We lived in a house with lead piping for 20 years. I was worried as my daughter was young and it was the main pipe delivering the water from the road. I was reassured by the plumber who was replacing our bathroom, he showed me the inside of the pipe and how furred up it was. His advise flush the toilet and run your kitchen tap every morning for a few minutes and you’ll be fine.
but Teresa, did you have a library? 
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I’m picking up my Intermarché Drive order later this morning - first one without any kind of water in it. In fact, first shop since Adam was a boy with no water in it! Feeling sanctimonious 
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When mum was alive I always had a plastic bottle of water ( in a thermal sleeve) with us when we went out. She had what she called ‘a mouth full of cotton wool’ and would have coughing fits and need to take sips of wate fairly quickly before they turned into wheezing. A glass bottle would have been too dangerous, heavy and also too difficult for her to grip. A plastic bottle with ridges was just perfect for her to hold.
So if you sometimes you see someone ‘sucking’ on a bottle of water please don’t judge, it could be their little ‘lifeline’ and a means to leave the house …
I have a little thermos bottle which is fine for me !
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I’m sure you’re substantially right about the human microbiome Peter - and I could have written it myself a few years ago - but I’m afraid as I get older, and having recently come through some serious health problems, I find I do have to be more careful. The other factor of course is that our bodies may be adapted to deal with bacteria etc in one place, but not those in places thousands of miles away. So I generally follow medical or other travelers’ advice on drinking tap water in countries with poor sanitation.
Obviously, we need to stop selling and buying water etc in plastic bottles, but not necessarily absolutely all availability in other containers.
Taking a broader view, looking beyond our own time and place, we know that water borne infections with very serious results have often affected humanity - historically, this was probably one reason why most people in some places habitually drank wine or beer. So that’s one answer…
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Some really interesting stuff int his thread and you have certainly given me food for thought Simon!
Unfortunately I have a fizzy water addiction and have yet to find a viable alternative - anyone?
Also, I’m really intrigued by your comment @stella about only being allowed water halfway through the meal - what was the thinking behind that? I am wondering if the chugging water constantly isn’t a by product of a society that eats a ton of processed food? I certainly notice it if I ever eat out at lunchtime - I spend the afternoon glugging water due to the salt content which I am totally unused to as we don’t eat anything processed at home.
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And if that last comment makes me sound a bit ‘Gwyneth’ , it’s because I have severe histamine intolerance and need to carry an epipen so it’s just simpler to make my own!
Avoiding all processed food seems to be the absolute best thing you can do for your health (and purse). We stopped about 5 years ago, and has really made a health difference. Only problem is we also struggle to eat out as everything is too salty and all we taste is salt.
Have you tried a fizzy water siphon? The cartridges are recyclable.
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Catharine - Dad didn’t want us kids filling-up with water and not eating the food. Hard times meant nothing must be wasted.
I have seen, in recent years, that one tip on how to lose weight - is to have a glass of water “before” every meal … 
- so Dad may have been right.
Even now, I only drink in moderation with a meal - I make up for it during the rest of the day (wine etc) …
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Not at The Midi in Trivy.
I sometimes have to season my plate a bit.
Red wine for thy stomach’s sake and oft infirmities.
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I have friends who suffer with headaches - and one thing I always ask them is “are you getting enough fluid”.
Folk look at me as if I am daft, but I have found that if I forget to drink - I get a headache - front-left of my forehead. A niggle that vanishes after a good drink of water.
Some days I am so tied up with meetings/driving whatever, that I don’t get a drink between breakfast and lunchtime etc - and for me that can be too long.
Hence my tendency to have a bottle of water in my capacious handbag or in the side pocket of the car.
I agree some processed food is much too salty, but we eat negligible amounts as we prefer home-made or artisan stuff from well-known restaurants. Word of mouth is best advert when looking for a nice meal out.
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My Maternal grandmother never drank alcohol - but Dad kept having to top-up her medicinal brandy bottle…
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No I haven’t but should probably look into it.
Hi Cat
If you find a good reasonably priced machine would you please post any links as I would be interested too… Or if anyone on here has one that they could recommend could you please also post a link TIA …
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reminds me of John and Hayley Mills in Whistle down the Wind “Tha’ll eat that or it will be served up until ya do…”
… what you don’t finish now, you can have for breakfast … 
(and I sometimes make that remark - although in my case it is done in light-hearted manner)
I bought a bottle of that Dasani water when the scandal was exposed and before the product was removed, hastily but not too hastily for me as I have very quick reflexes, from the shelves.
I kept it as a reminder of the commercial banditry that afflicts society, and I still have it in my garden shed 20 years later.
Although the bottle is deformed as the plastic has softened, it is still intact, unopened, and contains all or most of its water.
I wonder if it is the only remaining bottle on earth? And whether it has historic value, or - like a century-old wine - it has commercial value in the market for relics?
Anyone make me an offer? 
you could make your own sparkling water…
Well the tap water here is still hard and fuzzes up the kettle but is WAY better than the water we had in Ashford.
We have some Nalgene cycling water bottles that we have had for years that get used for cycling and walking and stainless steel insulated for if on a long journey.
As for building up an immunity I agree that it is possible - after 4 months in India I ended up drinking tap water in Delhi with no ill effects.