How Safe is Drinking Fountain Water
The most pressing safety concerns are germs, viruses, general water quality, and that the fountain itself meets all safety guidelines set by the government. The government regulates all drinking water fountains and water fountain products, the guide lines are in place for public safety, but in some cases, the people installing the drinking water fountain do not follow these safety measures resulting in a serious government violation or disease out break; when choosing to have a fountain installed obtaining both a quality guarantee and an inspection by a government official would be wise to ensure safety. Germs and viruses are common on all publicly shared items; benches, grocery carts, toys at playgrounds, public restrooms, and of course drinking water fountains. Improvements have been made over the last century to reduce the amount of germs and viruses passed between people such as the angle of the bubbler (spout the water comes out) flow, the accessibility of the bubbler, filters on the water source, and basin design all help to keep the drinking fountain water clean and safe.
Brief History of Drinking Water Fountain Safety
In the beginning of the 20th century many people were frequently ill from using public drinking water fountains, as most of the bubblers had a vertical flow; realizing the problem the government equated the vertical flow bubbler to a public cup and made it illegal, and set forth a new set of regulations concerning the quality and cleanliness of public drinking water fountains.
Later, when lead in the water was shown to be harmful to people, the government also regulated the piping that could be used on public drinking water fountains. Today many of the regulations have been improved to include water filters to purify the water, a covered bubbler to prevent lips or flow of water from mouth to splash on the spout itself, a height of a least 4 inches to allow a cup to be placed under spout, accommodations for children, accommodations for the handicapped, and many more modifications to make using drinking water fountains easier and healthier for everyone.
Public Places
Many parks and schools use public fountains as an easy way to supply water to its patrons; consumers beware that germs lurk all over these surfaces and are difficult if not impossible or disinfect. There are temperature regulations to help with this problem, however, and refrigeration units control these temperatures to government specifications.
The drinking water fountain itself is not the only source of the germs, the water source could be a heath hazard as well, the public water supply is supplying to water to the fountain, and if it is of poor quality it will only be improved by the fountain if there is a water purification system in place. Many fountains employ water purification systems for this reason, which can dramatically decrease the chance of contracting a virus or pathogen from the water source.
