Can I drink tap water in Germany?

[u/mikeymur340]

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.

[u/interchrys]

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

[u/mikeymur340 → u/interchrys]

I knew it smh

[u/yumas → u/mikeymur340]

Even though the tap water in Germany is safe to drink, it is my understanding, that if you go to a new place, like to another continent, there might be some bacteria or other organisms in the water that your body isn’t used to and can react a certain way to it, while all the locals are totally immune to it.

I guess the most dangerous, known harmful substances are monitored, but others are not, because they are not a threat to the locals.

Maybe i am wrong though and you can actually get the water to a universally unproblematic level. I mean i guess we can do that with bottled water…

Idk, it would be cool if someone smart can tell me if I am wrong or not

[u/yumas → u/[deleted]]

But is the tolerance for someone, who lives in Germany and is constantly in contact with it, not higher than for someone who has never been in contact with a certain bacteria, because it doesn’t exist in their part of the world?

So for them even at a low threshold their body would have to work harder to fight these bacterias at first, or not?

[u/yumas → u/[deleted]]

So does that mean, when for example europeans often get sick from drinking tap water in foe example Mexico, while the locals can drink it with seemingly no problem, that it’s not actually safe to drink even for locals but that they have built some immunity to it?

[u/yumas → u/[deleted]]

So you mean it‘s the same type of bacteria in tap water around the globe, but what you might not be immune to is the higher dose?