“Coronavirus exposed to Japanese tap water instantly dies out, Is mineral water the cause of the spread of infection?” (5 Channel, thread title posted May 2, 2021.The summary site “Twitter Bulletin” published the article on the same day and the article spread on Twitter and gained about 1000 RT and 2620 likes (as of July 2, 2021)
Many replied to this tweet expressing their hope that the use of tap water would help prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. With this tweet, we assume that some people believe that tap water itself is effective in disinfecting coronaviruses.
The article cites the notice of Sapporo Waterworks Bureau, Sapporo city water authority, on January 14, 2021 as the source of information.
About the safety of tap water (new coronavirus, etc.) / Sapporo Waterworks Bureau (transer.com)
We contacted the Sapporo Waterworks Bureau to ask about the intentions of the notice, as follows.
Q: Some people understand that tap water is effective in fighting coronary infections, but is this the intention of the notice?
A: We have no such intention. We will review the expression on our website in the future.
Q: Are there any data showing that drinking tap water has any detoxifying or disinfecting effect on coronary infections?
A: There is no data showing that continuous drinking of tap water has any detoxifying or antiseptic effects.
These answers show that they do not match the argument of the Tweet, saying “instantly dies out”.
Rating: No evidence to support the claim.
The water authority delivers this information to demonstrate the safety of tap water. They do not transmit that tap water itself has a disinfecting effect against the new coronavirus, and no such data can be confirmed. So we rate this article ” No Evidence to Support the Claim.”
About the safety of tap water (new coronavirus, etc.) / Sapporo Waterworks Bureau (transer.com)
Q: Some people understand that tap water is effective in fighting coronary infections, but is this the intention of the notice?
A: We have no such intention. We will review the expression on our website in the future.
Q: Are there any data showing that drinking tap water has any detoxifying or disinfecting effect on coronary infections?
A: There is no data showing that continuous drinking of tap water has any detoxifying or antiseptic effects.
These answers show that they do not match the argument of the Tweet, saying “instantly dies out”.
Conclusion:The water authority delivers this information to demonstrate the safety of tap water. They do not transmit that tap water itself has a disinfecting effect against the new coronavirus, and no such data can be confirmed. So we rate this article “Unfounded”
InFact is a member of the Fact-Checking Initiative (FIJ) media partners. This article is based on InFact’s basic fact-checking policy and FIJ’s rating criteria.