We’ve been unknowingly drinking toilet water for six months because of a pipe mix-up in our home – I started losing my hair and broke out in acne

• Mr Tan was horrified to learn he had been drinking toilet water in his Beijing flat
• READ MORE: Japanese hospital accidentally used toilet water for drinking for almost 30 years after the pipes were wrongly connected 

A couple were horrified to learn that a pipe mix-up in their home meant they’d allegedly been drinking toilet water for six months.

Mr Tan and his girlfriend were baffled when they developed health issues immediately after moving into a rental property in Beijing, China in May 2023.

Mr Tan allegedly started losing his hair and broke out in acne and his unnamed girlfriend is said to have developed a cough and began to feel discomfort in her chest.

About six months after the move, Mr Tan said he realised he hadn’t paid a single water bill but, for some reason, the supply had not been cut off.

But their rental firm, whose name has not been disclosed claimed the well they’d been using to supply the couple’s water had passed quality tests earlier in the year.   

A person inspects the toilet in the bathroom of the couple’s rental in Beijing, China and was horrified to find an extra pipe allegedly linking the toilet and tap water pipes

When checking the water meters, he was puzzled to find that the reading on the tap meter failed to increase when they ran water, he said.

However, the number on the grey water meter clearly increased when the taps were on, Mr Tan claimed.

The couple called in plumbers, who were stunned to find an extra pipe allegedly linking the toilet and tap water pipes at the apartment in Beijing, China.

Their stomachs turned when they joined the dots and realised they’d allegedly been cooking with, showering with, and even drinking toilet water for six months.

The plumbers fixed the pipework and Mr Tan immediately began seeking damages from the rental firm they’d been paying 10,000 Chinese Yuan a month, which is approximately £1,100.

The unnamed company said tenants had the option to use either drinking water or water sourced from a nearby well by adjusting valves.

But the couple claim they were never told this before moving in. The firm claims that the well water passed quality tests in March.

A close-up inspection of the water valve, thought to be the culprit of the couple’s health issues after it redirected toilet water into their regular taps

However, it is only meant to be used for functions like flushing toilets and watering plants. Mr Tan says compensation talks with the firm are ongoing.

This comes two years after a Japanese hospital was found to accidentally have used toilet water for drinking for almost 30 years after the pipes were wrongly connected. 

The shocking mistake was discovered at Osaka University hospital in Suita, Japan in October 2021 when it found some tap water pipes were connected to the toilet.

The hospital announced on October 20 that some of the tap water pipes in the medical department were connected incorrectly, a local media outlet Yomiuri Shimbun reported.

Source: Read Full Article