Drinking water is essential for our survival. The recommended consumption of water daily in the U.S. is eight glasses a day. Without clean and readily available water we would perish. Having the ability to choose which water to drink; and the methods in which we consume such a product is where the controversy ensues. Municipal water or what is referred to as tap water, is better quality, healthier and cheaper option versus bottled water when the water is drawn from the plant or Municipal source. According to the Mayo Clinic (2015), website, The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) both oversee the standards for the quality of water. The FDA oversees the bottled water and the EPA oversees the tap water to consumers, however, FDA regulations do not cover water that is packaged and sold within the same state, and so 60 to 70% of bottled water, including water-cooler water, is fairly unregulated. Bottled water has to meet less strict regulations …show more content…
The cost of bottled water versus tap water is about 1000 times greater the price when compared; bout 1 dollar per 20oz bottle versus that of tap water which is about 1 cent per gallon from a municipality ("Bottled vs. Tap," n.d.). The EPA mandates that water treatment plants provide all residents a detailed result of any testing, to include levels of contamination, if any. The Food and Drug Administration regulates bottled water because water is defined as “food” under federal regulations. Bottled water companies have no directives stating that they need to do the same or adhere to such guidelines. Public water systems are also required to test for contaminants four times as often as bottled water; bottled water companies are only required to test once a week. Even with such lax standards many bottled water companies do not always comply with the standardized
of bottled water cite that it is in fact, less stringently regulated and tested for impurities
The World Health Organization defines domestic water as being “water used for all usual domestic purposes including consumption, bathing and food preparation” (World Health Organization, 2003). Ample supplies of clean domestic water are essential for drinking, cooking, hygiene, and various amenities. Most importantly, water is critical to human life as it supports the digestion of food, absorption, transportation and use of nutrients and the elimination of toxins and wastes from the body (Kleiner,1999). In the United States, the average male should consume a minimum 2.9 liters or water per day while the average female should consume 2.2 liters (New York Times, 2009). Inadequate water intake can lead to dehydration and other health issues. Studies have correlated inadequate water intake with coronary heart disease, and complications associated with childbearing. Other studies have indicated decreased risks of colonic and breast cancer with increased fluid intake (1999).
because in some places in the world bottled water is their only choice and is what's best for them.
There are many pros and cons of drinking bottled water or tap water. Each person
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
My research question: Is the convenience of bottled water worth all the sacrifices in terms of money, resources, health and damage to the ecosystem?
Three Medical Doctors wrote the book, The Water We Drink: Water Quality and Its Effects on Health. Their names are Joshua I. Barzilay, M.D., Winkler G. Weinberg, M.D., and J. William Eley, M.D. In order to put the issue of drinking water quality and its effects on health into perspective, the book is divided into three parts. It first reviews the history of water, disease, and sanitation. The next section deals with health issues. At the conclusion of the book are chapters regarding bottled water and methods of purification. The intent of the book is to educate consumers.
When kids by lunch for school or when they buy beverages, kids make the right choice by choosing bottled water. Imagine if kids didn’t have the chance to get bottled water because it was all banned. Kids will go after sugary and unhealthy beverage. That will make kids be obese, and the health care to treat the kids will be rising. Then the U.S obesity rate will rise and our economy will be destroyed. So, don’t ban bottle water, it plays an important role for us. Water is one of the most beneficial resources ever known. You can live without food for a few weeks, but if you don’t have water you can die within days. I think bottle water is better than tap. Bottle water saves lives, and if you ban bottled water why can’t people ban the sugary and unhealthy drinks. Bottle water skeptics might say that all the corruption between bottled water and tap water will be over if banning bottled water because they aren’t being recycled, and plastic is indestructible and that will lead the bottled water to create an even larger landfill. But these people don’t seem to realize that bottle water is a small part of the landfill and it’s not the bottles problem that it isn’t being recycled, it’s the people.
Drinking water is essential and indispensable to life itself possible on the face of the earth, it is much more than a well, a resource, a commodity, drinking water is specifically a human right of first order and an element essential national sovereignty itself and, most likely, whoever controls the water control the economy and life in the not so distant future.
Likewise, bottled water is not subjected to the rigorous testing that tap water endures. Thus, bottled water is more likely to be contaminated or a source of infection. Tap water is subjected to daily safety testing, whereas bottled water is only tested monthly at the source. Twenty-two percent of the water tested contained contaminant levels that exceeded strict health limits. The safety of people could be secured by banning water bottles.
According to the “Competition in the Bottled Water Industry in 2006 Case,” bottled water industry became the one of the world’s most attractive beverage categories, as more and more people began to focus on health and fitness. Consumers start realizing the need of proper hydration, and they began purchasing bottled water instead of drinking tap water, because they were worried about safety of tap water, which tasted like chemicals. Actually, tap water contained chemicals, such as chlorine and fluoride, which are harmful for human body; however, this problem was solved when the bottled water was brought to the market. Due to bottled water’s convenience, purity, and portability, and safety, bottled water industry began to rise rapidly. During
Some people may think that bottled water just goes through filters that get rid of the chemicals that are contained within it, and while they are not wrong they are, however, still uniformed. Bottled water is not only taken from streams and filter but “40% of all bottled water is taken from municipal water sources [a.k.a tap water]” (Bottled Water Pros and Cons. 2014. Para. 9). People drink bottled water so that they do not have to drink tap water when in reality they most likely are drinking some tap water that is mixed into their bottled water. On top of that not only has the bottled water been filtered but it has been found that “22% of tested bottled water brands contained chemical contaminants at levels above strict state health” (Bottled Water Pros and Cons. 2014. Para. 9). In other words, though the water may not have the same weird taste as tap water is does have chemicals in it that are at levels that are not safe to be consuming. When it comes to tap water which contains normal amounts of chemicals, bottled water is not safer to be
Consumerism. 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.
Bottled water is a healthy alternative to other beverages. It's easy and convenient to grab a bottle and go, and more people than ever are taking advantage of its benefits. However, the cost of the bottled-water trend to both our environment and our wallets is just too high to ignore. The best—and most responsible—choice is tap water.
Indeed, walking to the kitchen and turning on the tap is much easier than driving to a store and carrying a case of bottled water home. Government should publicize that the quality of tap water is ensured to be as healthy as bottled water. In addition, the advertisement from bottled water companies should be strictly regulated to prevent them from misleading the customers. If the situation is not ameliorated, government can tax bottled water company heavily to decrease both the quantity demand from customer and the quantity supply from the bottled water company. As a matter of fact, the heavy tax for bottled water is justified because the negative externalities that the plastic bottle creates are harmful to the Earth.