Dasani, Poland Spring, Aquafina. We’ve all heard of these popular brand name water bottles, but are there really any benefits to the excessive amount of different types of water bottles over tap water? In retrospect, bottled water is nothing special compared to tap water, and if anything, bottled water is worse than tap water. Bottled water has many negative environmental and health effects, making the misconception that bottled water may be better just a myth.
According to National Geographic, the public drinks 21 gallons or 79 liters of bottled water per capita per year on average, according to the Columbia Water Center. The bottled water industry has outdone in sales drinks like milk, coffee, and juice. Leaving only beer and soda as the two drinks that two better than bottled water in sales. Americans spent 10.6 billion dollars on bottled water in 2009, which resulted in paying up to 1,000 times the cost of tap water. Almost half of all that water that Americans spent so much on really just came from municipal tap water supplies in 2009. Many bottled water companies claim that their water is from a pure, clean source or from a pure spring lake, but really it is estimated that about 25 percent or more of bottled water is really just tap water in a bottle, that may or may not go untreated.
Many my think that bottled water is cleaner and safer than tap water, but really tap water is subject to more strict federal safety regulations than bottled water. Tap water goes through intense safety procedures and testing to make sure it is up to par to provide to the public. Although many bottled water companies claim how pure and clean their water is, in independent testing of ten different brands of bottled water in 2008 found 38 contaminants.
In addition to the water, the plastic may raise just as many concerns regarding health as the water itself. A safe plastic is only used once and polyethylene therephthalate is the most common resin used in disposable water bottles. As theses bottles are reused, which in most cases they are, they can leach chemicals such as carcinogens and hormone disruptors, which can enter your system because the plastic is porous.
Additionally, bottled water poses threats to the environment along with health. The Australian city of Bundanoon banned bottled water from being sold in 2009. Some may as why? Water bottles are so convenient because you can just throw them out when you’re done. Yes, you can throw them out when you’re done, but that is exactly the problem. More than 80 percent of recyclable plastic bottles end up in landfills each year. They do not break down naturally, and release toxic chemicals, ultimately hurting the environment.
So, next time you reach for a bottle of water, try reaching for tap water instead, it’ll save your health and your environment, two things that are very important. Don’t let a substance like water jeopardize that.
There has always been a need to talk about which one is better bottled water or tap water and there have been many mixed reviews. I was surprised when I found out that tap water is better because at first glance when you look from where the water is coming from you cant help but to think that it is contaminated. As a country with major resources we should be glad that the government takes such precautions as to exam the water because there are other countries that do not go through the same process and people have died from this.
It is good to know that the water I drink from taps goes through some serious precautions. It definitely makes sense though since the government could be blamed for it if people were to get sick. The only thing is water from fountains and some sinks tastes brutal, and a lot like metal sometimes. Is that because of the iron maybe?
I have always preferred the taste of bottled water to tap, and I had always heard people say tap was healthier, but I never believed them. I will be sure to watch my health and environment with tap water from now on!
This post interested me a lot because I am a huge fan of water, I drink tons of water each day, it is my favorite drink. However, I’ve never had a preference between tap and bottled water, but I have had a preference between different bottled waters. I always knew bottled waters were bad for the environment and that the plastic seeps into the water itself, but I had never really thought about how and where these companies get their water to fill their bottles. It’s interesting to find out the many companies may be slightly lying about where their water comes from! Reading this makes me realize I should drink more tap water because I usually only drink bottled water because it is more convenient and quicker then standing at my fridge to fill up my glass. I would like to see tests on the different companies of water bottles to see how their water compares to one another. To me each company of bottled water has a different taste to it, so I would be interested to see how each water compares to one another, and to see what is different and the same in their water composition. Thank you!