Toronto tap water: perception of its quality and use of alternatives.

A cross-sectional telephone survey determined attitudes of City of Toronto residents toward the quality of their tap water, and their usage of alternative drinking water sources. Overall, 49% of households rated the water as good or very good, although 73% felt that it contained some or a lot of chemical pollutants. An alternative to tap water was used by 40.5% of households; 35% were 'regular' users, obtaining at least 50% of their consumed water this way. In terms of specific alternatives, 22.5% of households consumed bottled water, 11% treated tap water additionally with a home device, and 12% boiled their water. For 'regular users', the proportions were 19.5%, 10% and 10% respectively. This surprisingly high and probably increasing usage of alternatives may have implications for regulation.