 Sure, clean, pure water is essential for health, but do you know what you are really getting when you buy bottled water? Is it safer or better to drink than tap water or just more expensive?
Unfortunately, the answers aren’t always crystal clear. In fact, there’s a lot more to the issue of drinking bottled water than, well, water. Not only does it cost more than tap water to drink, critics say the bottled water industry’s cost to the environment is enormous. Despite the assumption by most people that bottled water is always superior to the stuff that flows from your tap, research shows that isn’t necessarily so.
The Real Cost of Bottled WaterAmericans love bottled water, the convenience, the idea we are drinking something that has no calories, lots of health benefits and, we assume, is pristine. So, it’s no surprise bottled water is a huge and growing business. Over the last decade, U.S. sales of bottled water soared from under $3 billion to about $9 billion.
From an individual’s point of view, spending $1.50 or so might seem like a small price to pay for a bottle of water. If you drink several bottles a day, it doesn’t take a math wizard to see the yearly cost could be well over a thousand bucks a year. The cost of plain old tap water? On average, most municipal water remains a bargain at about a penny per gallon.
Plus there’s another reason to consider the expense of bottled water. Researchers say it’s exacting an enormous cost on the environment.
According to a study by the Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment, and Security in Oakland, California, compared to tap water, producing a liter of bottled water requires as much as 2,000 times more energy. The study also found that Americans enthusiasm for drinking bottled water habit used the equivalent of 32 to 54 million barrels of oil in 2008 in order to produce, bottle, and transport the stuff.
While you can purchase bottled water in plastic or glass bottles and recycle both types of containers far too many people don’t. A study by the California Department of Conservation estimated that approximately three million plastic water bottles are thrown away daily in that state. If that rate of tossing water bottles keeps up, the report concludes, by 2013 the amount of this plastic waste will be enough to fill a two-lane highway that stretches the state's entire coast.
Some locations are so concerned that bottled water is bad for the environment, they are actually banning it. A case in point: faculty, students and staff at Washington University in St. Louis' Danforth, North and West campuses can no longer buy bottled water in vending machines or at most campus eateries; they’ve been asked to drink tap and use reusable water containers.
 The Bottled-Is-Better-For-You IssueOf course, plenty of people say bottled is a necessity because it is cleaner or safer and just plain tastes better than tap water. However, the truth is, a lot of it is plain tap water.
According to Jane Sadler, M.D., family medicine physician on the medical staff at Baylor Medical Center at Garland, "There is no guarantee that bottled water is any better than tap water. Approximately 25 percent of bottled water is actually just repackaged tap water."
Tap water is highly regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for safety and bottled water is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), too. However there’s a catch, Dr. Sadler pointed out. Bottled water is exempt to FDA regulations if the water is packaged and sold in the same state, and that’s the case with approximately 60 percent of bottled waters.
Even if bottled water starts off clean and pure, there are concerns that by the time you drink it, it could be contaminated. The reason? Plastic bottles, especially when exposed to heat, may leak plastic-related chemicals included bisphenol-A or BPA into the water they hold. BPA has raised concerns among scientists in recent years because it has been found to interfere with the endocrine system and the long-term impact of the chemical on human health is worrisome.
In addition, how you store your bottled water is important for health safety. Leaving your water for days in a hot car for instance can cause bacteria in the water to multiply.
To find out details on where your favorite brand of bottled water comes from, how it is processed, and more, check out the International Bottled Water Association (http://www.bottledwater.org/), which is actively working to promote tight standards for the bottled water industry. Bottled water distributors do not have to be a member of the IBWA, but if they are, it’s a good sign. That’s because IBWA members are required to undergo an annual, mandatory plant inspection conducted by an outside third-party organization and assess compliance with all applicable regulations.
 Worries About Tap WaterIf you drink bottled water because you aren’t confident about your tap water quality, consider these tips:
- Water quality reports from public source water supplies must be provided to the public once a year and any time you ask your local water utility. You can check to see not only that your water has received passing grades from the EPA, but also whether any contaminants exceeded the maximum allowable levels, even for a short while.
- Do you have well water? That may sound like the safest, purest water around, but experts say you should have it tested every year for possible contamination.
- If you live in a very old house, you could have pipes leaching lead into your water. If you're concerned, have your water tested by a lab that's certified by your state; call your health department for recommendations.
- Consider filters. There are all sorts of choices ranging from tabletop carafe style carbon filters (like Brita and Pur) to faucet-mounted and reverse osmosis units. They can improve water taste and remove impurities.
More questions about water safety? Call the EPA's toll-free Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791.
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