Web Design Schools Guide

By Sarah Scrafford

The growing consumption of bottled water has many people taking a closer look at the industry. The association between bottled water and good health is now being questioned, as well as the excessive garbage and costs that store-bought water accumulates. Below are 20 reasons you should stop consuming bottled water.

1. High Cost - You are not getting a good deal when you buy bottled water. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), bottled water can cost up to 10,000 times more per gallon than tap water. Some vending machines actually offer 12-ounce bottles of water next to cans of soft drinks, charging the same for each item. This is simply a waste of your money, as water if often available for free from many places.
2. Not Healthier Than Tap Water - Contrary to what marketers would have you believe, bottled water is not the healthy, pure alternative to tap water. Do not buy into this propaganda of fearing tap water, as it was placed in the public’s subconscious in order to sell more bottled water.
3. Tap Water in Disguise - Sometimes, the “bottled water versus tap water” debate is completely unnecessary. After all, many companies are simply placing tap water in the bottles! Of course, they don’t do that without greatly inflating the price of public water first.
4. Excess Packaging - In 2004, the global consumption of bottled water reached 154 billion liters. As you can imagine, this resulted in a huge accumulation of garbage. Unnecessary garbage at that, considering tap water is perfectly healthy in developed countries. Sadly, about 90 percent of all water bottles will not be recycled in the United States.
5. Not Biodegradable - Since most water bottles will not be recycled, one has to wonder what happens to the bottles being disposed of in the trash. Well, not much happens to them, as they are not biodegradable. Bottled water is the largest growth area among all drinks and mountains of plastic bottles are now piling up in landfills, where it takes thousands of years to decompose.
6. Hurts the Public Water System - As more people choose bottled water over tap water, there is less attention placed on municipal water systems. This is a bad thing, as we want cities to remain very diligent in providing the cleanest water possible. When people start looking the other way, public water systems may begin to falter.
7. Water is Going Corporate - As people continue to increase their consumption of bottled water, corporations are having trouble keeping up with demand. For that reason, they are starting to privatize municipal water sources, making the once-public resource a precious commodity. Local economies are greatly affected when public water systems become private.
8. No Fluoride - Unlike public water systems, most brands of bottled water are not fluoridated. Without fluoride, you run a higher risk of developing cavities. Also, fluoride is essential for children, as it helps them to develop strong bones.
9. Fecal Matter - Tests performed on bottled water have turned up something much less “pure” than the bubbling brooks and mountain streams pictured on many brands’ bottles. In fact, the New York State Department of Health found coliform bacteria in some samples. In case you are wondering, such bacteria are organisms found in the feces of warm-blooded animals and humans. Not so appealing, is it?
10. Smoker’s Lips - Here is one unexpected side effect of regular bottled water consumption: “smoker’s lips.” This is a term for when lips develop fine lines and wrinkles from constantly wrapping around an object. Ironically, hydrating yourself while working out could have the same effect on your mouth as smoking several packs of cigarettes a day.
11. Tap Water Tastes as Good - Have you convinced yourself that bottled water tastes better than normal tap water? This may be a placebo effect brought on by clever marketing campaigns. Blind taste tests have proven many times that bottled water tastes no better than water from the tap.
12. Public Water Has Higher Standards - Where safety is concerned, public water systems are held to much higher safety standards than bottled water. In fact, the standards vary widely from state to state where bottled water is concerned. However, public water must meet uniformed, national regulations.
13. Bottles Breed More Bacteria - Even if the water being placed in bottles meets high standards where bacteria is concerned, the bottles themselves can quickly change that. Storing bottled water at room temperature, for example, can help to breed more bacteria, just as reusing the same bottle can.
14. Unsustainable Growth - At the rate the bottled water industry is growing, the current demand will be completely unsustainable. A slumping economy, combined with the limited amount of water, will greatly impact the world’s increasing demand for bottled water (just like everything else). One must consider whether or not it is even ethical to keep consuming bottle after bottle of any commercial drink.
15. Water Shortages - As bottled water companies try to keep up with the demand for more product, they continue to extract water from any viable source. This has resulted in water shortages in some areas near bottling plants. As a result, whole communities and agriculture are adversely affected.
16. Wasted Fossil Fuels - Choosing bottled water over tap water contributes to wasted energy. Approximately 1.5 million gallons of oil are used each year to make plastic water bottles. That is enough to run 100,000 cars for a whole year! Mind you, that is just the bottle manufacturing and does not include the energy used while shipping product and extracting water.
17. Pollutants and Pesticides - The rise in popularity of bottled water could be attributed to the fear of water contamination. It is true that bottled water is the safer choice in some developing countries. However, many U.S. water sources used by bottling companies are susceptible to contamination by pollutants and pesticides. In one infamous case, it was found that a company was extracting water from a well near a hazardous waste site!
18. High Sodium - Some brands of bottled water actually contain high amounts of sodium. This is a problem, as many Americans consume more than their recommended daily sodium intake. Those who are trying to stay away from salt may not realize that they are ingesting sodium with each drink of bottled water.
19. Chemicals in Plastic Bottles - Lately, there has been a huge concern about harmful chemicals in baby bottles. However, it appears that water bottles also pose a threat to consumers. Plastic bottles made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or polyethylene (PET, HDPE, PE) are widely used for all types of water in many countries.
20. No Date on Bottles - Bottlers are not required to place dates on bottled water. While some store-bought beverages feature a “born on date,” there is no way of knowing how long a bottle of water has been sitting on shelves. Old bottled water, particularly if it has been kept at or below room temperature, is very susceptible to bacterial growth and the leeching of harmful chemicals from plastic.