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Are There Problems With Bottled Water?
Summary: Bottled water has become one of the greatest conveniences of our time but many potential problems with bottled water have researchers and consumers alike wondering if the convenience is worth all of the trouble it may cause. Here are some further thoughts about issues that have been highlighted by researchers. One of the most controversial issues with the bottled water market is the fact that it has been speculated and proven in some cases that advertising for bottled water may be false. Some bottled water brands who claim their water comes from mountain springs actually fill bottles with tap water in the plant and send it out labeled to make it appear better for the consumer’s health. When it comes to bottled water, quality is always an issue, and it doesn’t stop at whether the water is actually spring water. Questions also arise from the fact that regulations for bottled water are often less stringent than regulations for tap water. This fact alone leaves many consumers and researchers wondering whether tap water is, in fact, safer for consumption than bottled water. For instance, regulations for tap water demand that there be no E. Coli present in any tap water, but bottled water does not have regulations concerning E. Coli or many any other contaminants for that matter. The problems with bottled water don’t simply stop with quality or the potential “misleading” of the general public that purchases and consumes it. It also comes with the cost of producing and selling bottled water. Bottled water not only costs up to 1900 times what tap water costs for the general public to purchase (and that also includes every time you take a bath or shower or even run your dishwasher!), but it is also approximately 2000 times more costly to produce. Other concerns surrounding bottled water have to do with its ability to harm the environment and consumers. Toxins in the plastic used to produce bottles for bottled water may have adverse affects on the water contained in the bottles over time (normally several years) and on the environment if the bottles are not properly recycled. However, while all of these problems with bottled water have been brought up in research and in nutritional, health and environmental studies, in reality there is no true and concrete evidence to support the level of damage these problems may have caused or might cause over time. There is only speculation. The most important thing that consumers can do when making decisions about bottled water is to be informed. Every type of water that is not natural mineral water is going to have its own set of problems, its own set of regulations and research going for or against it. But bottled water also has many benefits. For example, it is easy to store for long periods of time. It should be considered as one of many ways to consume the amount of water you need each day. To read more about related subjects, please follow these links:
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