[thedoc (OP)]

Kelson & Elena Da Cruz asked the Naked Scientists:
   Hi. I will like to know about drinking distilled water for health versus tap water that as been treated with all sort of chemicals?
Some info say distilled water is not good, some say its the best water to drink!
Many thanks
Elena
What do you think?

[alancalverd]

Fresh distilled water will do no harm or good, but once it has been opened to the air or touched by any animal it will contain a few organisms that might just be harmful.

Tap water is less likely to contain harmful bacteria as it contains a whiff of chlorine or ozone and is always available "on tap". It may also contain fluoride which will reduce tooth decay.

[evan_au]

drinking distilled water for health versus tap water

It depends on which country you are in. In some countries, it is best to boil all drinking water, as the water is not adequately treated to kill pathogens, and even water that is labelled as distilled may be suspect.

fluoride which will reduce tooth decay

I heard that there are some country towns in Australia that were showing very high rates of hospital admission for dental surgery. It turns out that these towns have only had fluoridated water for a few years...

[Bored chemist]

fluoride which will reduce tooth decay

I heard that there are some country towns in Australia that were showing very high rates of hospital admission for dental surgery. It turns out that these towns have only had fluoridated water for a few years...
[/quote]

I heard there was a thing called evidence, and that it was considered important in science.

[evan_au]

fluoride.... I heard there was a thing called evidence

See the transcript at: http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/healthreport/hotspots-of-health-inequality/7657824
The full report is here: http://grattan.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/874-Perils-of-Place.pdf
          ...but it doesn't go into the detailed causes of dental problems...

[Bored chemist]

Those don't even include the word "fluoride"
They(reasonably enough) blame poverty- and the associated lack of dental care- for increased hospital admissions for dental health problems.

So, once again, Got any evidence?

[evan_au]

Those don't even include the word "fluoride"

from the transcript...

Stephen Duckett: ...if you look again at Melbourne, in metropolitan Melbourne, none of the postcodes had high rates of admissions for dental care. But in parts of rural Victoria there are places which are two or three times the state average. So Colac, for example, not a poor area, Mildura, have more than twice the state average rate of admission for dental care.

Norman Swan: So presumably for extractions.

Stephen Duckett: Extractions, gum disease possibly. And it is probably because neither of those places have had fluoride for very long. They basically fluoridated in 2010 in both of those cases, and so the community didn't have the public health intervention that they should have had in terms of fluoride in the water supply.

Norman Swan: So that's one cause...

But that study was looking for medical hotspots, not specifically at the health effects of fluoridation.

[exothermic]

Fresh distilled water will do no harm or good

The former is true.... the latter is not.

once it has been opened to the air it will contain a few organisms that might just be harmful.

Really? Name one airborne "organism" that commonly infiltrates water bottles when you open them.

Tap water is less likely to contain harmful bacteria as it contains a whiff of chlorine or ozone and is always available "on tap".

You forgot about systemic toxicants - chlorine doesn't remove heavy metals from tap water.

[exothermic]

Some info say distilled water is not good

Anyone who implies that distilled water is "not good".... has no concept of science or physiology.

[exothermic]

I heard that there are some country towns in Australia that were showing very high rates of hospital admission for dental surgery.

[jeffreyH]

Fresh distilled water will do no harm or good

The former is true.... the latter is not.

once it has been opened to the air it will contain a few organisms that might just be harmful.

Really? Name one airborne "organism" that commonly infiltrates water bottles when you open them.

Tap water is less likely to contain harmful bacteria as it contains a whiff of chlorine or ozone and is always available "on tap".

You forgot about systemic toxicants - chlorine doesn't remove heavy metals from tap water.

They don't tend to sell distilled water in drinking bottles. Your reading skills and comprehension appear a little impaired. Oh yes I know why.

[exothermic]

They don't tend to sell distilled water in drinking bottles. Your reading skills and comprehension appear a little impaired. Oh yes I know why.

