Is it safe to drink water from the wall mounted drinking water fountain at my workplace?

Question

I always drink from the wall mounted drinking water fountain at my workplace. Recently, I have been feeling sick. Perhaps the water fountain made me sick? For the past two days, there has been a water bubble sticking out of the water hole of the fountain.

Can you get sick or injured from drinking water from a wall mounted drinking water fountain?

Answer 1

I wouldn't... those things look gross... and people let water dribble back into the basin... ew!!! I would just bring a sports bottle with water in it from home or buy bottled water on the way to work. Also, you hear of people getting Legionairres disease & stuff like that from drinking contaminated water from schools/businesses in older buildings. I am not putting my mouth anywhere near where many other people have had theirs. ...Ew think of someone with a cold/flu/herpes sneezing on the fountain while they're drinking.

Answer 2

I've never had an issue with them just make sure you wash your hands after touching the on button.

Answer 3

Well honestly I don't find drinking from the water fountain safe, because there are so many people who drink from it and so many germs, and bacteria all over it. So maybe the water fountain is the problem, and your body isn't responding to it well.

Answer 4

Your workplace has a water fountain? Wow, those are about as rare as phone booths. You'd be better off drinking tap water from your own drinking glass or just bringing in bottled water.

It would be much more sanitary if your employer got rid of the fountain and got a chiller/dispenser and a bottled water service.

Answer 5

Are any of your coworkers sick also?  If not it's probably not the fountain.

Answer 6

Not sure if this will help, but when I was at high school, I got a parasite (ahh!) from drinking fountain water! So I wouldn't recommend drinking anything from a wall.