You and Your Family Promotion
Reassuring mothers-to-be when they turn on their taps. Some useful advice from Anglian Water
Our babies well-being, our own health and nutrition is naturally of primary importance to us when expecting a child. Drinking water is important to our nutrition at any time in our lives, particularly for those who are pregnant. Drinking water standards in the UK are amongst the highest in the world. The following information from Anglian Water and the Drinking Water Inspectorate is designed to give an insight into the water we drink, particularly in terms of its quality and why it is vital to our health and well being.
Mothers-to-be are advised to keep well hydrated. We lose water throughout the day and this needs to be replaced so that our bodies can cope with natural bodily functions. This is even more essential for those who are expecting a child. It is well documented that keeping the body hydrated helps both our physical and mental abilities by:
• Keeping energy levels up.
• Preventing headaches.
• Maintaining concentration.
• Reducing stress and minimising mood swings.
Your water supply
When you turn on your tap you may have wondered where the water comes from? To see who provides your drinking water, check your water bill which will tell you which water company supplies your water. If you are not billed in this way you may have a private supply from a local borehole. If you have any reason to believe you are on a private water supply you are advised to contact the Environmental Health team of your local authority for information about the quality of the water supply.
More than 15 million litres of drinking water are supplied every day by the water companies in England and Wales, through a network of almost 340,000 kilometres of water mains. In the Anglian Water region, which covers a large part of East Anglia, around 50 per cent of drinking water originates from surface water sources such as rivers and reservoirs. The remainder comes from underground sources via boreholes.
Why you can feel confident about the safety of your drinking water
Every step of the drinking water process, from the source through to your tap, is checked continuously. Each year, more than two million quality tests are carried out on tap water supplies, including more than 300,000 in the Anglian Water area, of which 99.9 per cent meet the standards.
Your drinking water quality is independently regulated by The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) which is responsible for assessing the quality of public water supplies in England and Wales. For more information on the role of the DWI, please visit www.dwi.gov.uk.
Your drinking water
Water hardness
You may live in an area with hard water – this is the result of naturally occurring calcium and magnesium salts. Water with small amounts of these salts is said to be soft, whilst hard water contains greater levels. Water hardness varies across different parts of the country. But you may have wondered – is it good for me? The answer is yes – an adequate daily intake of these minerals is essential for normal growth and health.
What about if you are thinking of installing a domestic water softener? Your water company is responsible for supplying safe, wholesome water to you. The need to alter the hardness, if at all, varies from customer to customer and depends on preference. So rather than interfere with the natural hardness of water, companies such as Anglian Water leave it up to the customer to decide whether artificial softening is the right choice for them.
There are a number of softening devices available for domestic installation. Most work by altering the chemical composition of the water, with the calcium and magnesium substituted by sodium. Domestic softeners may be helpful for those with sensitive skin, but medical advice is that softened water should not be used for drinking and cooking purposes due to the elevated sodium levels, this is especially important for babies. Some natural mineral waters can contain high levels of certain substances. If you drink bottled water it is essential that you check the water quality analysis on the label, particularly for levels of sodium, fluoride and sulphate. If you have any concerns contact your GP for advice.
Lead
Mothers-to-be should be aware that minimising exposure to lead is advisable because this substance is known to have an adverse effect on the development of children under the age of six. Water leaving a treatment works is lead free and lead has been banned for use in domestic drinking water systems since the early 1970s. In older properties however there is a small chance that some of the water pipes may still be made of lead. These pipes will be slightly soft, and if you scrape them with a coin, a silver strip should be revealed. If you think that you may have lead pipes, then contact your water company which can arrange for the water to be tested. Anglian Water offers this service free of charge.
Chlorine
Chlorine is added to your water supply to ensure that drinking water is always safe to drink and contains no organisms capable of causing illness. Some people find the taste of chlorine unpleasant. To reduce this taste, simply cover a jug of water and leave it in the fridge for an hour or so. We recommend that you don’t keep this water for more than 24 hours.
Tap water and babies’ feeds
Water is the best alternative drink to milk, but fully breastfed babies don’t need any water until they start eating solid food. It is perfectly safe to use tap water to make babies feeds. All water used to make babies feeds should be boiled before adding to the feed. Once made, feed and drinks should be either used immediately or kept in a fridge or cool bag. Drinks and feeds should be freshly prepared daily.
How to find out more about the quality of your drinking water
Water companies have a legal obligation to make the results of tests on drinking water available to customers on request and a number of water companies make this information available on their websites. Anglian Water has an easy postcode search facility on its website at www.anglianwater.co.uk giving instant access to this information. If your water supplier does not offer this facility, phone to request the drinking water quality information for your area.
Keeping your water healthy
As described previously, the drinking water supplied to your property is of the highest quality. Once it enters your home, there are a number of ways in which you can ensure that it remains at this quality for you to enjoy – keeping your water healthy! Here are some top tips:
Top tips from
1. Regularly clean taps used for drinking water.
2. Run off any water which has stood in pipework for a period of time (such as overnight). Remember to be waterwise and keep this water for houseplants or the garden.
3. Whenever you alter or replace pipework in the home, ensure that you only use approved plumbing materials and an approved plumber. Anglian Water has an Approved Plumber scheme – check to see if your water company has a similar scheme.
4. Ensure you have a non-return valve connected to hoses from dishwashers and washing machines to minimise any unusual tastes (such as an antiseptic ‘TCP’ taste).
5. It is not necessary to further treat your water in the home as water from the tap is treated and tested before it gets there. If you do choose to have any form of home filtration or other device for treating tap water, it is essential that you follow the manufacturer’s installation and operation advice carefully
Where to go for more support and advice
Visit your water supplier’s website, such as Anglian Water (www.anglianwater.co.uk) for more information about drinking water quality. If you have an enquiry or complaint regarding drinking water quality, please contact your local water company.
If you would like more information on how drinking water quality is regulated, or are unhappy with the advice provided by your supplier on a water quality matter, contact the Drinking Water Inspectorate at www.dwi.gov.uk.
Water UK has specific advice for pregnant women www.water.org.uk/home/water-for-health/medical-facts/pregnancy and also has produced a guide ‘Looking After Water in Your Home’. If you have a query regarding water quality from a private supply, contact the Environmental Health team at your local authority