tap water

Researchers in the lab of Daniel Giammar, in McKelvey School of Engineering have devised a simple, quick and inexpensive way to quantify how much lead is trapped by a water filter.

WUSTL has fielded questions from groups from other universities about how WUSTL implemented the bottled water ban.Faculty, students and staff on Washington University in St. Louis’ Danforth, North and West campuses no longer can find bottled water in vending machines or at most campus eateries. Because of concerns about the environmental impact of bottled water, WUSTL ended sales of the product in January, and administrative offices no longer offer bottled water at events and meetings.

David Kilper / WUSTL PhotoBottled water or tap? A WUSTL environmental engineer specializing in aquatic chemistry sees no difference between the two in terms of health.Paying extra for bottled water? You may be wasting your money, says an expert in aquatic chemistry. Daniel Giammar, Ph.D., a faculty member in the Environmental Engineering Science Program at Washington University in St. Louis, says that tap water is just as safe to drink as bottled water. He also says that the pricey bottled water you value so highly might well be nothing more than repackaged tap water. “The tap water we drink meets very strict standards that are designed to protect our health,” Giammar says. “These are developed over many years of study and they all include fairly large factors of safety. Any differences between tap and bottled water, in terms of health, are negligible.”