Concerns About Drinking Fountains

 Bottled Water Ban Confuses Reader

The following letter was sent to city councillors by a reader of this blog. With her permission it is printed here as she raises some valid concerns about the recent decision to ban bottled water sales in civic venues.

Good Afternoon Everyone

I’m still baffled as to why this council has banned bottled water. I have two very real concerns.

First of all, as a health professional (dental hygienist) we encourage children not to drink sugary drinks. By banning bottled water you are taking that option away when they are thirsty and in front of a vending machine. So now their options are pop or juice. As a country we are battling child obesity and diabetes. Do you really think kids will line up at a fountain for a drink of water or will they go to the vending machine? How many people do you know remember to take a bottle with them and of those that do, how many lose them or forget them somewhere? You are taking a safe option away from the public and our children.

My second concern as a health professional.......(starting to sound like Ted) is the sanitary conditions of water fountains. In my younger days I have seen men urinate in them, people holding their dogs up for a drink, people washing their face or spitting in them. We were talking about this issue at work on our lunch break Thurs. Not one of us would use a public water fountain. They are a cess pool of germs. My operatory at work is right beside the public washroom in our office. People walk out of there regularly with the toilet still flushing and no water has run......you wouldn’t believe how many people do not wash their hands. Its actually horrifying. Even if these fountains are hands free we still have my other concerns above about what happens to the fountain

So that’s my two cents on that decision. Hope you think about it.

Denise Goldsack