The documentary Tapped uncovers the truths about the bottled water industry giants and the negative effect of water mining and the bottles themselves is causing to people and the environment. Currently the world is made up of 75% of water but only one percent of it is drinkable. This film tries to shed light on the fact that many well-known companies like Nestlé and Pepsi are just stealing tap water and turning around to make a profit. Even the item that is being used to hold water is also having negative affects too. The chemicals like PET and BPA are in the bottles that water comes in and both of these chemicals are known to cause serious health risk to humans. Even with all the truth and evidence that is in this film the FDA still doesn’t want to accept it. According to some scientists in this film they predict that by 2030 we will see a significantly lack of the water supply globally. Water is a basic need and without it survival is at the minimum. Currently this basic need has been capitalized on and big companies are making a substernal amount of money while the rest of the population and the ecosystem are have to pay for the long term negative effects. One of …show more content…
First of all Americans need to stop buying bottled water and just get it from your tap. It is going to be cleaner and healthier than the water these large companies are selling. When it comes to our health and the environment it should be separate from the government and not regulated by the same organizations who are benefiting from the profits of selling tapped water. Bottled water is not the only thing that needs to be closely watched, the containers the water comes in has just as much negative effects on the environment. If the government put a ban on plastic bottles contains chemical that are known to cause cancer could seriously improve the health of all species on the
Together, the passages “Business in a Bottle”, by Cynthia Barnett and “Selling Bottled Water: The Modern Medicine Show”, by Peter Gleick, portray how bottled water has taken a superficial and deceptive image due to false advertising and pseudoscientific claims by greedy bottling companies, whose purpose is to take advantage of a free resource in order to make millions in profit; destroying the environment as they go. Both passages expose the bottling companies’ manipulative tricks, in order to bring awareness and open the populations’ eyes to the lies they have been fed for many years, however the authors utilize distinct styles to achieve their goal. Barnett focuses on specific bottling companies’ data and incorporates analysts for support,
Both Barnett’s claim that bottled water is not better than tap water (139-141) and Gleick’s claim that specialized water is not better than tap water (118-120) demonstrate that companies’ claims are unreasonable. Furthermore, consumers assume bottled water is better than tap water because they have the impression that tap water is dangerous because of the tap water incident in “2003 [where] 400,000 people [got] sick” from drinking tap water. One may wonder whether companies use this incident to remind consumers how dangerous tap water is with the way Gleick presents bottled water companies even after the tap water is taken care of. Because Gleick portrays the deception of advertisement from bottled water businesses, he makes it clear that Barnett hints that they are taking advantage of the case by informing consumers that their water is safer than tap water in an indirect, subtle way. However, Barnett ensures readers that tap water are safe to drink again after the incident by proving that both bottled water and tap water are equally safe to drink with a study she provides: The testing from Florida Trend (magazine brand) concludes that Publix brand bottled water and tap water both contains “0.020milligrams per liter [of] THMs (trihalomethanes)”, a “common byproduct…linked to increased risk of cancer” (139-140). Although other bottled water brands may not have
Many argue the fact that commercialized labeled brands of bottled water have offered choices to people that tap water does not. Although most people often rely on these particular brands of bottled water, most are unaware that some companies are simply using unfiltered-tap water at a much higher charge. Bottled water is averagely sold either individually or in packs of 24 or more at your local grocery store ranging from three to five dollars. This is a high cost not just to one’s pocket but to our waste and
Zhang, J. (2009, July 13). More Scrutiny Urged for Bottled Water . Retrieved April 19, 2014, from http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052970203577304574276473594279310?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052970203577304574276473594279310.html
"Bottled Water is Cause for Concern, Environmental Advocates Claim" by Penny Stern, MD, for Reuters, reprinted at http://www.gue.com/news/1999-04A.html
...t be as prevalent in the United States as in other developing counties such as Bolivia, Lesotho, China and India. The film expert explains “water is a transient element, recycles itself around the globe through natural redistribution system of precipitation, accumulation and evaporation”. Even if we are half way around the world pollution and water affects us. The film relates to human growth and development in a sense that water is essential to us so therefore we cannot live without it. It provides us with energy and most important function is to help remove toxins from the body. The film was very informative it helps to gain a new perspective as to what is happening in other counties with their day to day challenges. A very sad story was being told about what these people are going through in Iran Salinas’ words “Many have live without love but not without water”
In the case study “Bottled water versus tap water: understanding consumers’ preferences” Miguel talks about the increase of bottled water drinkers. Experts have deemed America’s tap water to be the cleanest. So why go for the over priced bottle of water then you good ole tap from the sink. Is it a trend? What the author of the article considered two main sections: dissatisfaction with tap water taste and health concerns. Other factors he spoke over were also the demographic variables and the perceived quality of the water source. A 4-year study by the NRDC concluded that most bottled water is of good quality, however, they also found traces of bacteria and synthetic organic chemicals in 23 out of the 123 brands tested (Miller and Spoolman). The reason some people consider bottled water safer than tap is because the countless advanced treatments they undergo to make sure it is safe to drink. But in reality bottled water is less regulated than tap water and the EPA contamination standards that apply to public water supplies do not apply to bottled water. A third of all bottled water suppliers do not disclose anything about the treatment or purity of the water they sell (Miller and
In today’s society it is uncommon to see people walking around without water. Those who carry water with them either have their water in a reusable bottle or have bought bottled water. Bottled water is the more commonly found type of water carried around, reason being that it is easy to just buy a huge pack so that a person can just grab a bottle a go. The problem with bottled water is that more often than not, the bottle does not get recycled, but instead gets thrown into the garbage. The problem with this is that the bottles end up in a landfill. However, in this past year alone American’s used “about 50 billion plastic water bottles” (Ban The Bottle, n.d., Para. 4). Most people do not see the big difference between bottled water and tap
Americans live in a consumer society where majority of products are packaged ready for use. This is attributed to the availability of disposable merchandise that is favorable and efficient in delivering the various products that are on demand. Among the various favorably consumed packed products is bottled water. It does not however, make sense for people to buy bottled water and throw the container away after they have emptied it. This is because the plastic bottles have a number of defects to the environment as well as to the general welfare of the economy. For example, in 1976 an average American drank 1.6 gallons of bottled water and since then the quantity has increased to an average of 30 gallons whereby a lot of resources are spent importing synthetic fiber in spite of the pollution plastic cans have caused to the environment (Didier 214). The move has had an alarming statistic because some of the chemicals that are contained in the plastic water bottles have been recently proven to be harmful for the human consumption. The two types of chemicals that are particularly harmful are phthalates and biphenyl-A which are used to make the plastic bottles flexible. The use and manufacturing of plastic water bottles has negative consequences for humanity because it has health risks, is damaging to the environment, and is a waste of fossil fuels. Furthermore, there are other more feasible alternatives to bottled water.
