Worried about Airplane Drinking Water?
An article in the Washington Post on Tuesday discussed how the Environmental Protection Agency wants U.S. airlines to upgrade their drinking water. "The EPA and the airlines said there is no documented evidence of anyone becoming sick from airline drinking water," the article pointed out. "Still, regulators say the water has to meet federal mandates." Some flight attendants have had gastrointestinal problems as a consequence of washing their hands or drinking the water onboard.
I'm curious: Have any of you ever gotten sick from drinking water on a plane (or so you think)? Personally, I'm not so concerned about water on flights within the U.S. It's on those flights between foreign countries--the ones where the tap water in the lavatory is labeled "not potable"--that I've found myself wondering whether the water and ice served by the flight attendants were safe. (I'm not talking about when they pour water from an Evian bottle; I'm talking about when they pour it from a pitcher. And I'm not talking about flying between London and Paris; I'm talking about flying within, say, Africa.)
My tip for when you're concerned that a plane's water may not be safe: When the drinks cart arrives, avoid tea and coffee (since these may be made with tap water that was not quite fully boiled), and opt for a can of carbonated water.
RSS Feeds
I always bring my own bottled water on any flight. Mostly in case of being trapped on a runway for several hours and being told they're out of water!
Posted by: AZTraveler | April 25, 2008 at 01:48 PM
Back when each of my kids was little and we traveled with bottles, I was super careful about where the water used to clean and fill their bottles came from. Babies are much more sensitive to pathogens like E.coli have a much more difficult time recovering than adults.
We brought our own bottled water to mix with powdered formula & we used the hot water from the tea service to clean out dirty bottles. I never considered that it might not have boiled properly, but we were always flying between the US and Europe, so it probably wasn't an issue.
I can't say how many times I've noticed parents cleaning out baby bottles in the bathroom sink... a scary prospect no matter what cities you travel between. . .
Debbie
http://www.deliciousbaby.com
Posted by: debbied | April 25, 2008 at 06:19 PM
If you are concerned, just bring your own water. These days most airports have bottled water for sale past security.
On the rare occassions when bottled water is not available, if still have concerns then go for hot water, tea, coffee - which at least has been boiled - or any canned drink.
Note in some countries (I recall this from Turkey but there are plenty of others too), bottled drinks (eg soft drinks) are in reused bottles.
Posted by: TheGlobalTraveller | April 28, 2008 at 05:38 PM
Always treat the food and drink on the airplane as you would the food and drink at your departure airport.
In the 3rd world *always* drink carbonated and break the seal yourself (so you can be sure the bottle was not reused). And no ice. Coffee and teas don't get hot enough to be sure they're safe.
I've only gotten food/water poisoning twice while traveling. Once being careless in India. Once after getting a mouthful of river water while white water rafting on the south island of New Zealand (go figure).
Travel tip, I learned that Pepto-Bismol is not legal in New Zealand. Remember to carry your favorite over the counter remedies with you - you may not be able to get them once you get there.
Although, now that I think about it, that could be really bad advice. Codeine is available over the counter in Canada and you can get in a heap of trouble carrying it into the U.S.
Any good references on what medicines can be carried where?
Posted by: joe_kayaker | April 30, 2008 at 02:12 AM