Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ment readings of Beijing's air and the U.S. Embassy's reading of the air in central Chaoy-
ang district.
It's almost impossible to know what's in the water in Beijing—bottled or tap. Over the last
several years, bottled-water companies have come under scrutiny and been accused of using
everything from tainted water to bottles made from toxic recycled plastics. When you think
you might be doing the right thing by buying the large bottles (a.k.a. barrels) of water rather
than drinking tap water, what you might actually be doing is something worse. People often
ask which brand of water is safest, but it seems reports conflict wildly. It's also not always
obvious that what you're getting is the real deal, especially if the company outsources its
distribution. It has been estimated that around half of Beijing's bottled water might be fake,
such as bottles being refilled with tap water or fake labels altogether. Some companies place
identification numbers on the tops of their bottles, which are said to vouch for the quality
of the water.
Regarding tap water, you again will read or hear arguments from both sides, some saying
you can drink it straight from the tap without worry, others saying it's toxic. The problem
is that in any single part of the city either viewpoint might be right or wrong. Water quality
varies from area to area, from building to building, and from day to day. The reason is that
even though the water that leaves the government's treatment areas is largely drinkable, the
plumbing on the way from there to your home is somewhat dubious. Pipes are frequently
old, cracked, or improperly sealed at joints, and even if you live in a luxury apartment com-
plex, it's not unlikely that developers have cut costs by using low-grade materials in out-
of-sight places. This of course then increases the likelihood that your water may be mixed
with such things as general silt and rust, heavy metals, construction-site runoff, fertilizers,
or pesticides.
The water in Beijing is disinfected with chloramines, and this is nothing unusual.
Chloramines are also the choice water disinfectant in many places in the United States and,
if carefully controlled, are generally thought to be safe for consumption. What's more haz-
ardous and difficult to control, however, can be the byproducts of disinfection—the chem-
icals caused by the reaction between the chloramines and the substances that combine with
them along the way.
Unfortunately it doesn't stop at the drinking water. Shower or bath water may also have
possible side affects. First, if there are chemicals and VOCs present, they are more likely to
become vaporized when heated in the water, and so breathed in. “These are invisible but are
