Bottled Water - Issues and Alternatives


Introduction

Concerns about
   
water safety
Children and
    contaminated
    water
Pregnancy and
    drinking water
    contaminants


Introduction
Materials
    dissolved in
    water
    - Inorganics
    - Organics

Materials
    suspended in
    water
    - Pathogens
    - Asbestos
Interview

    excerpt

 
Drinking water 
    sources

Municipal
    providers
Private wells
Location of
    home
Chlorination
    and DBPs
High risk

    populations
Home age & lead
Use Sensory

    clues to identify   
    contaminants   


Importance of
    product
    certification

Things to consider
Water treatment
    methods, POU
    - Boiling
    - Distillation
    - Reverse
     Osmosis (RO)   
    - Filtration
        * Sediment
        * Activated
          carbon
             GAC
             Solid block
        * Pore size
    - Bottled water
    - Ultraviolet (UV)
    - Water softeners
    - KDF
    - nbsp; - Ion exchange
Comparison of
    drinking water
    treatment methods
Comparison of

    long-term costs
    for water
    treatment

Four Steps to
    determining the
    best water
    treatment method
    (new 2/05)

Recommendations
Questions
Comments and
    suggestions
Refer this site
    to friends
About Me


Over 300 links to
    drinking water
    related sites


Terrorism and
    Drinking Water
    
(updated 1/1/05)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alternatives to purchased bottled water
Additional issues and articles about bottled water

Drinking water sources Bottled water is not necessarily purer or safer than tap water;
Drinking water sources Bottled water costs hundreds to thousands of times more than tap water, and
   tens to hundreds of times more than home-treated water;
Drinking water sources Bottled water has often been demonstrated in blinded tests to taste the same
   as tap water;
Drinking water sources Bottled water can have no magical properties to cure disease, help you hydrate
   any better, give you more energy, or lose weight faster than tap or filtered water;
Drinking water sources
Bottled water wastes resources and pollutes the earth and atmosphere at every
   stage of its production, distribution, and disposal.
Drinking water sources Are there any benefits to purchasing bottled water?  Are there better, more
   affordable strategies to satisfy your thirst on the road?

There are times and places where the immediate availability of safe water is critical, like in the aftermath of a disaster where normal water distribution is interrupted &/or the local water is polluted.  Bottled water can help tremendously in those situations.

When traveling out of town the water quality/safety may be unknown (or known to be bad).  That would be another instance where purchasing bottled water would make sense.  

In the absence of a disaster or travel, however, the main (and arguably the only) benefit to bottled water is convenience - you can take bottled water with you wherever you go or purchase it when you get "there" and be reasonably assured of drinking safe, good tasting water.

Of course it has always been possible to take water with you - back when I was a kid you simply filled a canteen or thermos from the faucet and went on your way.  Today there are a wide variety of reusable water containers in plastic, metal, glass and ceramic.  Plastic and metal are most commonly used for individual-use portable containers and glass and ceramic are mostly limited to bulk water storage.


Alternatives to purchased bottled water
Drink the local tap water - In most cities in the US and other developed
    countries the local tap water is safe.
   
Check if traveling, and if there is any question about the water quality use a
    portable water treatment device or buy bottled water.
Fill your own reusable bottle!
    Filling your own reusable bottles and effectively cleaning them between uses
    does take some time and uses resources (water, soap, energy to heat the
    water, and "elbow grease").  Some of the "convenience factor" of pre-packaged
    of purchased bottled water.

With a moderate initial expenditure and attention to cleaning the container,
    bottling your own tap water will cost well under a cent per gallon.

If you have concerns about using tap water to drink and fill your reusable
     water containers, you can economically treat your water with any of
     the legitimate methods described on this page that fit your needs
     and fill a 16oz water container for $0.01 or less to around $0.04.

Concerns have been raised about the safety of some types of plastic containers. 
National Geographic Green Guide - Plastic Containers: Introduction
Plastic Containers: Health Issues
Plastic Containers: Solutions
Safer plastics - #2HDPE, #4LDPE, and #5PP
When choosing plastic containers, even those you'll use over and over again, choose those that are accepted for recycling in your area. Although #1 PETE is one of the most commonly recycled types, there are no containers designed for re-use made from it, and one should never re-use single-use #1 plastic bottles because their design doesn't lend itself to proper cleaning and the bottles can harbor bacterial growth. There are, however, a number of reusable containers made from another commonly recycled plastic, #2 HDPE. Number #4 LDPE and #5PP plastics, although not as widely recycled, are also good choices since, as with #2, most research has not shown leaching of any carcinogens or endocrine disruptors.

Basic Plasitc Info and Tips and the Smart Plastics Guide
Avoid polycarbonate (#7) baby bottles and sippy cups.  For baby bottles, try and use glass (e.g., Evenflo), polyethylene (e.g., Evenflo, Medela, Playtex) or polypropylene (e.g., Gerber, Medela) instead.  Sippy cups made of stainless steel (e.g., Kleen Kanteen), or of polypropylene or polyethylene (e.g., Avent, Evenflo, First Years, Gerber, Playtex) are safer.  Be sure to check the bottle or cup to be sure of the type of plastic it contains.  As for baby bottle nipples, try and use silicone which does not leach the carcinogenic nitrosamines that can be found in latex.

Bottled Water Backlash
None of the following plastics have been shown to leach carcinogens or endocrine disruptors.

