"You're going to get me fired," laughs Pierre Alban, showing the bottle of Cristaline that he was asked to hold for the purposes of filming this episode of Food Checking.
And for good reason: in front of us stands the research director of Eau de Paris, the operator of the City of Paris.
He arranged to meet us at L'Haÿ-les-Roses, in the drinking water treatment plant which serves a quarter of the Parisian population.
"The water that is produced by this plant, like probably the water in this bottle, meets the very strict quality criteria set by the Public Health Code," he says.
To find out, follow the guide!
The water is drawn from the Sens region (Burgundy) and carried on site by aqueduct.
There it is treated with reagents, decanted and “ultrafiltered” in modules with hundreds of membrane filters.
“At this stage, the water has the same composition as bottled spring water,” explains our expert.
“This step is followed by a final step to permanently guarantee irreproachable water quality.
This is a sodium hypochlorite injection station, that is to say bleach, he said, pointing to a panel connected to pipes in the basement of the factory.
We put the equivalent of half a drop per liter of water.
It is a step that is not found in spring waters and mineral waters.
"
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Is bottled water better than tap water?
Beware of highly mineralized water
Transported to Paris, this water turns out to be perfectly healthy, just like the tap water distributed in the vast majority of French municipalities.
To be sure, just consult the website of the Ministry of Health which publishes, city by city, the latest analyzes of running water.
But beware: "The tap water being chlorinated, we can find chlorination by-products that are linked in particular to bladder cancer," explains Jean-François Munoz, director of the Agency's hydrology laboratory. National Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (ANSES).
It should be avoided to give it to young children.
"
Bottled water: mineral or spring
What about bottled water?
In stores, there are two main categories: natural mineral waters, the majority, and spring waters.
"Be careful, only spring water specifying that it is compatible with infant feeding can actually be served to them" warns Jean-François Munoz again.
Thus, Cristaline turns out to be unsuitable.
Volcania, on the other hand, is not contraindicated.
Finally, among mineral waters, two sub-categories must be distinguished: on the one hand, those which are weakly mineralized, such as Volvic, and which therefore present no danger;
on the other hand, those which are highly mineralized, such as Hepar or Contrex, to be reserved for episodic consumption, for example after a sporting effort.
So how can you tell the difference between the two?
Simply by consulting the level of mineral salt residues on the packaging: below 1000 mg per liter, green light;
above, on the other hand, beware of kidney stones.
And what about tap water filters intended for domestic use?
Cautious, the latest ANSES study dating from 2017 does not advise against them ... but does not recommend them either.
We made Master Tseng taste some water
Do these many waters present differences in taste?
To find out, four samples were tasted by one of the world's foremost tea experts: Yu-Hui Tseng, known as Master Tseng, is a tea master, at the head of the superb Maison des Trois Tés, in Paris.
"The taste is sweet and sweet," she declares, not knowing that she has just soaked her lips in a cup of Cristaline.
While testing the Hepar, she grimaces: “I have the palate which is masked.
This is because of the mineral salts.
»And in the classification, surprise: according to our expert, it is the tap water (0.003 € / liter) which finds favor with its palate, and would agree« the least badly »to the preparation of tea.
Distributed in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, the sample had rested for more than two hours in order to lose its possible taste of chlorine.
Behind, we find the Volvic (0.31 € / liter), the Cristaline (0.11 € / liter) and finally the Hepar (0.47 € / liter).
Tap water is 36 times cheaper than the cheapest bottled water!
Certainly, many subjects could still be treated concerning running water: endocrine disruptors, lead, plastic residues, pesticides ... But if you are not an infant and if your running water is certified by the health authorities, then you can drink it without fear.