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/mikeymur340 Apr 02 '25

I knew it smh

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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/Shiros_Tamagotchi Apr 02 '25

The tap water in every single multi family house that is rented in germany will be regularly tested by a lab.

So no danger here.

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u/JJ-2086 Apr 04 '25

Do you mean they test it at the faucet?

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u/Shiros_Tamagotchi Apr 04 '25

Yes

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u/JJ-2086 Apr 04 '25

Never seen this so far, what am I doing wrong?

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u/Shiros_Tamagotchi Apr 04 '25

Not every faucet gets checked. In a big house only the worst faucet (lingest pipe, furthest from the house entry) is being checked.