People Are Terrified to Drink Tap Water After Expert Shows What It Looks Like Under the Microscope

Water quality has plummeted across the globe. With depleting groundwater levels and industries dumping garbage and sewage into water bodies, recycled water is the only alternative that remains. In the U.S., many homes consume tap water as their primary source of the life-giving fluid. But a TikTok page, Microscopic Vision (@microscopic.vision), dedicated to assessing everyday items under the microscope, has urged people to rethink their choices. In a now-deleted clip, the scientist who runs the page compared tap water to rainwater. The scary images sparked concerns about how water consumption may affect health, as reported by Indy100.

In the viral video, with over 20.5 million views at the time, the scientist used a tap water sample to observe under the microscope. Viewers were shocked to see a thriving batch of microorganisms in the water droplets. The rainwater also contained several microbes, including parasites, however, it was less compared to the tap water sample. Some viewers speculated the rainwater sample would have been cleaner had the creator collected it directly falling out of the sky instead of from the ground, which seems to have contaminated the sample.

The microscopic views of the water samples caused a stir on the internet. A viewer requested, “Please do not do bottled water. That’s all we have left.” Another said, “My dogs prefer to drink rain water over tap water. I think that says a lot!” "I never want to drink water ever again,” added someone else. The TikTok page has also taken a closer look at items like Coca-Cola, cigarettes, and Nutella. It is worth noting that every nation has a standard set of regulations that distinguish safe drinking water from resources that are unfit for human consumption. A good water quality index (WQI) typically falls within the range of 80 to 100, per the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Any WQI that falls below 69 indicates poor water quality that exceeds guidelines by a significant margin. 

Humans cannot consume saline water and largely depend on freshwater resources for survival across the world. However, with increasing urbanization and industrialization, polluting freshwater bodies have become rampant, thus posing human survival at risk. According to the EPA, the major factors degrading these sources include stormwater runoff, loss of forested riparian and wetland areas, industrial, agricultural, and other urban pollutants. The California Department of Water Resources revealed that 80% of all developed water is used in agriculture.

While tap water is considered generally safe in the United States, as regulated by the EPA, there have been reported cases of contamination with chemicals, germs, and metals that may pose health risks. Some of the chemicals found in tap water are arsenic, copper, lead, nitrate, and PFAs (forever chemicals), as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Tests conducted on water resources in North Carolina showed unhealthy levels of lab-made chemicals, PFAs, in their water supply, per the Cleveland Health Clinic. These contaminants are hard to break down and eliminate while increasing the risks of cancer, liver damage, and infertility. A survey conducted by the Environmental Working Group found that about half of their survey participants did not consider tap water to be safe for consumption, and 40% avoided drinking it. 

You can follow @microscopic.vision on TikTok for more videos.