We have been drinking toilet water unknowingly for six months due to a mix-up of the pipes in our house. I started losing my hair and developing acne
A couple were shocked to learn that a plumbing mix-up in their home meant they had reportedly been drinking toilet water for six months.
Mr Tan and his girlfriend were stunned when they developed health problems immediately after moving into a rental property in Beijing, China, in May 2023.
Mr Tan reportedly started losing his hair and suffered from acne, and his unnamed girlfriend reportedly started coughing and feeling discomfort in her chest.
About six months after the move, Mr Tan said he realized he had not paid any water bills, but for some reason the supply had not been turned off.
But their rental company, whose name has not been released, claimed the well they used to supply the couple’s water had passed quality tests earlier this year.
A person inspects the toilet in the bathroom of the couple’s rental home in Beijing, China and was shocked to find an extra pipe that would connect the toilet to the tap water pipes.
When he checked the water meters, he was surprised to find that the reading on the tap meter did not increase when they ran water, he said.
However, the number on the gray water meter increased markedly when the taps were open, Mr Tan said.
The couple called in plumbers, who were stunned to find an extra pipe that reportedly connected the toilet and tap water pipes in the apartment in Beijing, China.
Their stomachs turned when they connected the dots and realized they had reportedly been cooking, showering and even drinking toilet water for six months.
The plumbers repaired the pipes and Mr Tan immediately began demanding compensation from the rental company for paying them 10,000 Chinese Yuan a month, which works out to about £1,100.
The unnamed company said tenants had the option of using drinking water or water drawn from a nearby source by adjusting the valves.
But the couple claims they were never told this before moving in. The company claims the spring water passed quality tests in March.
A close-up inspection of the water valve, believed to be the culprit of the couple’s health problems after it diverted toilet water to the regular taps
However, it is only intended for functions such as flushing toilets and watering plants. Mr Tan said compensation discussions were ongoing with the company.
This comes two years after it emerged that a Japanese hospital had accidentally used toilet water for drinking for almost three decades after pipes were incorrectly connected.
The shocking flaw was discovered in October 2021 at Osaka University Hospital in Suita, Japan, when some tap water pipes were found to be connected to the toilet.
The hospital announced on October 20 that some tap water pipes in the medical department had been incorrectly connected, a local media outlet reported. Yomiuri Shimbun reported.