Tapped Water vs Bottled Water: rethink what you drink

[TheRussianRocket.]

http://www.rd.com/health/wellness/rethink-what-you-drink/

Chemicals, contaminants, pollution, price: new reasons to rethink what you drink and beware of bottled water.

Remember the drinking fountain, that once ubiquitous, and free, source of H2O? It seems quaint now. Instead, bottled water is everywhere, in offices, airplanes, stores, homes and restaurants across the country. We consumed over eight billion gallons of the stuff in 2006, a 10 percent increase from 2005. Its refreshing, calorie-free, convenient to carry around, tastier than some tap water and a heck of a lot healthier than sugary sodas. But more and more, people are questioning whether the water, and the package it comes in, is safe, or at least safer than tap waterand if the convenience is worth the environmental impact.

Whats in That Bottle?

Evocative names and labels depicting pastoral scenes have convinced us that the liquid is the purest drink around. But no one should think that bottled water is better regulated, better protected or safer than tap, says Eric Goldstein, co-director of the urban program at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), a nonprofit organization devoted to protecting health and the environment.

Yes, some bottled water comes from sparkling springs and other pristine sources. But more than 25 percent of it comes from a municipal supply. The water is treated, purified and sold to us, often at a thousandfold increase in price. Most people are surprised to learn that theyre drinking glorified tap water, but bottlers arent required to list the source on the label.

This year Aquafina will begin stating on labels that its H2O comes from public water sources. And Nestlé Pure Life bottles will indicate whether the water comes from public, private or deep well sources. Dasani acknowledges on its website, but not on the label itself, that it draws from local water.

Labels can be misleading at best, deceptive at worst.

In one notorious case, water coming from a well located near a hazardous waste site was sold to many bottlers. At least one of these companies labeled its product spring water. In another case, H2O sold as pure glacier water came from a public water system in Alaska.

Lisa Ledwidge, 38, of Minneapolis, stopped drinking bottled water a couple of years ago, partly because she found out that many brands come from a municipal supply. Youre spending more per gallon than you would on gasoline for this thing that you can get out of the tap virtually for free, she says. I wondered, Why am I spending this money while complaining about how much gas costs? But you dont ever hear anyone complain about the price of bottled water. Ledwidge says she now drinks only filtered tap water.

Is Your Bottled Water Clean?

The controversy isnt simply about tap vs. bottled water; most people drink both, knowing the importance of plenty of water. What they may not know is that some bottled water may not be as pure as they expect. In 1999 the NRDC tested more than 1,000 bottles of 103 brands of water. (This is the most recent major report on bottled water safety.) While noting that most bottled water is safe, the organization 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. Since the report, no major regulatory changes have been made and bottlers havent drastically altered their procedures, so the risk is likely still there.

The NRDC found that samples of two brands were contaminated with phthalates, in one case exceeding Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards for tap water. These chemicals, used to make plastic softer, are found in cosmetics and fragrances, shower curtains, even baby toys, and are under increasing scrutiny. Theyre endocrine disrupters, which means they block or mimic hormones, affecting the bodys normal functions. And the effects of exposure to the widespread chemicals may add up.

When exposed to high levels of phthalates during critical developmental periods, male fetuses can have malformed reproductive organs, including undescended testicles. Some experts link phthalates to low sperm counts.

Water bottles do not contain the chemical, which means the phthalates detected by the NRDC probably got into the water during processing at the bottling plant, or were present in the original water source (phthalates have been found in some tap water).

Bottled water is regulated for safety, but its a tricky thing.

The EPA regulates tap water, while the FDA oversees bottled. Yet FDA oversight doesnt apply to water packaged and sold within the same state, leaving some 60 to 70 percent of bottled water, including the contents of watercooler jugs, free of FDA regulation, according to the NRDCs report. In this case, testing depends on the states, but the NRDC found that they often dont have adequate resources to oversee bottled water, in some cases lacking even one full-time person for an entire state.

The FDA requires bottlers to regularly test for contaminants, but the agency considers bottled water a low-risk product, so plants may not be inspected every year. According to one FDA official, its the manufacturers responsibility to ensure that the product complies with laws and regulations. Some bottlers turn to NSF International, a trade group that conducts yearly unannounced inspections of plants, looking at the source of the water and the treatment process, and testing for contaminants. Other companies belong to the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA), which also performs annual unannounced tests to ensure the plant is up to FDA standards. IBWA has its own regulations, some of which are stricter than the FDAs.

Bottlers dont have to let consumers know if their product becomes contaminated, but sometimes they pull their products from stores. In fact, between 1990 and 2007, this happened about 100 times, says Peter Gleick of the Pacific Institute in Oakland, California. Among the reasons for recall: contamination with mold, benzene, coliform, microbes, even crickets.

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Just posted this for discussion reasons if interested. So yea, talks about the misconceptions or the unknowns about bottled water in relation to tapped water. Now I'm talking based on living in Canada (BC) and that our tap water is the top in the world so not sure about other places.

Learned quite a bit actually the past bit. Knew about it before but not into the details.

Turns out, our tap water is regulated numerous times a day by the gov. to ensure it is in great condition and bottled water isn't actually. It's a private company and the company regulates it to it's own standards which have been proven to he far less extensive than tapped water. Some cases, it's literally river water bottled and filtered at the most basic level.

