Be Healthy and Stop Drinking Bottled Water!

Why do you drink bottled water? Is it for the taste, fear of contamination, or convenience? The truth is that water sold in a bottle is an ingenious marketing gimmick that has made billions in profits at the expense of the environment, and potentially, your health.

Plastic bottles containg your drining water are such an unnecessary waste, one that could easily be substituted with more earth friendly practices such as installing a water filter in your tap, and using reusable containers to hold your water when you are out.

Common Myths Concerning Bottled Water:

I diligently recycle water bottles so what is the harm? Manufacturing plastic bottles, their labels and packaging produces chemical byproducts, requires energy and contributes to air pollution. The Plastic is derived from fossil fuels, and the environmental cost of transport, recycled or not, is tragic yet avoidable. It’s true that recycling keeps bottles out of landfills but the process requires additional energy and also generates hazardous byproducts. The key is to reduce your consumption as much as possible.

Bottled drinking water is more pure than tap water; don’t I deserve access to clean water? Every person deserves clean drinking water. However, the dirty little secret behind water in a bottle is that much of it is actually purified tap water, purified by the same methods that municipal water and well water systems are. However, it is a fact that public tap water is subject to stricter regulations. Bottled water is not always safer and is vulnerable to the same problems that can occur in tap water. FDA regulations regarding water sold in a bottle are more lax, permitting the presence of small amounts of fecal coliform bacteria ( E. Coli). Furthermore, bottled water manufacturers are exempt from testing their water for Cryptosporidium Giardia and phthalates. In addition chemicals in plastic bottles can leak into your drinking water becoming hazardous to your health.

For a shocking look at the regulatory differences imposed on bottled water manufacturers and municipalities view this summary provided by the National Resources Defense Council. You can view the study in its entirety here While millions of people do not have access to clean water, it doesn’t follow that everyone should drink the supposed safer water that is packaged in a plastic bottle; just those who need it. Sadly most people who really need it don’t have access. The process of bottling water depletes sensitive waterways and drains communities and ecosystems of their water sources, water that is to be redistributed elsewhere to make a huge profit.

Tap water tastes bad in comparison, doesn’t that prove bottled water is better for you? The results of taste tests reveal that even the most dedicated water drinkers cannot differentiate between bottled and tap water. Some tap water does taste bad, ( like chlorine, sulfur, etc.) but this can be remedied by using a water filter.

Green Alternatives:

It is not always possible to avoid drinking manufactured water, but you can reduce your reliance and make a difference. If you are concerned about taste and/or contamination install a water filter in your faucet or invest in a Brita pitcher type filter. Bring water with you when you leave your home contained in glass bottles, steel or ceramic thermoses, or in heavy duty safe plastic bottles such as those made of polypropylene, high-density polyethylene or low-density polyethylene designated (marked "#5 PP," "#2 HDPE" "#4 LDPE respectively)

Wean yourself from bottled water by adopting the following alternatives:

• When you need to use bottled drinking water purchase brands that are as close to your area as possible to reduce the environmental effect of transport and choose glass over plastic whenever you can.
• Don’t reuse water bottles or drink leftover water because carcinogenic and/or hormone disrupting chemicals can leak into the water. Old water bottles also tend to breed bacteria.
• Never drink water that has been left in a hot car or otherwise warmed for the same reasons.