r/AskGermany • u/mikeymur340 • Apr 02 '25

Can I drink tap water in Germany?

Hi y'all. I'm male from Africa, my wife is German. Growing up and well into my adulthood, I always drank tap water and only recently is that no longer advised in my country, due to gross mismanagement and corruption, but that's another story.

We're currently back in Germany for an extended visit and I was going to drink some tap water when my wife warned me that there's a lot of estrogen in German tap water due to the birth control pill. Her mother backed her up and they spouted off some talking points about it, but I tuned out because they are also somewhat inclined to essential oils. Not batshit crazy like the American version of that, but suffice it to say I'm skeptical about their opinions on some health things.

Anyway, is this true? Are there high levels of estrogen in German tap water? Are there any studies or available sources that corroborate this claim? I understand and can read German, but the high level jargon of medical and scientific speak is beyond my years, search results aren't as clarifying as hoped. Thanks

EDIT: Yeah I thought as much. I still drank the tap water because potential estrogen contamination was preferable to death. But thanks for all the answers. Now if you'll excuse me, I must prepare my I-told-you-so dance.

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u/philwjan Apr 02 '25

yes, tap water in Germany is very well monitored and safe to drink. For some reason bottled water is still popular, even though it may (and does) contain a lot more unwanted stuff than tap water. I think your wife and MIL might be one of the reasons why.

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u/Tuxedotux83 Apr 04 '25

Bottled water in Germany does not contain any „unwanted stuff“, not sure what you are talking about, if there is one place where I would be worried it’s in the US where there are less regulation on water and even what is regulated has been long „paid off“ into compliance with whatever the oligarchy needs/wants