As if we needed more reasons to avoid bottled water. Let's see. It's single use plastic, much of which ends up in landfills. The said plastic contains chemicals harmful to our bodies, and they leech into the water we are drinking. The whole idea of privatizing water for corporate benefit is offensive to our very right to life, happiness and access to good drinking water.
And now, oh yeah, there are multiple pollutants, pharmaceuticals, cleaners and fertilizer in there, too (according to a new report by the environmental health heroes at the Environmental Working Group).
So for years I've learned that bottled water is regulated much more loosely than good ole' tap water. I've known that they can take water from pretty much anywhere (right next to a landfill, or a nuclear plant, for example), slap a pretty waterfall on the bottle and call it "fresh from a mountain stream."
But apparently that isn't the half of it. According to a EWG press release:
"Ten popular U.S. bottled water brands contain mixtures of 38 different pollutants, including bacteria, fertilizer, Tylenol and industrial chemicals, some at levels no better than tap water, according to laboratory tests recently conducted by Environmental Working Group (EWG).
Walmart‘s Sam’s Choice at several locations contained contaminants exceeding California’s bottled water quality standards and safety levels for carcinogens under the state’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act. Giant Food’s Acadia brand consistently retained the high levels of cancer-causing chlorination byproducts found in the suburban Washington DC tap water from which it is made.
Overall, the test results strongly indicate that the purity of bottled water cannot be trusted.
“It’s buyer beware with bottle water,” said Jane Houlihan, Vice President for Research at EWG. “The bottled water industry promotes its products as pure and healthy, but our tests show that pollutants in some popular brands match the levels found in some of the nation’s most polluted big city tap water systems. Consumers can’t trust that what’s in the bottle is anything more than processed, pricey tap water.”"
So, the short of it? Bottled water is a waste of money, environmental resources, and it is essentially the same or worse than tap water. And the bottled water companies continue to privatize water across our country, depleting aquatic ecosystems and communities of their fresh water resources.
Here's a guide to for Safe Drinking Water from EWG. They also have a handy printable guide. EWG also suggests policy reccommendations as well.
The tired parents take home message?
*Avoid bottled water, it's not better for you and hurts you pocketbook, the environment, and potentially, your health
*Drink filtered tab water from a reusable safe BPA free container
*Support the protection of fresh water ecosystems
Katy can be found at Non-Toxic Kids sharing helpful information about how to raise kids as naturally as possible. She is a teacher, freelance writer, and mama from the mountains of Vermont.
Geetha T. says:
Bottled water is the most unnecessary commodity on the market today. Not only is it harmful to our health but it really poses as no asset to anyone but the corporations distributing the product. While people do not feel like bottled water is a serious issue of contention- it is. We need to think about the future of our water and the power many corporations have over our public water resources. If you're against this industry, take the pledge at www.thinkoutsidethebottle.org and help Corporate Accountability kick the bottle.