While watching “The Story of Bottled Water,” I thought to myself, “Is this all true, or is this really being blown out of proportion?” I simply couldn’t grasp the idea that we as consumers are that wasteful. So, I decided to watch the film again to really grasp the narrator’s message. Then it hit me: in high school AP History, we discussed how bottled water started and how it has become a multi billion-dollar company. From a business point of view, it seems so ignorantly deceptive, yet it was absolutely genius. With a little marketing, bottled water became a huge success. However, it is killing the environment and the water is usually comparable to tap water regardless. The “The Story of Bottled Water” is a very well-made short
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which oversees the bottled-water industry, Americans drink more than eight billiongallons of bottled water each year. Most of that water is packaged in plastic bottles.The EPA estimates that plastics such as those used to make water bottles make up nearly 13 percent of our trash. An industry watchdog group reports that it takes nearly eighteen million barrels of oil to make the amount of plastic needed to meet Americans'thirst for bottled water. That's about the same amount of oil that a million vehicles use in one year. Oil is a nonrenewable resource—once it's gone, it's gone. Worse yet, the vehicles used to move bottled water from place to place release harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Perhaps more alarming is that people recycle fewer than 20 percent of their empty bottles. Most emptybottles are tossed in the trash. From there, they end up in a landfill, where they cause further environmental damage.
The notion that the water that is in the clear plastic bottle just purchased is pure; purer than the water flowing from the tap is the fundamental reason of choice, one over the other. Millions upon millions of people every day make that choice with a confidence anchored in the trust that the company name on the plastic bottle guarantees it. The choice and use of this source of water purity is at the heart of a growing controversy. More importantly this choice has become both a personal and environmental health problem that has grown far beyond what anyone had predicted earlier when it seemed absurd to pay for a bottle of water when you could have a drink right out of the tap for free. Adding further to the growth of water in a plastic bottle across the world, we have expanded our love affair with the prestige of a name brand water bottle associated more with its’ status rather than its’ purity and thirst quenching capacity.
Nestlé was accused of wasting 30% of water they pump; it’s shocking to know that for one liter of water to reach the shelf takes 80 plus liters of oil and 3 liter of water which is incredibly inefficient. In fact Nestlé intended to increase the amount of production of bottled water calling it the next hot commodity, which is not a good feeling when it comes to sustainability. As a corporation, they have the mentality that if they don’t bottle this water, some other company will. I would like to point out that Starbucks stopped bottling water in California during the time of drought. The issue is many other industries would be using the water for their operations but they actually need it and not creating a problem instead of solving one. Most of the water bottling companies make claims that they are only meeting consumer demand, but rationally thinking who would demand a less sustainable, less tasty and way more expensive than tap water. In 1970s the bottling water industry started, at that time people took it as a joke, but the marketing strategies were designed to scare people about the tap water and pictures of pristine springs and mountains were shown on the labels. Nestlé in one of its ads claimed- bottled water to
Given all the negative effects that come from plastic, why are people still participating in this poisonous cycle? Some claim that bottled water simply tastes better than water from the tap whether they prefer spring, purified, distilled, or mineral water. Most people just appreciate the convenience bottled water offers; it’s easier to carry little bottles that one can throw away instead of larger reusable bottles that need to be brought home at the end of the day. Also, bottled water comes in big “value packs” in most stores, which is beneficial for large group events and big families.
Water is one of the most essential non-renewable natural resources on the Earth. Technically, an un-hydrated human being can live no more than three days. In the United States, people consume water mainly from tap water and bottle water. However, the consumption between these two sources is not even but lean to one side heavily. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, people consume from 240 to over 10000 times more per gallon for bottled water than they usually do for tap water. (NRDC) In addition, according to a survey from US National Library of Medicines, only 17% of the participants prefer to drink tap water exclusively.(US National Library) Compared to the bottled water which is shining like a superstar, tap water is like a diligent worker in the shade, unpopular but useful. The extremely unbalance of bottled water consumption implies that a commonly hold conception exists: bottle water is superior to tap water. In fact, scientific evidence proves that tap water is nothing different than bottle water. More importantly, the excessive consumption of bottled water is an irrational use of resources and creates severe environmental issues.