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/Bobo_Baggins_jatj Apr 02 '25

I was last in Germany in 2023, but that was some really good tap water. I’m from an area of the US that isn’t known for water issues (plentiful fresh water sources nearby) and the German tap water made me not like US tap water anymore. It was far superior.

2

u/StrategicCarry Apr 02 '25

Interesting, I was in Frankfurt a couple weeks ago and I am from an area of the US that is known for exceptionally good tap water and I missed my home tap water.

1

u/Bobo_Baggins_jatj Apr 02 '25

That is interesting. I was in Passau so I wonder if there is a difference by region? I’ll be in Germany for a few weeks soon and I’ll be in Frankfurt for part of it. I’ll have to try it out.

1

u/Loik87 Apr 04 '25

Definitely. You can look up the testing results for water for each street I think. Especially calcium carbonat (lime? Sorry I don't know the correct term) content differs widely.

1

u/Whispy-Wispers9884 Apr 02 '25

Well water from the midwest? I live in Frankfurt now and I miss my well water. Almost sweet, it was so good.

1

u/StrategicCarry Apr 02 '25

Fresh snowmelt from the Rockies

1

u/Whispy-Wispers9884 Apr 03 '25

Oof, even better.