Drinking water sources #2 HDPE (high-density polyethylene) is durable and widely recyclable.
Drinking water sources #4 LDPE (low-density polyethylene) is used in some food wraps and sandwich bags.
Drinking water sources #5 PP (polypropylene) is popular in reusable containers, though not frequently recycled.
For an alternative to plastic,
try the Thermos Stainless Steel Beverage Bottle #2550. With a stainless-steel exterior and interior, it keeps beverages cold or soups, coffee and tea hot 10 times longer than plastic bottles, or try Sigg 's .6-liter Oval Traveler Reusable Bottle in stainless steel. {other brands of metal containers you can look up on the web include Klean Kanteen
(stainless steel), Sigg (ceramic-lined aluminum)
What You Can Do
Drinking water sources Avoid leaving water in any plastic bottle in the heat. {this would include purchased bottled water}
Drinking water sources Hand wash reusable bottles gently.
Drinking water sources Don't reuse PET bottles - particularly baby bottles.
Drinking water sources Fill reusable bottles with your own tap water, filtered if necessary.

Is reusing water bottles safe?  A little research has turned up two opinion groups:
Drinking water sources the refillers: The refillers say that washing and re-using water bottles is safe, particularly if they
   are washed regularly with hot, soapy water.
Drinking water sources the non-refillers (represented, in particular, by the International Bottled Water Association, an
   organization that represents the interest of companies that sell bottled water): Those in the
   non-refilling camp state that only bottles specifically made to be reused should be refilled. For
   starters, they say that all kinds of bacteria can thrive in made-to-be-disposed bottles, even
   after washing


Additional issues and articles about bottled water

The University of Maryland is using a “Cathy” comic strip from August 19, 2007 to encourage students to toss their plastic water bottles in favor of a more environmentally friendly alternative—tap water.  The University of Maryland recently removed all bottled water from the resident dining offerings and instead has installed triple filtered water stations with free student access. 

Back to the Tap: Time Magazine, Aug. 09, 2007
Water sales topped $10.8 billion last year--all for something you can get virtually free. "It's like marketing air," marvels Allen Hershkowitz, an industrial ecologist with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).  But the phenomenal growth in bottled water isn't just draining our wallets--it's also putting stress on the environment. It takes oil to make the plastic in all those bottles and oil to transport the water from its source to the consumer, and that means greenhouse gases--a primary cause of global warming.

Bottled Water: Pure Drink or Pure Hype?
This is the online version of National Resource Defense Council's March 1999 petition to the FDA and attached report on the results of our four-year study of the bottled water industry, including its bacterial and chemical contamination problems. The petition and report find major gaps in bottled water regulation and conclude that bottled water is not necessarily safer than tap water. The online version contains all of the report's text, tables and figures; it does not include the accompanying Technical Report or additional attachments to the petition.

Message in a Bottle-1: Americans spent more money last year on bottled water than on ipods or movie tickets: $15 Billion. A journey into the economics--and psychology--of an unlikely business boom. And what it says about our culture of indulgence.
from Fastcompany.com, July/August 2007
...Bottled water is often simply an indulgence, and despite the stories we tell ourselves, it is not a benign indulgence. We're moving 1 billion bottles of water around a week in ships, trains, and trucks in the United States alone. That's a weekly convoy equivalent to 37,800 18-wheelers delivering water. (Water weighs 8 1/3 pounds a gallon. It's so heavy you can't fill an 18-wheeler with bottled water--you have to leave empty space.)...
...Bottled water is not a sin. But it is a choice...
...Once you understand the resources mustered to deliver the bottle of water, it's reasonable to ask as you reach for the next bottle, not just "Does the value to me equal the 99 cents I'm about to spend?" but "Does the value equal the impact I'm about to leave behind?"

Message in a Bottle-2: Despite the Hype, Bottled Water is Neither CLEANER nor GREENER Than Tap Water. from emagazine.com September/October 2003
...A 2001 World Wildlife Fund (WWF) study confirmed the widespread belief that consumers associate bottled water with social status and healthy living. Their perceptions trump their objectivity, because even some people who claim to have switched to bottled water “for the taste” can’t tell the difference: When Good Morning America conducted a taste test of its studio audience, New York City tap water was chosen as the heavy favorite over the oxygenated water 02, Poland Spring and Evian...

ABC Reports - interesting videos - although you do have to watch an ad first.
Bring Your Own Bottled Water -
How to improve the quality of the water you drink and the planet you live on. Feb. 6, 2008
Aquafina, As Good as Tap Water - A top brand of bottled water reveals its source is no better than tap. Jul. 27, 2007
Bottled Water, Wasted Energy? - Restaurants serve up tap water amid claims bottled water pollutes. Jul. 8, 2007
$75 Bottled Water  - Though it can be had for free, bottled water can be pricier than fine wine. Feb. 17, 2007

I am checking on the links below which currently do not work.
Where Gas Is Cheaper than Water
May. 25, 2006
Bottled Water Biz - Americans spend billions on bottled water, but it's really no better than tap. May. 11, 2006
Selling the Air We Breathe - Some marketers think bottled oxygen industry could be as big as bottled water. Apr. 21, 2006
Good Humor: Bottled Water
Nov. 11, 2005

Inside the Bottle is a Polaris Institute project designed to stimulate citizen awareness about the bottled water industry. This site has begun to map the bottle water locations of the industry's Big 4 corporate players. Citizens are invited to contribute to this map by investigating and reporting how the industry operates within your community.

Bottled Water: Why Is It so Big? Causes for the Rapid Growth of Bottled Water Industries

 



Safe Surf IconRSAC Icon