Photo by Klearchos Kapoutsis/Flickr CC
There is so much wrong with bottled water that it's hard to know where to begin (read Elizabeth Hoyt's Bottlemania, for starters). But let's start with the fact that bottled water is the most brilliantly marketed product ever invented.
The companies get it practically free out of a tap and charge you a dollar or more--sometimes a lot more--for a quart or less). The plastic bottles pollute the environment. Worst of all, drinking bottled water makes people less apt to be vigilant about protecting public water supplies.
Where does that leave us? Defend tap water!
And it isn't even regulated very well, or so says a report from the Government Accountability Office. The title says it all: "Bottled water: FDA safety and consumer protections are often less stringent than comparable EPA protections for tap water." The report was released in time for congressional hearings on the topic. Reporters had a lot of fun with the self-interested statements of industry people who testified.
None of this gets into the additional question of bisphenol A and other endocrine disrupters in plastic bottles that are sometimes used for water. The Canadians are now saying that bisphenol A is safe at amounts commonly used, and so is a California expert committee. The American Chemistry Council is pleased with these decisions.
Where does that leave us? Defend tap water! As for endocrine disrupters, stay tuned but why use bisphenol A when other alternatives are so readily available.
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So what is the new reason to skip bottled water? (I'm perfectly content with tap water, BTW.) Is it bisphenol A? Not entirely clear from the post. Also, the link to "bisphenol A" takes me to some Wordpress logon screen.
Like many, I refill my water bottle from the tap a hundred times before I buy a new bottle of water. The reason is to get the "Free" water bottle.
So how much bisphenol A am I getting this way?
Dear Ms. Nestle,
Yes, I have known about the dangers and downsides of bottled water. Yet, till now, have not acted.
I will talk with my kids and my wife and make sure, at least, that they are aware of the risks.
Your entry has through repetition caused me to do something that I should have earlier.
thanks.
Yeah bottled water is crazy prices. It seems like it keeps going up in price as well. I was at Disneyland recently and paid $3+ - Handy!
Also why don't they ever recommend to reuse a water bottle? Does it get bacteria in it?
Clear Glass Vases
Of course, it is well-advised to use tap water only in countries where it is safe to drink from the tap, such as the US. This is a point I never see brought up. I lived with a family in Mexico on a language school a decade ago. They were an middle to upper-middle class family in a nice house in a nice colonia, and they still warned me against drinking their tap water. They used water coolers, instead.
BPA is typically used in polycarbonates (reusable bottles, ie "old" Naglene), PVC and epoxy coating, but not usually in one time use plastic bottles. They are typically made of #1 plastic, PETE, which is easily recyclable, granted that people actually recycle.
Here's what I don't get; If BPA is so bad, and bottled water is the leading spread of such as its toxicity is gradually spread through drinking it, then why not just can water?
I don't think that most people are aware that only 20some percent of plastic water bottles actually get recycled. Many do not end up in recycle bins, but even those that do... are not in reality recycled. In addition, the amount of water and petroleum used to make that plastic bottle is evidence that the most conscious choice we can make is not to use them at all. Why does everything have be disposable? Why don't we invest in quality products that last a lifetime- like a stainless steel reusable water bottle. Reducing the amount of water and oil used to produce them and the amount of plastic we send to landfills just seem logical and obvious.
Convenience is the reason.... yours and mine.
My customers purchase not only plastic bottled water but plastic bottled fruit drinks, soda in plastic bottles, milk in plastic bottles, numerous condiments that I package in plastic containers and on ... and on .... and on!
Certainly ... I can see my cajun restaurant customers toting their stainless steel thermos (yes ... we had stainless steel, reuseable containers) so I can fill them with our spring water. (Which by the way is certified by the State of North Carolina and the IBWA - national laboratory tested twice per year both as a spring source and as a packaged product and subject to random 3rd party inspection)
Personally I love the convenience of grabbing a ice cold bottle of water from the frig to take along with me anywhere I decide to go ...
My $0.02
I never understood the point of bottled water and perhaps I never will. The humble cup has served me well for many, many years. However, ever since the portable water craze hit our nation, when I am struck with an unquenchable thirst while on the road and I bring my trusty cup with me to the nearest service station to "fill up", I am perceived as a crazy woman. Thanks a lot, Dasani and Fiji.
I think that it's laughable that my empty cup has become such a horrific sight -- strangers seem to think that I have a big neon "L" on my forehead (or that I'm too cheap to cough up the cash for a swell bottle). In reality, I have been the clever one this whole time by sticking to my guns, ducking bisphenol A exposure and saving enough money to invest in NASA's new urine-to-water purification system. Ha! Ha! Who's laughing now....
http://www.greenwala.com/my_groups/all/65-Got-A-Green-Themed-Question-Get-Your-Answer-Here/topics/505
http://www.greenwala.com/profiles/2449-Linda-Lucille/blog/1225-Faucet-Water-A-Cup-An-Oldie-But-A-Goody
We in the bottled water industry absolutely should be held accountable for telling consumers where our water comes from and what’s in it. But the GAO report and the FDA also pointed out that bottled water safety IS regulated- both by the FDA and many states. For another POV on that Congressional hearing, read Dana Milbank’s July 9 Washington Post column here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2009/07/08/AR2009070803602.html
BPA is not used in the soft PET plastic used for single serve water bottles. It is used in the jug-type bottles at water coolers, but you’re right that government safety officials from many countries have repeatedly found it’s safe for that use.
It’s absolutely true as some comments here indicate that recycling needs to become more convenient, so that all kinds of containers get recycled. Water bottles represent less than one-third of one percent of the solid waste stream. But getting them back has real value because reusing plastic means reusing the oil that created it.
Most people drink both bottled water and tap water, depending on what’s available and preferred. That’s evident as well in some of the comments here. 70% of what people drink comes from a package. Having bottled water available gives people an alternative to sweetened caloric drinks that contribute to obesity and diabetes.
For anyone who wants to review additional info about bottled water and about us, check out this video: http://www.nestlewaterscorporate.com/bottled_water_things_to_know/
Thanks for the chance to contribute.
Jane Lazgin, Director, Corporate Communications, Nestlé Waters North America