It’s summertime and especially in the afternoon when it’s around 100 degrees out you need to drink water and hydrate your body.
So bottled or tap water?
Water bottles are found at most places around you: in the store, in your house, on your desk, in your car, at a sporting event, etc. We buy water bottles because we are certain that they come from a pure spring of water that is filtered, at least that’s what the label says, and also because they are much more convenient - you can take your water with you.
Now tap water, on the other hand, is found all around your house and for the people in the West, they do a quick taste test and if tastes okay then they drink from it. Obviously, it costs much less than bottled water.
But is bottled water better than the tap? Just where does bottled water come from and who regulates it? And what about water filtration units?
Let’s first look at the sources of water.
Municipal water
Most municipal water systems are filtered and treated with chlorine or other disinfectants to eliminate harmful microorganisms, ensuring a safe water supply.
Well water
If you live in Arab countries or in rural areas, you might have a well nearby. If your water is from a private well rather than a municipal water system, then a few tests are worth considering in order to ensure that safe, high quality water is coming into your home.
Spring and Mineral Water
Spring water is water that is harvested from a natural spring. Sometime minerals are added and hence the name mineral water. This is what we see in most water bottles today, in the west of course. They all say natural spring water.
According to theguardian.com, globally, about 20,000 plastic bottles are bought every second, the majority of which contain drinking water.
What would happen if the world placed a ban on bottled water?
-
According to beveragemarketing.com, plastic water bottles make up 3.3% of all drink packaging in US landfills, which is less than both plastic carbonated soft drink containers (13.3%) and aluminum cans (7.9%).
-
Banning bottled water is good for our health because of reduced exposure to potentially contaminated sources of water and to the toxic chemicals emitted from the bottles themselves and the plastic bottle manufacturing plants.
-
70% of plastic water are not recycled, which means the majority end up in landfills or in the oceans, harming the ecosystem and poisoning animals.
-
Almost all plastic water bottles are made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the raw materials for which are derived from crude oil and natural gas
Now what are the benefits of water bottles?
-
Bottled water is a practical emergency water supply. You take it wherever you go.
-
Bottled water is essential to public health – if tap water is not drinkable, then bottled water is a necessary replacement.
-
According to a survey done across a number of countries, people prefer drinking from a water bottle over the tap.
Thus, is bottled water better than tap water? Probably not. Even though bottled water is very popular, in most instances it’s no better than tap water, and tap water is certainly less expensive. Sometimes bottled water is preferred if tap water carries objectionable flavors or odors, but in terms of chemical or bacteriological safety, tap water that is properly tested is clearly the better choice as it’s better for your pocket and the environment.
6:36:42 
2018-08-08 
866
9:3:43
HOME
