The common believe is that bottled water is not only safer to drink but also better for one’s overall health (thanks to the minerals it supposedly contains). However, it is not quite so. Bottled water costs a thousand times more per gallon than tab and is the worse environmental choice.
It takes 1.5 million of barrels of oil per year to produce the petroleum-based plastic bottles, which then hold the water for months at a time. In addition, most types of bottled water is then transported for miles on end adding to the greenhouse gas emissions and burning non-renewable oil. It is estimated that nearly 60 million plastic bottles are thrown away each day ending up in landfills, even though most can be recycled.
Moreover, tab is regulated a lot more strictly than bottled. All state and local officials are required to test the water quarterly for synthetic chemicals and hundreds of times a month for bacteria while the bottled water manufacturers are required to test only once a year. What is even more disturbing is the fact that 40% of the bottled water comes from the same source as your basic tab. The manufacturer of Aquafina, for instance, labeled their water as “coming from a public water source”.
So why would anyone turn to bottled water? The main reason seems to be the fact that most people still regard bottled as a safer option, especially when agricultural and industrial pollution are taken into account. Besides that, there are many chemicals that can end up in the municipal water supplies, such as drugs, detergents, disinfectants, insect repellents, personal care products, including 33 suspected hormone disruptors etc. However, taking into consideration the fact that nearly half of bottled water does not come from some clean and fresh spring in the mountains but pretty much form your back yard and is only tested for the presence of chemicals and bacteria once a year while tab is tested rigorously by various officials a number of times a month to make sure it is safe and clean to drink.
Unfortunately, not all tab water is as clean and safe to drink as it should be and sometimes bacteria and various hazardous chemicals are still present when it runs in your house. The only remedy for that is a good water filter and there are many to choose from on the market. So chuck the plastic and go for tab! With a proper filter it will taste a lot better than any bottled water you’ve ever had…
