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Cons of water conservation?

Pros and cons of bottled water- what are the main differences (if any) between bottled water and regular water

  • Im doing some research on wether or not bottled water is worth purchasing or if it's just a waste of money. I would like to know what the main differences between bottled water and plain faucet water are.

  • Answer:

    Is bottled water really better than tap? By Megan Rauscher Thu Apr 5, 3:31 PM ET Bottled water is not necessarily healthier or safer than tap water, Tampa, Florida-based sports nutritionist Cynthia Sass told the American College of Sports Medicine 11th annual Health & Fitness Summit in Dallas. Twenty-five percent of all bottled water is actually repackaged tap water, according to Sass. "Bottled water doesn't deserve the nutritional halo that most people give it for being pure," she says. "If you're not an exclusive bottled water drinker, you may find it worthwhile to check into filtering your tap water to save money." In a recent Gallop survey, most consumers said they drink bottled water because they perceive it to be purer than tap water. Taste and convenience are also factors. Because bottled water is considered a food, it is regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration. Tap water is regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Both types of water are subject to testing for contaminates. But Sass points out that an estimated 60 to 70 percent of all bottled water in the U.S. is packaged and sold within the same state, which exempts it from FDA regulation. And 1 in 5 states do not regulate that bottled water. Moreover, tests on 1,000 bottles of 103 different brands of bottled water found man-made chemicals, bacteria and arsenic in 22 percent of the bottles. Tap water is also not immune to contamination problems. While most cities meet the standards for tap water, some tap water in the 19 U.S. cities tested was found to contain arsenic, lead, and pesticides, Sass told the conference. While most healthy adults can tolerate exposure to trace amounts of these contaminates, some people, such as cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, individuals who are HIV positive or recovering from a transplant or major surgery, pregnant women, children, and the elderly, are more vulnerable. For these individuals, Sass favors bottled water treated with reverse osmosis, distilled water or city tap water with a filtering system certified by the National Sanitation Foundation. As for the fitness water craze, skip it, Sass says, noting that fitness and specialty waters with not give an athlete an advantage or edge. In fact, vitamin-fortified waters may pose a risk for over-supplementation. "Think of your one-a-day vitamin," says Sass. "Some of these waters are multi-vitamins in a bottle, so read the label and compare with the rest of your daily intake, including food," she advises.

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Bottled water may taste better if certain minerals are added or removed.. According to Penn and Teller and other sources, much bottled water is simply recycled city water, and there are no significant differences chemically between bottled water and tap water. I use filtered tap water and am very health conscious. I believe bottled water is a scam and a waste of money.

Jeffrey P

"Bottled water is drinking water packaged in bottles for individual consumption and retail sale. The water used can be spring water, well water, purified water, etc. Many countries, particularly developed countries, regulate the quality of bottled water through government standards, typically used to ensure that water quality is safe and labels accurately reflect bottle contents." That according to wikipedia. Read or check the following links, they may have many useful info for you: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bottled_Water http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070405/hl_nm/bottled_water_dc http://www.bottledwaterweb.com/

hobo_panda

well you have already got alot of information that should help I used to drink the tap water here at home but for some reason it doesn't taste as good...so I started buying the spring water by the gallon at walmart. it is cheap and tastes ok , I refill pint bottles and chill. meets the need.

snowcrablegs

I live in Asheville, North Carolina. Our tap water is actually bottled and sold across the country as "Mountain Mist" or something like that. The only bottled water I buy regularly is Perrier which is mineral water. The minerals do have health benefits and I like the bubbles :)

LemonButt

Its depends on the bottle you buy. Some are filtered water like Aquafina, which it would be cheaper if you get a Brita. Most water district has not updated their water supply. When Cryptosporidium hit, L.A. decided instead of putting an expensive UV or Ozone system to kill the parasite, they put more chlorine. At one point there was so much Chlorine that the water from the tap makes my eyes tear up. Cryptosporidium isn't readily killed by Chlorine though. Most botlle water isn't safer than tap. There are a few that are.

slew

Fluorine (an enzyme that strenghtens tooth enamel) is added to tap water. Bottled water lacks this enzyme.

Knightsbridge9

Many brands of bottled water are actually less sanitary than tap water. Tap water has the advantage of being in motion, and many times (in my opinion) tastes fresher. If you are in an unfamiliar area, bottled water might have less of a reaction on your digestive system. The biggest hangup I have with bottled water is that it is actually more expensive than gasoline. I find it ironic that the same people who object to spending more than two dollars a gallon for fuel, are often holding designer water that cost them anywhere from seventy five cents to over two dollars for 12 - 16 ounces! If you absolutely have to have sterile water, you can always get distilled water, but it will be pretty much inert. You also have to get it in big jugs, but it will be less expensive. In my area, you can go to these windmill looking machines that sell you water filtered by reverse osmosis. It's relatively inexpensive, but you have to bring your own jugs. You could get a jug, and then refill a few of those sports bottles, which should last you for a few days for much less money than over the counter bottled water. My wife buys bottled water by the case because she doesn't like the taste of the tap water in the city where she attends college during the week. She says that it is much less expensive by the case, but if we could get gas for that price, I imagine she would be even happier. Bottled water is better for you than soda of course. Even if you don't consider how the carbonated water throws off your ph balance and the high fructose corn syrup forces your stomach to create heat to break it down to simple sugar, (glucose) (causing gas) they use the same water to make that soda, so either way you are getting bottled water. The flavored bottled water is even more intriguing because they often use aspartame to sweeten the water. Aspartame has been approved by the F.D.A. despite reports of night blindness, irritability and hunger, and lots of other symptoms that the makers of aspartame claim are mainly psychosomatic. Hmmmm Anyway, hope this helps. I'd go on, but I'm getting thirsty and I think I would like some bottled water. (perhaps with some hops and barley mixed in. Samual Adams Cherry Wheat bottled water is excellent.

MUDD

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