The Shocking Truth About Bottled Water

Posted on August 28, 2008
Filed Under Uncategorized

by Rachel Yoshida
I have discussed some negative things associated with drinking tap water. You may be very concerned for your health and may want to change your drinking habits right away, but don’t go out and buy gallons upon gallons of purified bottled water just yet.

The shocking truth is that approximately 25 to 30 percent of these “purified waters” come from our very own municipal water systems. Some of this water may undergo additional filtering, but some do not. There is no knowing where the water originates from, despite the promises, guarantees, and the pretty forest pictures that adorn some of our bottled waters. The EPA may be lax about the contaminants that are in our drinking water, but the National Resources Defense Council reports that bottled water companies do not have requirements to disinfect the water or to test for parasites, such as giardia and cryptosporidium.

Bottled spring water is taken from water that flows naturally to the surface of the earth from an underground formation. Purified water can be produced by reverse osmosis, distillation, or deionization. A fairly new kind of water is artesian water, which is taken from a well that is atop a confined aquifer. I’m sure there are more waters available to consumers, but this is just touching the surface. With so many choices on water and so much bad and good information thrown around about bottled and tap water, it’s understandable how you may be confused about what to do next. Should you continue to drink the tap water and risk your health, all the while praying and hoping that your local municipal system is doing their part in providing the cleanest water possible to you? Should you avoid all tap water period and opt for what you think is the cleanest bottled water, despite the downside of our landfills being filled with millions of plastic bottles?

One option you may want to look into is to buy a home water filter system that can be installed on your kitchen sink. A water filter system is beneficial in that you are not contributing to the plastic dilemma in the landfills, and you are saving money by drinking your water from home. Do your research because not all water filters act the same way. You will find that a good percentage of water filters only meet the minimum government or industry standards of water purification. In other words, you might as well drink your tap water. You will want a water filter that can filter out lead, VOCs (volatile organic compounds), cysts, chlorine, and fluoride while also leaving natural trace minerals that are essential to our health, such as magnesium and potassium. Be wary of gimmicks and filters that promise too much but under deliver.

To your health!

Rachel Yoshida is a writer of many topics, visit some of her sites, likeWater Damage and Document Drying.