The problem with bottled water

If you buy “purified water”, it is most likely tap water in a plastic bottle.

The problem with bottled water

In the United States, bottled water is everywhere and a part of American life, with more than 115 brands and 30 billion liters swallowed each year.

Almost 64% of bottled water in the US comes from municipal tap water sources, which means we often pay for water we could be drinking for free from our tap.

However, while tap water is treated by water treatment plants and must meet high water quality standards as set by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Bottled water companies are not required to meet these water quality standards.

There is no regulation that requires bottled water to be disinfected or tested in any specific way, including for the presence of infectious agents such as cryptosporidiosis or gardia. Therefore, even among the biggest brands of bottled water, it often contains bacteria, traces of pesticides and chemicals derived from the chlorination process.

Companies selling bottled tap water collect the water and treat it before bottling it.

Yes, but tap water is also purified water that has met quality standards. And yes, you are paying two hundred times more for water that you already have running in your tap.

To boost marketing, many bottled water brands add minerals, electrolytes or flavourings to improve the taste of the water, but is the plastic waste and price really worth it?

Bottled water has health risks

The acronym BPA stands for Bisphenol A. This industrial chemical is used in the manufacture of drinking water. This industrial chemical is used in the manufacture of plastic and is frequently found in the plastic bottles we use every day. Studies tend to show that BPA can contaminate the liquids it comes into contact with. Any contamination can cause hormonal dysfunction and damage the brain development of foetuses and young children. It can also cause behavioural changes, fertility problems, high blood pressure and heart disease.

Bottled water poses environmental risks

Plastic pollution has become one of the major environmental problems of our generation. Humanity consumes one million plastic bottles every minute, of which almost 90% will end up in our oceans after just one use. More worryingly, the carbon footprint required to produce bottled water is difficult to quantify. It is estimated that nearly 54 million barrels of oil are needed to produce the energy required to produce bottled water in the US alone. This includes the production process, storage, transportation and recycling of empty bottles.

If you are looking for an extra layer of purification for your tap water, why not use a filter?

Three reasons to choose filtered water

1. 64% of bottled water comes from the same networks as tap water. You are paying two hundred times more for water that is already available to you for almost free

2. Three times as much: 3 litres of water are needed to obtain one litre of bottled water. An unnecessary waste of water that is already available when you turn on the tap.

3. 99.9999% guaranteed purity: the current standards for the bacteriological quality of bottled water are not nearly as strict. Our innovative purification process guarantees superior quality filtered water, 99.9999% bacteria free.

And if you really want natural water from natural sources, you should look for brands that sell “natural mineral water” or “spring water”.