Is Bottled Water Better Than Tap Water?

Seventy percent of the human body is comprised of water. This makes drinking water quality vital. The EPA estimates the average adult consumes 1.2 liters daily or 115 gallons of community (tap) water daily while the average consumption of bottled water per capita in the U.S. is in excess of 30.8 gallons per year and is expected to continue to increase according to the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) and the Beverage Marketing Association’s 2013 report. Bottled water costs anywhere from 240 to 10,000 times more per gallon than the average cost of tap, but people’s perception that bottled water is purer, safer or healthier is driven, in part, by strong bottled water marketing campaigns that focus on news reports about crises that involve municipal water supplies. (NRDC, “Bottled Water Pure Drink or Pure Hype”) The sources for both tap and bottled waters as well as additives to either enrich or neutralize contents of water determine the mineral and chemical composition of drinking water. Is bottled water really any purer or healthier than local tap water?

In fact 22% of test water bottle brands had chemical contaminants higher than the state limit (ABC, 1). So why do Americans think bottled water is so great? Maybe it’s because of how much companies advertise the product, advertising expenses for bottled water totaled $61 million in 2012 ("International Bottled Water Association" 1). Whatever the reason may be, bottled water is the second most popular beverage in the U.S.A., and more and more bottles of water are being produced and distributed this very second.

Another way bottled water is the way to go is because it helps aid in healthy choices. In the article, “Grab the Bottle”, it states that “bottled water has helped consumers choose to drink more water because it presents it in a convenient way (Giroux). In many cases, consumers buy more objects that appeal to the eyes. Bottled water comes in different sizes and shapes. What is trending in society, the public wants automatically. In the article, “Comment-Soft Drinks and Water- The Future of Bottled Water”, he told that “attractive packages alone can make us feel that what we are drinking is beneficial” (Rowlands). Trendy shapes, sizes, and colors are what the public is drawn to. If a consumer sees a unique water bottle in the store, he or she will buy that because it’s trendy and popular in society.

One of the biggest harms to the world is pollution caused by people. Most of the plastic materials used by people are left to pollute. Bottled water is one of the biggest plastic materials produced. Some people say that bottled water is safer, convenient, and provide jobs to workers in many ways. The reasons for buying bottled water differ. Some people buy bottled water because they don’t like the taste or smell of tap water, while others on the other hand buy it because of health concerns with water contamination. Pollution is one of the biggest problems hurting the environment today, and water bottles that are thrown out after each one-time use, contribute greatly to its increasing buildup. Bottled water is not only expensive to us, but also to the environment. Bottled water is hurting the economy, harming human lives, and damaging the environment.

Water is an essential part to human life. We as humans need around eight to twelve cups per day to make up for the fact that throughout normal functions such as breathing and sweating we lose an average of ten cups per day. To make sure that we are healthy and everything runs properly, we must make sure we drink the right amount of water (msnbc.com, 2004). The one question when thinking about water is what type of water will you drink? The biggest controversy is bottled water vs. tap water. Many people in the world today are switching from drinking tap water to drinking bottled water. The number of people who drink bottled water has been rising over the past few decades and by an average of 7% per year. A

Billions of gallons of bottled water are consumed in the United States every year. Many Americans choose bottled water for its convenience and say that the taste is much better than tap water. They say tap water is flat and tasteless. Some argue that the cost of bottled water far exceeds the cost of tap water. One study showed that one bottled water per day would cost the consumer $365 per year while the same amount of tap water would cost ten cents. While bottled water is more expensive, it provides over 130,000 jobs resulting in over six billion dollars in salaries for american workers “Bottled Water Matters.” In the article, “ Bad To The Last Drop,” Tom Standage says that bottled water is too expensive and encourages people to stop buying bottled water and give the money to charity. In the article “ In Defense of Bottled Water,” Thomas J. Lauria says that eliminating bottled water would have the unintended consequence of driving people to choose more unhealthy beverages which have thicker plastic bottles and would be worse on the environment. He also says that bottled water is an important choice in situations where there is a lack of tap water or concern about water

Water is essential to life, scientific fact, not debatable (Tracy). More than half of all Americans drink bottled water; about a third of the public consumes it regularly (Olsen). Many drink or buy bottled water simply because they believe it is of better quality, cleaner, and better tasting. On the contrary, several individuals do not know the cons of drinking bottled water. Today, there are many misconceptions and myths about bottled water. Many people are uneducated about what goes into our bottles and how it not only affects us but also our environment. In the article “The New Oil” by Jeneen Interlandi and Ryan Tracy they discuss the issues that have to do with water and the privatization of it. They believe there is a crisis and something has to be done. Due to the cost, pollution, shortage, and health issues, bottled water should be outlawed. Water should not be controlled by water bottle companies and should not be allowed to be sold in plastic bottles.

