with water. For those who don't--lucky you can pull up something else to read at the click of a mouse.-COLLAPSE

  • Gee Oneiron, people who are not afraid of science know lead is not a immediate, fast acting poison, but something that affects and retards brain function over time, depending upon exposure levels. I'm not an actual scientist myself, but in my humble opinion, you're showing some signs of retardation already ...

    For the rest of us, don't panic, but do take appropriate steps to minimize exposure -...+READ

    Gee Oneiron, people who are not afraid of science know lead is not a immediate, fast acting poison, but something that affects and retards brain function over time, depending upon exposure levels. I'm not an actual scientist myself, but in my humble opinion, you're showing some signs of retardation already ...

    For the rest of us, don't panic, but do take appropriate steps to minimize exposure - like running the cold water before using for cooking in older houses. Here's what the EPA says http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/leadinfo.htm#health-COLLAPSE

  • Oneiron, come on! I agree about the excessive whining - like we need pointless crap to worry about at a time when our entire society is faced with some REAL and SERIOUS issues?!?! ! But making it political? Keep your soapbox out of a food website, please. There are plenty of blogs that will welcome your ranting.

    As far as Chow and Chowhound goes, I've long since given up on gleaning any value...+READ

    Oneiron, come on! I agree about the excessive whining - like we need pointless crap to worry about at a time when our entire society is faced with some REAL and SERIOUS issues?!?! ! But making it political? Keep your soapbox out of a food website, please. There are plenty of blogs that will welcome your ranting.

    As far as Chow and Chowhound goes, I've long since given up on gleaning any value whatsoever from their editorial content. It's nothing but the worst kind of filler. The only real value comes from the user generated content.-COLLAPSE

  • What a bunch of crap. I've cooked pasta in hot (from the tap) water, showered for 60 years, drank from any number of questionable taps, etc., and I'm, still here. As a kid, we got the paint dust on our bodies and tore up a few asbestos-covered furnaces for disposal when we got new gas heaters. All you wimpy-whiners need to start worrying about Nobama's socialism plans rather than stuff like this,...+READ

    What a bunch of crap. I've cooked pasta in hot (from the tap) water, showered for 60 years, drank from any number of questionable taps, etc., and I'm, still here. As a kid, we got the paint dust on our bodies and tore up a few asbestos-covered furnaces for disposal when we got new gas heaters. All you wimpy-whiners need to start worrying about Nobama's socialism plans rather than stuff like this, it's far more dangerous to our health.-COLLAPSE

  • This story obviously is not relevant to the topics Chow concerns itself with. Chow might as well start headlining any and all random public health stories if they are going to publish such nonsequiturs. Please, editors, remove this story from the headline section and replace it with an ACTUAL story relating to Food & Drink, which we chowhounds can't get enough of.

  • Sorry, I understand that in certain parts of our country environmental toxicity is a real problem, but even here in Boston MA (love that dirty water), I'm not going to worry myself sick over the situation. If you can't reheat tap water to cook, what the heck are you supposed to do??? Are you nuts? Yes I filter my drinking water (with a Pur water filter- is THIS a filter?) but I am firmly of the...+READ

    Sorry, I understand that in certain parts of our country environmental toxicity is a real problem, but even here in Boston MA (love that dirty water), I'm not going to worry myself sick over the situation. If you can't reheat tap water to cook, what the heck are you supposed to do??? Are you nuts? Yes I filter my drinking water (with a Pur water filter- is THIS a filter?) but I am firmly of the mind that what doesn't kill me makes me stronger. If I start with the water worry, I'll have to throw out all my shampoos and makeup too, probably, and lotion, and deodorant, and then half the upholstery in my house, followed by all my friends and family who are surely covered in toxins. And sooner or later I'll have to avoid going outside. Or maybe I'll have to avoid coming inside (my apartment is OLD). And lest we forget, showering (because those toxins cannot penetrate my skin or oh, the consequences). It's okay, no one will mind how smelly I am because I'll be all alone...-COLLAPSE

  • Poppy,
    Am I ok, I have well water, tested clear when we built the house it is filtered and softened. I love my shower in the morning and i think the person I work next to appreciates it also. Where is the water we should be drinking, glacier run off only?? Sounds like we have lots of that lately! If it's OK, I'm going to stay hydrated, boil and cook with the water out of the tap, drink water...+READ

