The Health Risk Associated with a Missing Ingredient in Bottled 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.

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.

Dee your discussions was very informative and also an eye opener. I am amazed of the amount of money that people spend on drinking water. Some people view bottle water as being convenient and superior to tap water, however views have been changing since the number of incidents on water quality has been rising. A study was done in Cleveland, Ohio on the amount of fluoride that was in the state’s tap water verses bottle water. The study showed that the bottle water had five percent of the state’s required recoomendations for fluoride. However, the same study showed that the states’s tap water resulted in 100 percent of the states required recommendations (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3084479/).

Research suggests that magnesium deficiency is very common in the United States and Canada. Those who do not have adequate levels of this vital mineral may experience anxiety, increased stress response, insomnia, muscle twitches, and chronic fatigue.

Lastly, bottled water comes with some environmental issues as well. There are many different reasons why people around the world buy bottles of water instead of using their tap water right at home from their kitchen sink. Many people use bottled water because of the rumor that bottled water is safer than tap water. Some people use bottled water because they do not like the smell of tap water, or we can use Flint Michigan as an example by saying that some people purchase because of contamination issues. There is no debate because pollution and

An imbalanced magnesium diet can result in two symptoms which are physical symptoms of overt defiance and low magnesium levels related to the spectrum of disease states. The Classic “Clinical” Symptoms are physical indications of magnesium deficiency. Such as muscle spasms, tics, cramps, anxiety seizures, and irregular heart rhythms. The “Sub-clinical” or “Latent” Symptoms are nonphysical symptoms and signs that occur without an individual knowing that it is a serious issue. This is caused by low intake of magnesium which results in migraine headaches, depression, insomnia, chronic fatigue and plenty more.

Coronary problems like heart attack and heart disease is lead from calcification of arteries from low magnesium levels.

very few have been educated on the dangers of a magnesium deficiency. Dr. Brodsky states that arrhythmia therapy should focus on replenishing two key minerals: potassium and magnesium.

Medication such as Synthroid, birth control pills, robs your body of valuable nutrients including magnesium. Drinking soda will rob the body of magnesium. Sugar consumption, including sports drinks and other sugary foods, will cut the magnesium levels in your body. Smoking, alcohol consumption, antibiotics, and other medications

Studies on the mineral deficiency report that more than 80 percent of people are deficient in magnesium. Unlike calcium and iron, magnesium is perhaps one overlooked mineral. Just like all other minerals, magnesium is vital for our body system. Sometimes, the deficiency can result in quite a significant number of aggravated symptoms. Drug treatments are the recommended therapy for magnesium deficiency.

Blood pressure: Patients with low magnesium are more likely to have hypertension, or high blood pressure

As you all know, magnesium is really important mineral in our body because it keeps our bones strong, but beside that, our body uses magnesium for hundreds of other tasks as well, like for maintaining nerve function, supporting a healthy immune system and regulating heart rhythm. Moreover, magnesium helps regulate blood sugar levels and promotes normal blood pressure as well, and it is also known to be involved in energy metabolism and protein synthesis. Magnesium positively

Studies show that as many as half of all Americans do not consume enough magnesium. Magnesium deficits have been tied to allergies, asthma, attention deficit disorder, anxiety, heart disease, muscle cramps and other conditions.

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.