The Australian bottled water industry has been growing rapidly over the past decade. Many Australians drink bottled water on a regular basis, and on average consumed 21.2 litres per person (Australian Bureau of Statistics) in 2001. The boom in consumption of bottled water has moved the product beyond the niche market and into the mainstream as it has become a staple to many Australians. Many people drink bottled water today simply because they prefer the taste to that of tap water or perceive it to have more purity. Other reasons behind the explosion in bottled water consumption are: consumers' passion for fitness which guides them to fewer caloric beverages; increased accessibility of bottled water via convenience stores,

In Peter Gleick’s “Selling Bottled Water: The Modern Medicine Show” and Cynthia Barnett’s “Business in a Bottle”, bottled water is argued to be an excessive commodity falsely advertised as healthier and more beneficial than tap water to society and the environment. Both authors discuss that bottled water is actually equivalent in quality to tap water and in some cases even more hazardous to the human body. Public water itself is a less expensive resource that is more accessible to the masses. However, due to fraudulent companies focused on profit and the lack of effective oversight, people are deterred from realizing that there does not need to be an alternative to municipal water. Gleick

Bottled water is probably the biggest scandal since Jordan Belfort was a penny stock broker. We pay extra for something that is convenientconvnant for us, but inturn is hurting ourare planet. We try to help by recycling, but still 38 billion plastic bottles made it to the landfills in 2010 and since then the numbers have just kept rising.In 2013, 10,130.3 million gallons of bottled water were produced in the United States, according to the Beverage Marketing Corp.(page #) Depending on who you ask, that’s either proof that more Americans are turning away from sugary soft drinks, or an environmental and ethical problem.

“Myth:Bottled water is not as regulated as well regulated as tap water. Fact:the FDA controlling the safety and quality of bottled water must be as good as the EPA regulations which controls tap water” (Bottled Water Question and Answer). Also, bottled water has lower levels of sodium, which helps many people with health conditions. Another cool fact is bottled water has an “indefinite shelf life”(Bottled Water Maters), meaning if the bottled water were to stay unopened and in a cool spot it is good to go for a long time. Additionally bottled water companies are also a major asset to our economy, the companies make and sell the bottled water employed about 137,000 Americans and pay them about $6.3 billion in wages and benefits. Another good thing about water bottles is it can be donated from big companies, such as Walmart. Walmart has donated 6.5 billion bottles of water to the school kids of Flint, MI (Adamczyk). Many people do not realize how wonderful bottled water really is, bottled water can be transported easily, bottled water can also be used in many situations, also bottled water can

In a world where society has the opportunity to access almost anything in an instant, quick access does not end when it comes to food and beverages. Nowadays there is no waiting with options like fast food, take home meals, and more specifically, bottled water. Despite a quick and easy outlet to water from taps within homes, Americans purchased over 9 billion gallons of water in 2011. This massive and productive industry continues to grow each year by over 5% (“Bottled Water Pros and Cons”). The production of bottled water, compared to tap, has many disadvantages including long term health issues, damage to the environment, and expenses. Consequently, the benefits of bottled water

Everyday millions of people will reach for a bottle of water, not thinking about the effects it can have on many aspects of their life and others. Bottled water may seem innocent but it needs to be treated with extreme care and caution. Even though bottled water may seem safe, it could contain many toxins. By drinking from a plastic water bottle, people should consider if it is really worth the cost of paying for the actual bottle itself. People should also consider the long term effects it can have on the earth as well as the effects it can have on the human body. Bottled water has always gave the impression of being cost efficient and safe, but when put to the test are they harming people more than what is suspected of the so called harmless water bottle?

Among these millions are those who believe bottled water is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Like Thomas J. Lauria, they believe “…bottled water provides a healthy choice when tap water is not accessible, preferred, or convenient.” According to a consumer poll “70 percent of bottled water drinkers also drink from the tap.” (Lauria) showing that what consumers care about most is convenience of consumption. Individuals in developing countries do not have the luxury of choice. They must travel a great distance for access to safe drinking water. When a group of individuals does not have access to clean water, whether due to natural disaster, water contamination, or developing status, bottled water is a saving grace and can save many lives. Access to bottles water allows them access to clean water without the time consuming and often dangerous process of traveling to and from a watering hole.” For those of us in the developed world, safe water is now so abundant that we can afford to shun the tap water under our noses and drink bottled water instead,” (Standage)

Have you ever had any concerns about bottled water? Do you think that bottled water consumption should be banned? Bottled water is water packed in plastic containers and sold for human consumption (Health Canada, 2013). Currently, the amount of bottled water consumed has increased considerably since many people feel it is safer drinking bottled water than tap water (Parent and Wrong, 2014). According to The Statistics Portal, the global sale of bottled water took a leap from 161, 589 to 181, 608 liters from 2009 to 2011. Only in the United States, each American citizen consumed around 32 gallons of bottled water in 2013, thus meaning an equivalent growth of 15, 94% over 2009 (The Statistics Portal, 2014). In fact, due to good portability, bottled water has been helpful in both simple and complex situations such as daily exercises and natural disasters. Even though having those few considerable advantages, bottled water still have been less beneficial; especially due to the negative impacts in the socio-economic, health and environmental fields.