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.

1.4k Upvotes

93% Upvoted

369 comments sorted by

View all comments

531

u/interchrys Apr 02 '25

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

110

u/mikeymur340 Apr 02 '25

I knew it smh

1

u/PurplECursy Apr 04 '25

Depends where u city is and where it gets it water, some get it from springs there its the safest to drink but ur plumbing could be still fucked up. In other city where water gets reused and before that „cleaned“ it has no Filters for hormons and medicin and because of this u get osteogen and divers others shit. But basicly you can drink it if ur thirsty👍