    Poppy,
    Am I ok, I have well water, tested clear when we built the house it is filtered and softened. I love my shower in the morning and i think the person I work next to appreciates it also. Where is the water we should be drinking, glacier run off only?? Sounds like we have lots of that lately! If it's OK, I'm going to stay hydrated, boil and cook with the water out of the tap, drink water that is brought to my table and shower. At 51 I think any adverse effects are already in place ;)-COLLAPSE

  • You peeps are funny. (good giggle)

    Ever feel drowsy when you get out of the shower? --Think it's just the 'hot water'? Most harmful thing a person can do in the home? Seven minutes in a hot shower. I have several thousand hours into water research. "Solder" --only one thing to consider.

    Tap water --any tap anywhere: contains 13 EPA-mandated toxins in municipal water in the US. --Two of...+READ

    You peeps are funny. (good giggle)

    Ever feel drowsy when you get out of the shower? --Think it's just the 'hot water'? Most harmful thing a person can do in the home? Seven minutes in a hot shower. I have several thousand hours into water research. "Solder" --only one thing to consider.

    Tap water --any tap anywhere: contains 13 EPA-mandated toxins in municipal water in the US. --Two of those: form a lethal toxin in storage, as in sitting in reservoirs, exposed to sunlight -waiting for use.

    -Hot shower: toxins forced into the skin
    -Cooking, shower --All taps (--drawing municipal water): Attach filter --CERTIFIED to international standards; find approved one: nsf.org (--not national science foundation, the other "nsf"); screens heavy metals -VOCs -parasites -toxins
    -Cooking: NEVER re-heat tap water, binds the toxins --more lethal
    -Restaurant glass of water: if it isn't filtered, ask for a lemon wedge, squeeze juice into glass
    -"Brita": NOT a filter
    -Bottled water: tap water --but 100 to 1,000% more expensive; FDA LOWERED the standards to those of EPA, in 2003, despite my letters to 17 influential people who Should have stopped it, and protests to FDA, all ignored; bottled water: biggest sucker purchase going. --Hilarious --to see gym snobs sloshing --not so funny to see the poorest in the US, ignorant they are getting ripped off, but keep on going to the DIRTY/parasite-laden machines to fill up anyway.-COLLAPSE

  • i fill my water bottle with hot tap water daily because i can't stand the feeling of drinking cold water in the winter.

    ... am i ... am i going to die?

  • Are you talking about drinking the water as it flows out of the shower head or lapping up what's passed over you and collected in the shower pan? I'm so very confused and wouldn't want to do the wrong thing.

  • Hi there--

    The questions we answer come from editorial staff, reader email submissions, and all sorts of other folks. We welcome you to submit your own questions anytime to naggingquestion@chow.com if you aren't seeing the types of Nagging Questions you're looking for.

    Thanks for reading and for your feedback,

    Roxanne Webber, associate editor, Chow

  • someone needs to explain to me how this fits in with the pursuit of "deliciousness"........

  • Somebody needs to find something real to worry about.

  • But what about toilet bowl water? Pressing questions, people.

  • I have copper piping and a tankless water heater. Lead free solder was used to join the copper piping and I have a whole house water filter.......
    So, how bad can drinking the hot water be?

  • Me too, momdgp! Cooks should always use cold, filtered water for pasta (et al) for that very reason. Boil it ahead if you need it hot. The tap is, sadly, nobody's friend any more, except maybe the cat's.

  • How much water could someone possibly drink during a short shower to cause a problem? I'd be much more worried about someone who, for example, fills a pot with hot water to cook pasta.

  • Akitist, thank you for reminding me - I've completely forgotten to worry about that - and my worrying will have such a major effect on the outcome!

    Seriously, how much lead is leached from lead soldered pipes? Is it enough to cause neurological damage? Lead paint is/can be a real problem but leached lead?? Is it really a problem??

  • Sorry, this is very much mislabeled. The water from your kitchen hot tap is as bad as that from the shower, maybe worse, as most folks use a blend of hot and cold in the shower.

    Of more concern would be the obliteration of all terrestrial life. When our galaxy collides with the Andromeda galaxy. In 2 or 3 trillion years.

  • Does this really belong on a food/drink website?

  • Wow!
    I just added this to my list of things to worry about.
    It's Number 7,438.
    Thanks, CHOW.