I have always been perplexed by the popularity of bottled water and the incredible amount of money people pay for even one bottle. Water is a non-renewable resource and is essential for life, but paying inordinate amounts of money for bottled water seems unnecessary.
While there are pros and cons about the taste and safety of municipal water supplies, there is no debating that the cost of bottled water makes very little fiscal sense. As for the taste and safety, there are multiple studies about both, and it seems to be a draw. The regulations, for both are different, but neither is safe from oversight. Municipal supplies are regulated by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), and bottled water by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). But remember, both are bureaucratic government agencies, and both have had multiple failures in detecting problems.
My concern is with the costs associated with bottled water, and the environmental impact. The world consumption is as high as 200 billion quarts or liters, annually. That is a large number of plastic bottles and containers. Only a small percentage are recycled, and the rest wind up slowly decomposing over years in landfills. And then there is the cost of transportation. Many of these bottles travel hundreds of miles and that means more fossil fuel. As far as the health issue, tap water has to be tested 100 a month by EPA standards. Bottled water is tested once a week. The bottom line cost? Bottled water costs 150 times as much as tap water and can go higher with the "designer" water. I bought 6 bottles 5 years ago and reuse the bottles with tap water. After refrigeration, they are good to go. I have included a link to a Los Angeles Times article to whet your appetite, pun intended. Just an observation...
While there are pros and cons about the taste and safety of municipal water supplies, there is no debating that the cost of bottled water makes very little fiscal sense. As for the taste and safety, there are multiple studies about both, and it seems to be a draw. The regulations, for both are different, but neither is safe from oversight. Municipal supplies are regulated by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), and bottled water by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). But remember, both are bureaucratic government agencies, and both have had multiple failures in detecting problems.
My concern is with the costs associated with bottled water, and the environmental impact. The world consumption is as high as 200 billion quarts or liters, annually. That is a large number of plastic bottles and containers. Only a small percentage are recycled, and the rest wind up slowly decomposing over years in landfills. And then there is the cost of transportation. Many of these bottles travel hundreds of miles and that means more fossil fuel. As far as the health issue, tap water has to be tested 100 a month by EPA standards. Bottled water is tested once a week. The bottom line cost? Bottled water costs 150 times as much as tap water and can go higher with the "designer" water. I bought 6 bottles 5 years ago and reuse the bottles with tap water. After refrigeration, they are good to go. I have included a link to a Los Angeles Times article to whet your appetite, pun intended. Just an observation...
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