"What comes out of your tap is clean enough not to cause acute infections — but not clean enough to protect you from chronic poisoning."
Many environmental burdens from the chemical industry, metal processing, and intensive agriculture from the 1950s–80s are still seeping into our groundwater today.
For example, solvents, heavy metals (e.g. mercury, lead)
Pesticides such as DDT - once a widespread insecticide, now banned – extremely persistent & hormone-disrupting.
Atrazine: popular herbicide, banned in the EU – very water-soluble, still contaminating many groundwater sources.
Nitrate surplus from decades of over-fertilization.
⚠️ Why is this dangerous?
Bacteria are filtered out well.
But with many chemicals, microplastics, or heavy metals, only a limit value applies – not zero!
In the long term, they can promote cancer, hormonal disorders, or nerve damage.
Studies & evidence (DACH):
1️⃣ Germany:
🔗 Federal Environment Agency (UBA) Contaminated Sites
"Environmental burdens threaten our drinking water supply even after decades."
➜ Source
2️⃣ Austria:
🔗 Austrian Federal Environment Agency – Contaminated Sites Report
"40 % of inspected contaminated sites require remediation." (2022)
➜ Source
3️⃣ Switzerland:
🔗 Federal Office for the Environment (BAFU) – Contaminated sites
"Over 4,000 sites are considered relevant for soil and groundwater contamination." (2021)
➜ Source
4️⃣ Nitrate contamination (EU):
🔗 European Court of Auditors (2021) calls on Germany to take stricter measures to reduce excess nitrates in groundwater and drinking water.
"Germany is one of the member states with the highest nitrate exceedances, which are due to intensive agriculture and insufficient controls."
➜ Source → Publications section → Special Reports → No. 09/2021.
✅ Therefore:
Filter water at home! (actively, depending on region & contaminant risk).
💧 Drinking clean water means: acting systemically & taking precautions yourself.