Now for me it's not a money issue as I drink bottled water at times too but thought this might raise a few eyebrows. When it's all said and done, our regulated tap water is actually far better than most bottled water companies. Just that theirs tastes more fresh being ice cold and a few tweaks to it.

[inane]

Bottled water is stupid.

[TOMapleLaughs]

Bottled air is next.

[Tearloch7]

What a waste of resources .. buy a bottle and fill it up .. repeat as necessary.

[SISU]

I don't like the taste of bottled water. It's always so chlorine-y. Vancouver tap water is the best. Nothing beats it. And it's free!

[From.The.Point]

I'd rather drink the water from the showers at the rinks than bottled water.

[TheRussianRocket.]

Bottled air is next.

It's already a product

[Tre Mac]

Never got ecoli from bottled water and after the scare in White Rock a couple of years ago I havent had a sip of tap water since. Yea I am sure the water is clean until it hits our 50year old pipes in our building. I buy my water at about 5$/month put it on my cooler and I have hot or cold fresh water which is 10 times better than what comes from my tap.

[Madness]

I drink tap water. Bought a nice bottle that keeps my water cool and I refill it.

[Baka]

I often drink from my garden hose while calling my neighbors savages as they sip Dasani.

['Nucks Fan from Montana]

Tap water. Always. I have a Nalgene bottle I got from a chiropractor several years ago and do use it on occasion, mostly whenever I'm out on a walk on a hot day.

[ronthecivil]

I can understand in other places but in BC drinking bottled water has the awesome combination of being the most expensive, least green, least safe, and worst tasting option there is.

[TOMapleLaughs]

It's already a product

I know. Crazy right?

[aGENT]

I can understand in other places but in BC drinking bottled water has the awesome combination of being the most expensive, least green, least safe, and worst tasting option there is.

Yup, yup, yup and yup.

[Whale Tail]

Regarding bottled water, It is interesting to see the PH scale results for some. Tap water will vary based on location I believe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anI5yURJsWM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AacP_xH2aQI

[Rypien37]

Hilarious how people criticize bottled water.....but then drink tap water.

Have you people never heard of fluoride? Bottled water without fluoride is infinitely healthier then tap water even WITH the possibility of chemicals leaching out of the plastic.

Do some research on how bad fluoride is for the body.

[TheRussianRocket.]

Hilarious how people criticize bottled water.....but then drink tap water.

Have you people never heard of fluoride? Bottled water without fluoride is infinitely healthier then tap water even WITH the possibility of chemicals leaching out of the plastic.

Do some research on how bad fluoride is for the body.

Fluoride is a 2 way road, good and bad for you. Consistent bottled water users have been researched and linked to more rotting teeth than the tap water drinking individual. Flourine is very advantageous for your teeth so in that case it is a positive certainly.

[ronthecivil]

Hilarious how people criticize bottled water.....but then drink tap water.

Have you people never heard of fluoride? Bottled water without fluoride is infinitely healthier then tap water even WITH the possibility of chemicals leaching out of the plastic.

Do some research on how bad fluoride is for the body.

Got to be some reason I still have all mine despite never being taught to brush my teeth as a kid and having done a pretty poor job of it most of the my life.

[Rypien37]

Fluoride is a 2 way road, good and bad for you. Consistent bottled water users have been research Ied and linked to more rotting teeth than the tap water drinking individual. Flourine is very advantageous for your teeth so in that case it is a positive certainly.

The good for your teeth theory has been debunked years ago.

I switched to fluoride free toothpaste and refused the fluoride treatment at the dentist for a few years.....have yet to have a cavity in my life.

There is a reason why conventional toothpaste has warning signs to minimize use with children or to call poison control if swallowed.

Bad to ingest but OK to use on teeth and gums?? (gets absorbed through gums anyway).

Detrimental to your health. It won't kill you, but does significant damage to various part of your body.

Do some research, quite shocking.

[Robongo]

Hilarious how people criticize bottled water.....but then drink tap water.

Have you people never heard of fluoride? Bottled water without fluoride is infinitely healthier then tap water even WITH the possibility of chemicals leaching out of the plastic.

Do some research on how bad fluoride is for the body.

Actually, water Fluoridation in Vancouver has been banned since I believe 1999, and as you said, for very good reason.

Fluoride is a 2 way road, good and bad for you. Consistent bottled water users have been researched and linked to more rotting teeth than the tap water drinking individual. Flourine is very advantageous for your teeth so in that case it is a positive certainly.

No, it is not a two-way road at all. The Fluoride used in toothpastes and water supply is nothing more than industrial waste.

It has been proven by countless studies that Fluoride does not help your teeth at all. Quite the opposite, Fluoride causes the development of dental fluorosis

Edward Bernays is behind the modern Fluoridation movement and he's a very evil man.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Bernays

http://georgewashington2.blogspot.ca/2011/01/did-father-of-modern-propaganda-sell.html

The mobilization, the national clamor for fluoridation, and the stamping of opponents with the right-wing kook image, was all generated by the public relations man hired by Oscar Ewing to direct the drive. [Ewing was the chief counsel for Alcoa aluminum company, and fluoride is a by-product of aluminum production.] For Ewing hired none other than Edward L. Bernays, the man with the dubious honor of being called the "father of public relations." Bernays, the nephew of Sigmund Freud, was called "The Original Spin Doctor" in an admiring article in the Washington Post on the occasion of the old manipulator's 100th birthday in late 1991