Bottled water is one of the leading and rapidly growing industries in the world, with a whopping 100 billion gallons of bottled water being sold per year. And while it may be convenient to purchase bottled water- it is not good for us, or the environment.
In modern times, many people have become skeptical and even afraid to drink tap water. Many of us have been warned about the dangers of water and rather than purchasing a filter, or even a filtration system, which isn’t as expensive as you think, they opt for the convenience of water bottles. Even more interesting is the fact that in more cases than not, the bottled water we drink isn’t much different than the tap water we complain about.
If you don’t believe me, here are 6 frightening reasons we should all stop drinking bottled water immediately.
1. Plastic leaches into the water within the bottle.
In a research study of over 132 brands of bottled water from 28 countries, researchers found polyethylene terephthalate, otherwise known as PET. This concentration of chemicals has been found to cause nausea, depression, dizziness, and even worse, fatalities. Such chemicals can accumulate in the blood much like lead.
2. Many bottled water brands are just bottled tap water.
TODAY news reports that an estimated 25 percent of bottled water comes from municipal water supplies. They advise if you must drink it, be wary of packages that say ‘purified’ or ‘drinking water,’ because those labels likely mean it came from a city water supply, aka, tap water.
3. It’s a waste of resources.
Plastic water bottles waste a massive amount of resources in several ways. First, plastic is made from oil. Then, oil is used on the machines that bottle the drink up, to transport the bottles, to chill them, and to ship them. Back to the Tap explains, “the amount of oil we use to produce water bottles each year (17 million barrels) could fuel over 1,000,000 cars for an entire year.”
4. Bottled water is often contaminated.
Many people are under the assumption that bottled water is pure. But, that isn’t always the case, Instead, glass particles, mold, and bugs have been found in the bottles. And since plastic leaches into the water, especially under the duress of heat, you can only imagine what is lurking in the water within. Thanks, but no, thanks.
5. Buying bottled water likely encourages the underfunding of your local water supply.
The Story of Bottled Water reports that tap water facilities are underfunded by billions of dollars, leading the infrastructure to go without upgrades. In turn, the water quality is going down. Rather than being able to replace infrastructure, many municipal water companies end up spending their budget cleaning up plastic (water bottles included…) from their supplies.
6. And let’s not forget the cost.
Annually, Americans spend over 4 billion dollars on bottled water. Many calculations indicate bottled water is around 2,000 times the cost of tap water, meaning that the money we waste on plastic could likely be invested in a Brita filter and a portable cup.