Ne from Kentuky writes:
Bottled water claims to be sooooooooo safe yet it mostly tap?
I buy water that is bottled because not wanting the nasty taste of tap!!
what is the use.. more filtered than tap is all?? so it is glorified tap water??
Thank you for your Question Ne. One thing you must understand about bottled water companies are that they are companies. They are in business to make money, and spend millions on advertising to ensure that bottled water is perceived as safe compared to tap water.
It is important to understand that tap water is safe. Water purveyors in North America go to great lengths to ensure this is true. Water treatment plants and water distribution networks are heavily regulated and most municipalities use this as their minimum standards, often going above and beyond what is required to ensure that safe, clean water is kept flowing from your taps. From source to the point of entry into the distribution system, water plants are constantly testing and retesting the water, and adjusting the process to ensure the best quality of water. The same checks and balances are used in distributions systems. Redundancies, alarms, online analyzers and the like are in place to make sure everything is good. And if something goes wrong, the system is shut down and operators are on call to fix the problem immediately.
Bottled water does not have the same checks and balances municipal tap water does. The regulations are very lax, and many companies simply package tap water. Because of the lack of regulations on bottled water, some companies that have their own raw water sources do not treat the water to the same level as municipalities, increasing the risk factor for disease. In fact, most bottled water does not contain any residual disinfectant at all, relying only on the bottles seal to prevent bacterial regrowth.
Many companies sell their product as “pure, natural spring water”. It is important to understand water is water, regardless of where it comes from. The only difference is the type and quantity of minerals in the water, which contributes to taste, and taste is something that is a personal, subjective thing from person to person.
It is important to consider price as well. Bottled water is very expensive compared to tap. Most municipalities sell tap water for penies a cubic meter (one-thousand litres). Bottled water can be sold for as much as $2.00 for a half liter! To put that into perspective, for the price of a single bottle of water you can purchase thousands of litres of tap water, more than enough to sake your thirst for an entire year!
If you are concerned about the environment at all, i’m sure you’re also aware that bottled water comes in a disposable plastic bottle. Imagine how many of those are clogging our landfil every year!
You should also be very wary of bottled water that either is labelled as reverse osmosis or demineralized water. Most water treatment professionals consider R.O. filtration or demineralization as a very last resort, if there is a contaminant in the water that cannot be taken out by any other means. The reason for this is that water without any mineral in it is like a sponge, soaking up minerals from wherever it can. And your body is where it will soak up the minerals from. Women who have or are at risk for osteoporosis should be especially wary of R.O. water.
The only advantage bottled water really offers is convenience, and taste. It is true that tap water sometimes has a taste associated with it because of the residual disinfectant (chlorine) used to ensure there is no bacterial regrowth. This can be dealt with simply by running the tap water until it is cold, then storing it in the fridge in an open container. The chlorine in the water should dissapear within a day, allowing you fresh tasting water. As far as convinience goes, a little pre planning goes a long way. Purchase a water container made out of stainless steel or a hardy non leaching plastic, fill it from your refridgerator and take it with you. Putting a few ice cubes in it and purchasing an insulator for it will ensure that you have cold thirst quenching water with you wherever you go.
I hope that answers your question, and you can see that tap water is less expensive, safter, and better for the environment than bottled water.
September 10th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
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