Bottled water has become ubiquitous over the last decade or so. In fact, in 2006, Americans spent $15 billion on bottled water. (via) Of course, as consumers have proved time and again, just because a product is popular doesn’t mean it’s a good thing for the planet, or even for their own health.
Every year about 1.5 million tons of plastic go into manufacturing water bottles for the global market, using processes that release toxic chemicals. (via) Some of these chemicals may leach from the plastic bottle into the bottled water before you drink it. Most of these bottles end up in landfills.
While the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has strict water quality standards for tap water, it doesn’t oversee or regulate bottled water. (via) So, is bottled water any tastier or any better for you than plain tap water? Not necessarily. According to a 1999 study by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), one-third of the 1,000 bottles of water they tested contained “significant contamination”.
The bottled water you drink may even be the same water that you get from your tap. Nestle was sued in 2003 for advertising treated common ground water under the label Poland Spring as “pure natural spring water”. From Water & Wastes Digest:
The suit alleges Nestle uses heavily treated water taken from common ground water sources when bottling Poland Spring, but then labels the bottles as spring water and charges consumers a premium price for supposedly higher quality water. (via)
Nestle later reached a $12.1 million settlement with consumers, however the settlement did not require that Poland Spring change its labeling. (via)
After all that I have to ask — is this the most ridiculous bottled water ever? See an unscientific taste test.
Also:
- Read 5 reasons not to drink bottled water at LighterFootstep.com
- Watch Bottle This! at pbs.org
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