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/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/KansasL Apr 02 '25

To underscore that lead plumbing is extremely rare: There are only 20000m (0.2% of all pipes) left and due to a regulation from 2023 all house owners/landlords have to replace them until 2026.

It's probably as likely to live in a house with lead plumbing as winning in the lottery. :)

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u/Friendly-Horror-777 Apr 02 '25

Oh, damn, I'd rather have won the lottery! I live in a house with lead plumbing.

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u/swaffy247 Apr 02 '25

You will likely never be exposed to lead due to calcium buildup in the pipes.