Bottled water tries to lure us in with false advertising: not only is it less environmentally responsible and potentially worse for your health, but you are paying for a product that can be obtained free.
The Story of Bottled Water
The Story of Stuff Project and Free Range Studios have produced a video, T he Story of Bottled Water, which illuminates how the plastic bottle industry often contributes to tap water pollution and is a less sustainable and even less healthy approach to water consumption. Tap water support is underfunded, while dealing with the waste caused by bottled water usage is a serious drain on public services. As the video emphasizes, the biggest challenge to bottled water companies is tap water: because why buy bottled water when you can consume it for free?
Yes, you want not only the convenience of bottled water but also knowing that the water you are drinking is more clean and pure. Yet, as Janet Majeski Jemmott discusses in the Reader's Digest essay, Bottled Water Vs. Tap Water "... more than 25% of bottled water comes from a public source." Not only are our images of pristine water coming from a remote spring often not true, but the bottled tap water is also not as subject to rigorous environmental and health standards as our local tap water.
As Jemmott discusses, a 1999 study by the Natural Resources Defense Counsel (NRDC) "... found that at least one sample of a third of the brands contained bacterial or chemical contaminants, including carcinogens, in levels exceeding state or industry standards." Why are the standards different?
As Salynn Boyles discusses for WebMD Health News in her essay, Bottled Water: FAQ on Safety and Purity "... Tap water is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which requires yearly public reports identifying the contaminants found in local water sources. But bottled water is regulated by the FDA, which has no such requirement." The 1999 NRDC report recommends that the FDA lists contaminants and requires testing for parasites; but as of yet, no such change has been implemented.
Checking Tap Water
While tap water is not always or even necessarily safer or purer than bottled water, there is certainly more transparency for tap water. The EPA subjects tap water to more rigorous tests than the FDA subjects to bottled water, but it doesn't check everything. An Associated Press Investigation conducted in 2008 revealed that "... A vast array of pharmaceuticals - including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones - have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans".
See the essay: Probe: Pharmaceuticals In Drinking Water. As Boyles discusses, "... To determine the quality of the water actually coming from your faucet, you will have to have it tested. The EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791) can provide the names of state-certified testing labs in your area. Or you can do it yourself for under $20 with a commercially available kit sold at most hardware stores." (WebMD)
Yet, because bottled water often comes from the same public sources as the Pharmaceuticals in Drinking Water essay discusses, "...Even users of bottled water and home filtration systems don't necessarily avoid exposure. Bottlers, some of which simply repackage tap water, do not typically treat or test for pharmaceuticals, according to the industry's main trade group. The same goes for the makers of home filtration systems."
So, you may want to filter your water regardless of the source and opt for the cheaper option, while also trying to minimize your risks.The benefit with tap water, so long as you don't pour it into a plastic water bottle, is that you are not at risk of phthalate exposure or other chemicals being leeched from the plastic bottle.
Environmental Impact: Bottled Water
Returning to the obvious negative environmental consequences of drinking bottled water, the costs far exceed the huge amounts of plastic bottles generated. The costs of production and transportation for bottled water further exacerbate the environmental impact of bottled water. Jemmott's essay, Bottled Water Vs. Tap Water, states "Some brands of water come from islands and countries thousands of miles away, and shipping bottles can cause carbon pollution to spill into the water and spew into the air." So the pollution caused by the bottled water phenomenon can actually leech into the water itself.
One company that claims its bottling water methods prevent such risks of exposure to pollutants is Fiji. Fiji Water, one of the biggest importers of bottled water to the U.S., claims, "until you unscrew the cap, FIJI Water never meets the compromised air of the 21st century nor is it touched by another human being. No other natural waters can honestly make that claim." (fijiwater.com) Yet, Fiji Water's exclusive access to this aquifer means that the country's own citizens don't have access to it; and Fiji is a country plagued by drought.
See the Mother Jones YouTube clip, The Truth About Fiji Water. Anna Lenzer's article for Mother Jones, Fiji Water: Spin the Bottle, discusses the extreme lengths Fiji Water has gone to in order to sell their product as green and far superior to tap water. Krisy Gashier's article, Thirst for bottled water unleashes flood of environmental concerns highlights this irony, as bottled water is "marketed as clean and healthy when its production contributes to unnecessary environmental degradation."
Cornell University professor and environmentalist Doug James, states: "Fiji water, for example... A one-liter bottle is taken out of the aquifer of this little island, and shipped all the way across the world, producing like half a pound of greenhouse gases so you can have this one-liter bottle of water." (as discussed in "Thirst for bottled water")
In short: bottled water may have the allure of being artesian and pure, but the reality is far more complicated and darker than the advertising would have you think. Tap water is generally not only a viable option, but a superior one to bottled water.
Sources:
- Boyles, Salynn. "Bottled Water: FAQ on Safety and Purity." WebMD Health News. November 7, 2008. Web. May 16, 2011.
- CBS/AP. "Probe: Pharmaceuticals In Drinking Water." CBS News. March 8, 2008. Web. May 16, 2011.
- Gashier, Krisy. "Thirst for bottled water unleashes flood of environmental concerns." USA Today. June 7, 2008. Web. May 16, 2011.
- Fiji Water. n.d. Web. May 16, 2011.
- Headzup. "The Truth About Fiji Water." Youtube.com. Web. May 16, 2011.
- Jemmott, Janet Majeski. "Bottled Water Vs. Tap Water." Reader's Digest. February 2008. Web. May 16, 2011.
- Lenzer, Anna. "Fiji Water: Spin the Bottle." Mother Jones. September/October 2009. Web. May 16, 2011.
- Leonard, Annie. The Story of Stuff Project and Free Range Studios. "The Story of Bottled Water." n.d. Web. May 16, 2011.
- Szerintem, "Boycott the Bottle. "Go Green!" Web. May 16, 2011.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for educational purposes only and should not be used for diagnosis or to guide treatment without the opinion of a health professional. Any reader who is concerned about his or her health should contact a doctor for advice.
Rachel Carbonell - Rachel Carbonell holds a Publishing Certificate from NYU and has been published in several literary journals. She enjoys exploring NYC.
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