The Dangers Of Bottled Water

Most American see bottled water as a necessity, even though bottled water did not exist numerous years ago. Drinking out of a water bottle has become the customary drinking source for most Americans. We have become reliant on plastic waste. Water is life sustaining, so many of us would think that drinking water out of a bottle is harmless. Unfortunately it is not, there have been hints of PET and BPA in the plastic containers we are drinking out of. Both PET and BPA can stimulate sever health consequences. Not only are we putting our life in jeopardy by drinking out of bottled water but our planet as well. Plastic bottles don’t just vanish into thin air. Most Americans don’t recycle, so most plastic bottles end up on streets, rivers, lakes, canals, streams, or oceans polluting our planet. Not only is bottled water way more expensive than tap, it also contains the same water quality as tap water. In other words we’re just paying for the names on the plastic bottles. Rather than paying for quality, our tap water can produce just about the same value as bottled water. Bottled water is not all it is made out to be.

The economy is hurt when people spend money on bottled water, which in fact tastes the same as tap water, but costs much more. Not only do people waste money on water that tastes the same as tap, but they waste money on water that helps destroy the environment. Not only does bottled water cost more, but it takes money away that could be used to help upgrade and provide cleaner tap water. People would like to save money, but they spend it on bottled water which tie in with tap water. “Nearly 40 percent of bottled water is simply filtered water filled in a bottle. Humans pay 1900 times

Water bottles are a staple in today’s society. In his article, “Costly water: Bottled and Sold: The History Behind Our Obsession with Bottled Water,” author Martin W. Lewis quotes Peter H. Gleick when he says that, “Consumers buy bottled water for four main reasons: safety, taste, style, and convenience,” and he’s absolutely right (Par. 9). Bottled water is cleaner, healthier, and more convenient than tap water. More people are more apt to grab a bottle of water on the go, rather than fill a reusable bottle from the sink. It’s just easy. At least, that’s what we are led to believe. Bottled water is constantly in battle with its not-so-lavish counterpart, tap water. Some will even argue that the benefits of bottled water alone outweigh the cost. They, however, do not. The fact is, water bottles have plagued society for years and have become a growing menace to our environment and our people.

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

1. Why I selected This product Category I have always found it sort of curious when I see people buying bottled water. My grandfather told me that when he was a boy they drank water from the hose and it was free. I know growing up our household certainly didn’t bother with things like that, so facet water is what we got as well. The costs of groceries these days is expensive, spending extra money on water always seemed like such a waste to me. Now, that being said, some people live in areas where the water isn’t very clean, and buying bottled water is much safer than drinking the city’s water. Also, bottled water has become more popular because it is paired as a service; Bottled water is easy to grab on the go. It takes more time to find a water bottle, with a lid, and fill it up than to grab an already bottled water.

The controversy of bottled water verse tap water can be argued on both sides. However, tap water is the better alternative in the long run. Some may say there is a distinct taste difference between the two, yet most can't tell. In a college classroom, a group of students completed an experiment where they tasted a variety of waters: Great Value, Zephyrhills, and tap water. Most students guessed incorrectly, not tasting a difference (Combass). Although people have concerns with tap water, it is the most convenient. Not only is tap water cheaper, it is the safest source that positively impacts our environment.

Bottled Water Versus Cost According to The Water Project, “Bottles used to package water take over 1,000 years to bio-degrade and if incinerated, they produce toxic fumes. It is estimated that over 80% of all single-use water bottles used in the U.S. simply become ‘litter’” (“Bottled Water is Wasteful”). This fact is not the only reason I believe that bottled water does not outweigh its costs. Although statistics show that bottled water is efficient, there are many reasons to believe otherwise.

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

Bottled water has become a controversial topic as of late. There are always two sides to every argument, some think that bottled water is beneficial to society, whereas some people think that it is detrimental to society as a whole. Bottled water is detrimental to society because it costs the country an abundance of money. It is also harmful to society because it is damaging to the environment. A lack of sanitation in bottled water has also been connected to illnesses among people who drink it. Bottled water is in no way shape or form worth the price that one will spend financially, nor is it worth the gamble of becoming sick from all the harsh chemicals that come from the bottle itself.

Since its inception, bottled water has been a commonplace use by people on the go, but is it as valuable as people think? There have been numerous of concerns as to whether bottled water is safer than tap water. In addition to the questions of safety, bottled water can be extravagant in comparison to tap water and there are even alternative options for people on the go such as refillable bottles. In the Susan Casey essay “Our Oceans Are Turning into Plastic … Are You?” she describes the potential dangers of excessive use of plastic on our earth, especially the impact on the oceans. To further add another dimension to Casey’s argument, Andrea Fuller wrote an article for The New York Times “Quality of Bottled Water Questioned in Congress”, which

Bottled water. Central idea: Bottled water is not as safe as people believe it to be. Organization Style: Cause and Effect I. Introduction Attention getter: “Every five minutes in the U.S over 2 million plastic bottles are used (Arrey).” Americans drink about 7 billion gallons of bottled water a year that’s about $8 billion dollars in sales per year (Arrey). We all drink bottled mineral water these days. We all like to think it's a far healthier option than tap water. It's extremely handy to be able to carry around your own water supply in in this hectic and fast paced world

The United States is constantly saying to go green. "Going green means to pursue knowledge and practices that can lead to more environmentally friendly and ecologically responsible decisions and lifestyles” (Going Green). There are a variety ways that people can go green. One specific way they can do this is

When we pick up a bottle of water we instantly see alluring words. There are those that are made with pure water, spring water or even water that is exported all the way from Fiji. We can’t forget about the smart water that seems to be made for “cool” people.

Many people around the world would like to call for an end of plastic bottles because they produce a lot of waste. They say that tap water is the answer, but they couldn't be farther from the truth. Banning water bottles would do more damage than good in the long run. It would be inconsiderate of people with mental illnesses and disabilities, makes it much harder to be able to give large amounts of water to the people who don't have access to it, would make things so much more difficult after some sort of natural disaster, and would make it very unfair to the water manufacturers to ban water bottles but not ban other bottled drinks. The real answer to the problem is to make bottles out of a biodegradable material so it will be less harmful

Water Bottle Waste “One of the biggest challenges facing the bottled water industry is how to respond to the environmental claims levelled against it” (Grocer). Every time someone throws a bottle away, they have taken up more space in a landfill for the next four hundred fifty to one thousand