Evian? Fiji? Arrowhead? You've probably got a bottle or even a case in the fridge, in the car, and in your tote bag, too. It's been reported that bottled water is ranked as the second most consumed beverage in the United States (behind soft drinks). Bottled water is convenient, tastes better, and is good for you, right? Not so fast. The truth is that the bottled industry water industry is causing harm to the environment. It's damaging our natural water supplies, landfills, air-and maybe even our bodies.
Let's start with the water inside the bottle. Bottled water does not have to live up to the same standards the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) sets for tap water but is instead regulated by the FDA. In a test taken by the Natural Resources Defense Counsel, contaminants such as synthetic organics, bacteria, and arsenic were found in bottled water. Even worse: the process of making those handy, single-use containers requires more than 1.5 million tons of plastic. Harmful chemicals and toxic emissions such as nickel, ethylene oxide, and benzene are released into the air during the production process. So, some of these chemicals could be absorbed into that costly water you are drinking. Leaching (when contaminates from the plastic are absorbed into the water) increases with heat (how long has that bottle been sitting in your car?).
Next to consider: where is all this water coming from? The springs and aquifers that are supplying some of this water are drying up wells, damaging wetlands, and degrading aquifers, and water pumped from these sources may not be feeding naturally into streams, wells, and farms. Two of the largest water suppliers- Aquafina (bottled by Pepsi) and Dasani (bottled by Coca-Cola Company)-are reportedly pulling water from municipal water sources. Yes, that's the same place your tap water is coming but you're paying up to 1,000 times more for it.
Finally, transporting all that water to distributors uses fuel and creates exhaust. If you don't think that is bad enough, just think of the millions of plastic bottles that are not being recycled and end up in landfills, or on the street or beach. These bottles can take 1,000 years to biodegrade. Still think bottled water is a healthier choice?
What you can do:
• Drink bottled water only when absolutely necessary.
• Refill plastic bottles with tap or filtered tap water.
• Carry filtered water in reusable containers (stainless steel is best).
• At home, commit to drinking tap or filtered tap water.
• Research the quality of your local drinking water at EPA.gov.
—Rebecca Heller
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