Distilled water comes in bottles... douchebag:

[Bored chemist]

Really? Name one airborne "organism" that commonly infiltrates water bottles when you open them.


You forgot about systemic toxicants - chlorine doesn't remove heavy metals from tap water.

Obvious candidates would be
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudomonas_aeruginosa
and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legionella_pneumophila
They are not very likely to do any harm but, in bottled water they will have a much better chance of survival than in chlorinated tap water.

If your tap water has significant levels of heavy metals then you should complain to the supplier.

[Bored chemist]

They don't tend to sell distilled water in drinking bottles. Your reading skills and comprehension appear a little impaired. Oh yes I know why.

Distilled water comes in bottles... douchebag:

That's not distilled water though, is it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrowhead_Water

So perhaps we should reassign the epithet "douchebag".

[exothermic]

That's not distilled water though, is it. So perhaps we should reassign the epithet "douchebag".

Actually it is distilled water genius.

[jeffreyH]

The taste of distilled water leaves a lot to be desired. They wouldn't get many customers.

[exothermic]

Obvious candidates would be
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudomonas_aeruginosa

Obvious?

Wrong.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a ubiquitous environmental bacterium. It can be recovered, often in high numbers, in common food, especially vegetables. Moreover, it can be recovered in low numbers in drinking water. A small per- centage of clones of Pseudomonas aeruginosa possess the required number of virulence factors to cause infection. However, Pseudomonas aeruginosa will not proliferate on normal tissue but requires previously damaged organs. Further narrowing the risk to human health is that only certain specific hosts are at risk, including patients with profound neutropenia, cystic fibrosis, severe burns, and those subject to foreign device installation. Other than these very well defined groups, the general population is refractory to infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

[Bored chemist]

Meanwhile, back at the OP's question
"Is distilled water or tap water better for your health?"

Distilled water won't do you any particular harm- nor with it do you any real good.
Whether it's better than the tap water depends (obviously) on the quality of the tap water.

However, since they are asking the question about drinking tap water, it's fair to assume that the originators of the question live somewhere where it is safe to drink the tap water.
(If they weren't then presumably they would have been asking about different varieties of mineral water vs distilled).

So, if the tap water is reasonable (and, for the sake of argument, lets presume it is chlorinated too) then the question boils down to
"Should we pay a lot more money for water that offers little if any advantage?"
And the answer is almost certainly no.
It would be better for your health to spend that money (even if it's a small sum) on other things that are healthier options.
The exception would be where someone is sufficiently wealthy that price concerns don't affect their health choices.
If you are in that fortunate position I suggest you drink tap water and  give the money you save to someone who needs it.

[Bored chemist]

Obvious candidates would be
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudomonas_aeruginosa

Obvious?

Wrong.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a ubiquitous environmental bacterium. It can be recovered, often in high numbers, in common food, especially vegetables. Moreover, it can be recovered in low numbers in drinking water. A small per- centage of clones of Pseudomonas aeruginosa possess the required number of virulence factors to cause infection. However, Pseudomonas aeruginosa will not proliferate on normal tissue but requires previously damaged organs. Further narrowing the risk to human health is that only certain specific hosts are at risk, including patients with profound neutropenia, cystic fibrosis, severe burns, and those subject to foreign device installation. Other than these very well defined groups, the general population is refractory to infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Your post makes no sense.
Pseudomonas is an occasional pathogen and - as your post says- it is ubiquitous so it's quite plausible for it to be carried into drinking water on dust.

[Bored chemist]

That's not distilled water though, is it. So perhaps we should reassign the epithet "douchebag".

Actually it is distilled water genius.

Actually it's impossible to tell from the pictures. However the branding strongly suggests that it's mineral water rather than distilled.
http://www.nestle-watersna.com/asset-library/Documents/AR_ENG.pdf
As has been pointed out, distilled water doesn't taste good (in most peoples opinion).

If you had cited the source of the picture, we could check. It's a pity you forgot to do so.
Perhaps you might want to try doing so now- better late than never.