Sunday, May 31, 2009

Reasons why you don't need bottled water.

I'm proud to say that I have not drank water from a plastic bottle in almost a year. I also have refrained from buying any other beverages or liquid consumables that come in a plastic bottle. Specifically for water, there are concerns that go beyond the potentially hazardous nature of the plastic.

Here is a list of reasons why you don't need plastic water bottles I obtained from my friend Mark Cooper in Toronto Canada. Mark has made it his mission in life to tell people about the dangers of bottled water:

  • Bottled water costs $1.50 or more per bottle. That's almost 1,900 times the price of tap water.
  • This means an average US citizen can spend over $400 every year on bottled water.
  • The water in the bottle can be damaged by toxic chemicals like BPA, leached from the bottle into the water.
  • Our environment then suffers because it's tainted by the production, transportation, packaging and disposal of plastic bottles (see picture above).
  • In 2004, bottled water us was marked as 26 billion liters which equals nearly 28 billion bottles a year, of which 86% end up as garbage (again see picture above).
  • 1,500 water bottles end up as garbage EVERY SECOND!
  • 26 billion liters means that 17 million barrels of oil were used to produce the bottles. This oil could have instead fueled home heating or other more essential activities.
  • 26 billion liters also = 2,500,000 tons of carbon dioxide for bottle manufacturing.
  • And, 100 billion dollars spent on all these bottles every year.
It is possible that for a fraction of this amount, EVERYONE on the planet could have safe drinking water and proper sanitation.

Don't you think it's almost ludicrous that we use perfectly good drinking water to WATER our LAWNS???!!!! That water could be used obviously for better purposes.

Bottled water is NOT safer than tap water, and likely is less safe.

For those of us who keep our bottled water in the car, did you realize the heat of the car can increase the leaching of plastic chemicals into your water. Then, even if you didn't keep it in your car, do you know what extreme temperatures that bottle was exposed to before you bought it?
  • Stored in warehouses, temperatures can range from 26F to 85F.
  • Truck transportation: 100F to 150F
  • Loaded and unloaded onto docks: 45F to 100F.
You can safely drink tap water, with extra filtration if you know your tap water needs it (you can have your tap water tested in any local area). Then, drink it from a non-BPA bottle so you can enjoy water any time of the day, any where.

For facts about plastic #7 (the plastic used to make most water bottles and most water cooler bottles), please visit Earth911.com.

Other important websites to read regarding your health and the health of the earth:

www.earthpolicy.org/
www.filterforgood.com

Remember: we only have one body and one Earth; let's keep them both healthy for as long as possible. And that includes our drinking water.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

I also just read that bottled water is not regulated while our tap water is. Scary! Who knows what is in that bottled stuff?!

Unknown said...

Greeting from Canada Dr. Cass.
What a great web site!
cheers
mark

Henri said...

I agree completely. I've been drinking tap water (and using a filter) for almost 5 years now.

Plastic scares me a bit :)

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John Hinds said...

Thanks for this posting. This is a topic that is very important to me. In fact, I authored a book called, "What's In Your Water?' which is available on amazon.

More people need to be educated about the dangers of bottled water and about tap water too.

Bottled water is such a big business that even Donald Trump is competing in this market with his brand, Trump Ice.

Bottled water is projected to reach sales of over $45 billion dollars in the United States within the next 5 years, according to The International Bottled Water Assocation.

I would recommend that people start to consume purified tap water instead. There are some good home purification systems on the market.

Great job!

Anonymous said...

Henri!
Cheers from www.toronto.ca/water
You are using a water filter. Honestly, all they do is remove the calcium from your water and thats it. The residual Chlorine will evaporate on its own. Home water filters are mostly a marketing scam and feed off the feers of the ignorant consumer. Your water is already filtered far more efficiently than these cute little home filters can do.
cheers
mark
mcooper@toronto.ca

Hidden Muscle BJJ said...

The thing is, tap water is regulated by the EPA, while bottled water is regulated by the FDA. The EPA regulations on potable water are actually more strict than those used by the FDA, so tap water is also safer. Bottled water is a ripoff in every single way. And yet people still ignore me when I tell them they are wasting their money. That's the power of branding.

Matt S: ON-fit said...

Great read!

I drink tap water almost exclusively. Yeah, it's not quite as chic but it gets the trick done. Especially when I drink up to a litre with every meal!

Anonymous said...

Hi,

great post. I also only drink tap water, but when I take it with me or need a refill during the day I store it in a plastic bottle. I can throw it out when it was there for to long or got to hot and refill with fresh, cold water from the tap. What would be an alternative container I can use? I don't want to use glass bottles since they can break.

Greetings,

A.

WesleyD said...

You guys, what about the pharmaceutical drugs that are found in tap water? Not to mention these points:
There are 35,000 pesticides containing 600 chemical compounds. Yet municipal water systems are only required to test for six. Many of these chemicals are known to cause birth defects, nerve damage, sterility and cancer.
The General Accounting Office reports that 20% of the nation's 65,000 community systems are unable to meet minimum standards set by the Safe Drinking Water Act.
More than 700 organic chemicals have been identified in drinking water, and some of them are suspected cancer causing agents.
A recent government study found that more than 25% of all large U.S. public water systems contain traces of one or more toxic substances. ... Public water systems do not test for the carcinogens and other dangerous chemicals that are being found.
AND
Lead from soldered pipes - which can cause brain damage and decreased intelligence in children, result in anemia, low birth weight in children, increase blood pressure in adults
* Microbiological growth inside pipeline or tank
* Particulates from corrosion and rusting inside pipes or holding tanks
* Pesticides from leeching industrial runoff
* Mercury, which may cause kidney damage
* Radon from land decade can increase the risk of stomach cancer
* MTBE (Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether), a cancer causing chemical
* Germs, bacteria and viruses
* Rocket fuel — perchlorate, harmful to the thyroid and possibly carcinogenic
* Arsenic, recently judged not safe at any level in drinking water, is still present at significant levels in the drinking water of 22 million Americans.

So I don't believe in drinking tap water at all, though I would like to help the environment. How about we all get those big bottles delivered to our house, those are reusable right? Or buy our own containers and fill up at the grocery store station that costs 25 cents a gallon? Would that work?

Roxanne said...

Hi,I like reading your blogs, This is so awesome.