At first glance, water is water — if the municipal supply is safe to drink, shouldn’t any tap in the house provide that same safety? In reality, whether bathroom tap water is equally safe depends on many factors: the plumbing, how the water is stored or distributed in your home, how old or well-maintained the system is, and whether the water has sat stagnant or been exposed to contaminants along the way.

Drinking some bathroom tap water is unlikely to lead to immediate serious illness in many places with modern water supply, but doing so habitually without attention to potential sources of contamination can involve some risks. It’s helpful to understand what those risks are — and how to mitigate them.

What are the potential risks?

Below are key factors that can make bathroom tap water less desirable (or less safe) than water from other taps (e.g. kitchen sink).

1. Plumbing material, corrosion, leaching

• Older plumbing systems may include pipes, solder, or fittings made of lead, copper, or other metals. Over time, corrosive water conditions can cause these metals to leach into the water. Lead in drinking water is a known serious health hazard, especially for children, pregnant women, and fetuses.
• Even “lead-free” brass fittings sometimes contain small amounts of lead or other alloys that can leach, especially under low-flow or stagnant conditions.
• If a bathroom tap is downstream of longer pipe runs, or uses materials of lesser quality or older construction, the risk of contamination from the plumbing is higher.

2. Stagnation and “dead legs” in piping

• If the water line to the bathroom is seldom used, water may sit in the pipes for long periods (hours, days), allowing time for chemical leaching, microbial growth, or biofilms to form on internal surfaces.
• When you suddenly turn on a tap after stagnation, contaminants that have leached or accumulated may get flushed out momentarily.

3. Contamination from external sources

• Because bathrooms are also rooms with cleaning chemicals, soaps, personal care products, sprays, aerosols, etc., there is a risk (though typically small) of cross-contamination, e.g. splashback, volatilized compounds, or substances seeping via seals or aging fixtures.
• The bathroom environment may have higher humidity, molds, and other microbial sources; though the water inside the plumbing is protected, connections, rubber seals, or deteriorated fixtures may become a weak point.

4. Hot water risk

• Hot water (or lukewarm) delivered from a water heater is generally not safe to drink because during heating and storage, some bacteria (like Legionella) may grow, and chemical leaching may accelerate with heat. Many plumbing experts advise never drinking directly from the hot water tap.
• Also, water that has been heated often sits in a tank or coil before delivery, so it is more susceptible to stagnation problems.

5. Disinfection by-products & chemical residuals

• Municipal water is typically treated (e.g. chlorination) to kill microbes. However, these disinfectants can react with natural organic matter in water to form disinfection by-products (DBPs) such as trihalomethanes (THMs) or haloacetic acids (HAAs), some of which are regulated due to potential long-term health effects.
• The levels of DBPs forming or persisting may vary somewhat with conditions like contact time, residence in pipes, temperature, etc.
• That said, water agencies monitor and limit these compounds to levels considered safe under drinking water regulations. The risk from pathogens (if disinfection fails) is generally much higher than the risk from DBPs in a properly treated system.

6. Local water quality and regulation

• The safety of any tap water depends heavily on how well your local water supply is treated, monitored, and regulated. In many countries (especially in the European Union), there are legal standards for water intended for human consumption (e.g. the EU Drinking Water Directive) that require routine monitoring for microbiological, chemical, and physical parameters.
• Temporary events — main breaks, pipe flushing, contamination incidents, maintenance — can also degrade tap water quality locally.

How “risky” is it in practice?

In many modern homes, especially where plumbing is relatively new and well maintained, the bathroom cold-tap water will in fact be very similar to the kitchen tap water, and drinking from it will carry minimal extra risk. Some points to consider:

• Many sources say that drinking an occasional glass of water from a bathroom tap is unlikely to cause serious harm.
• Still, plumbing experts and water-quality sources often caution that the kitchen tap is preferable, partly because it is used more, flushed more often, and often has better fittings or filters.
• The difference in risk is usually not dramatic in well-treated municipal systems — the extra risk largely comes from local plumbing issues (old pipes, low flow, leaks, stagnation) rather than the fact it’s in a bathroom per se.
• In extreme cases or in older houses, leaching of lead or other contaminants might exceed safe limits in certain taps or under certain conditions.

So, while bathroom tap water can be safe, “safe enough” depends on your plumbing, usage patterns, water quality, and local context.

How to reduce the risks (if you choose to drink from a bathroom tap)

If you want to ensure that bathroom tap water is as safe as possible, here are best practices:

1. Prefer cold water, not hot
   Always use cold tap water for drinking or cooking, not water from the hot-water line.
2. Run the tap briefly first
   Let the water flow a few seconds (or longer) before filling your glass, especially if that tap hasn’t been used for a while. That flushes out stagnant water that may have accumulated contaminants.
3. Install point-of-use filtration or treatment
   Use a certified water filter (e.g. activated carbon, reverse osmosis, or filters certified to remove metals, bacteria, etc.) on the bathroom tap or for your drinking supply. Ensure you maintain and replace filters properly.
4. Maintain plumbing and fixtures
   Replace old pipes, fittings, or fixtures that contain lead or corroded materials. Use materials certified for potable water. Ensure seals and joints are well maintained.
   Clean aerators and faucet screens periodically (they may trap debris).
5. Test your water periodically
   Get your tap water (from bathroom, kitchen, etc.) analyzed for heavy metals (lead, copper), microbiological contamination, and chemical parameters. This gives you a baseline and alerts you to issues.
6. Check local water quality reports & advisories
   Stay informed about your municipality’s water quality — sometimes boil-water advisories, system maintenance, or contamination events are issued.
7. Prefer drinking from taps used frequently
   If possible, use taps that are used daily (kitchen sink) rather than ones that are seldom used (e.g. guest bathroom).

• Drinking water from the bathroom tap can be safe, especially in homes with modern plumbing and good water treatment, but it’s generally not the optimal choice if you have safer alternatives (such as the kitchen tap or a filtered supply).
• The greater risks don’t stem purely from “it’s in the bathroom,” but from plumbing materials, stagnation, leaching, and local water quality.
• If you want to be cautious, follow good practices like flushing, filtering, testing, and maintaining plumbing.

If you like, I can look up specific data for Romania / Bucharest (or your address) to see whether bathroom tap water is safe there — would you want me to do that?