|
Why does my drinking water taste or smell "funny"? Will this smelly water make me sick?
The three most common reasons for bad tasting or smelling water are:
- A funny taste can come from the chlorine that is added to the water to kill germs.
- A rotten-egg odor in some groundwater is caused by a nontoxic (in small amounts), smelly chemical-hydrogen sulfide-dissolved in the water.
- As algae and tiny fungi grow in surface water sources, they give off nontoxic, smelly chemicals that can cause unpleasant tastes in drinking water. Different algae cause different tastes and odors-grassy, swampy, and pigpen, as examples-and the little fungi can cause an earthy-musty taste.
None of the contaminants that could affect your health can be tasted in drinking water, but heavily chlorinated water may contain "reaction products." There are no proven incidents of the chemicals that cause a bad taste in drinking water making people sick, but just to be extra careful, water suppliers are reviewing this possibility. You should report any sudden change in taste or smell in your drinking water to your water supplier.
(See Questions 8, 14, 22, 62-65, and 81 for related information.)
|
Back
Water Facts & Stats