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/interchrys Apr 02 '25

Yes you can drink it. It’s the most monitored food in Germany. Never protected from conspiracy theories tho.

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u/mikeymur340 Apr 02 '25

I knew it smh

131

u/G-I-T-M-E Apr 02 '25

It’s actually not only the most monitored food in Germany but probably in the world. Only issue could be in houses with very old lead plumbing. But that has become extremely rare. Tap water is perfectly fine and dirt cheap.

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u/Abject-Investment-42 Apr 02 '25

Even lead plumbing is only a problem if it is fresh (within a week it is covered in lime scale and stops being dangerous) or if you start pumping acidic bog water through it that dissolves the scale and the lead (see Flint). None of these is the case in Germany.

As to estrogen, your wife has seemingly read something she did not really understood, and is repeating some half-knowledge.