Drink Responsibly
Bottled Water: essential convenience or detrimental habit harming our wallets, ourselves, and our planet?
How much do you spend on bottled water? According to the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA), Americans spent over $11.5 BILLION on bottle water in 2007 at prices between 2,000-4,000 times the cost of tap water. That seems like a pretty big bill for something that we can get for a fraction of the cost. So why does the average American household spend over $400 per year on bottled water?
Most people who drink bottled water are under the impression that it is cleaner and safer than tap water. However, the FDA’s regulation of contaminants and particulates (aka: the bad junk) in bottled water is no more stringent than the EPA’s regulation of municipal water sources. A quote from the FDA about bottled water regulation: “FDA has generally adopted EPA’s MCLs (maximum contaminant levels) for contaminants in public drinking water as allowable levels for the same contaminants in the quality standard regulations for bottled water.” In addition, the FDA can only regulate products that cross state borders, so any water that is bottled and sold within the same state is not required to meet FDA standards, while ALL tap water is regulated by the EPA.
Other health factors should also be considered when analyzing bottled water as well. Although there is some conflicting information out there from sources such as the Plastics Division of the American Chemistry Council about the effects of certain chemicals and the amount of chemicals released into water from plastic containers, many other organizations, including the National Toxicology Program of the Department of Health and Human Services and The Toxics Use Reduction Institute at the University of Massachusetts (TURI) issue warnings about the chemicals from the plastic bottles that leach into the water.
For example, most bottled water comes in PETE plastic bottles, that’s the recycle #1, which contains a chemical called DEHP (di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate). According to TURI , DEHP is a potentially serious carcinogen (cancer causing agent) and it can have detrimental effects on the development of fetuses and young children. The chemical leaching process is accelerated by extreme temperatures (heat and cold). So, the simple act of leaving the bottle in your car or putting it in your freezer can increase the chemical concentration of your “safe” drinking water. But even if you’re careful about the storage of your bottled water, you can’t control how it was stored in the warehouse, where temperatures could vary between 26°- 85°F, or during shipping, 45°- 150°F.
Some reusable plastics may not be safe either. Reusable plastic bottles with the recycle #7 contain a chemical called BPA (Bisphenol A). As noted by the National toxicology Program, BPA acts as an endocrine disruptor, an agent that interferes with hormonal function, especially for young, developing children.
So, it seems that this expensive bottled water is probably no “cleaner” than tap water and it may actually be bad for us.
Additionally, the bottled water industry is wreaking havoc on our environment. In 2007, Americans consumed 8.7 billion gallons of bottled water (IBWA), which led to the production of over 38 billion plastic bottles. It took over 1.5 million barrels of oil to produce all those plastic bottles; enough oil to power 100,000 cars for the entire year (Earth 911)! Not to mention the 2,500,000 tons of carbon dioxide emitted during their manufacturing process. According to Earth 911, only about 20% of these bottles were recycled, the rest ended up in our oceans and landfills… that’s over 1,000 plastic bottles wasted every second! These bottles take a very long time to decompose, taking up to 1,000 years to begin the decomposition process once buried.
What’s the alternative? Use reusable water bottles! On the go, I love my H2Go brand stainless steel water bottle that I got at Target, but there are hundreds of options, so go with what suits your lifestyle. Whatever reusable bottle you choose, be sure to look for BPA-free products, especially for kids. At home, I use a normal, old fashioned glass… sounds crazy, I know, but it’s great! Sometimes tap water can taste a little funny, but don’t let that deter you. In-home water filters work wonders. Pūr and Brita filters are both inexpensive, effective, convenient options. I have a filter pitcher in my office and a faucet filter at home and carry my stainless steel bottle with me everywhere. No more plastic bottled water for me!
