5 reasons not to drink bottled water

It's expensive, wasteful and — contrary to popular belief — not any healthier for you than tap water.

By

Chris Baskind

Mon, Mar 15 2010 at 1:04 PM

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BOTTLES, BOTTLES EVERYWHERE: Bottled water produces up to 1.5 million tons of plastic waste per year. (Photo: quinn.anya/Flickr)

Bottled water is healthy water — or so marketers would have us believe. Just look at the labels or the bottled water ads: deep, pristine pools of spring water; majestic alpine peaks; healthy, active people gulping down icy bottled water between biking in the park and a trip to the yoga studio.

In reality, bottled water is just water. That fact isn't stopping people from buying a lot of it. Estimates variously place worldwide bottled water sales at between $50 and $100 billion each year, with the market expanding at the startling annual rate of 7 percent.

Bottled water is big business. But in terms of sustainability, bottled water is a dry well. It's costly, wasteful and distracts from the brass ring of public health: the construction and maintenance of safe municipal water systems.

Want some solid reasons to kick the bottled water habit? We've rounded up five to get you started.

1) Bottled water isn't a good value

Take, for instance, Pepsi's Aquafina or Coca-Cola's Dasani bottled water. Both are sold in 20 ounce sizes and can be purchased from vending machines alongside soft drinks — and at the same price. Assuming you can find a $1 machine, that works out to 5 cents an ounce. These two brands are essentially filtered tap water, bottled close to their distribution point. Most municipal water costs less than 1 cent per gallon.

Now consider another widely sold liquid: gasoline. It has to be pumped out of the ground in the form of crude oil, shipped to a refinery (often halfway across the world), and shipped again to your local filling station.

In the U.S., the average price per gallon is hovering around $3. There are 128 ounces in a gallon, which puts the current price of gasoline at a fraction over 2 cents an ounce.

And that's why there's no shortage of companies that want to get into the business. In terms of price versus production cost, bottled water puts Big Oil to shame.

2) No healthier than tap water

In theory, bottled water in the United States falls under the regulatory authority of the Food and Drug Administration. In practice, about 70 percent of bottled water never crosses state lines for sale, making it exempt from FDA oversight.

On the other hand, water systems in the developed world are well-regulated. In the U.S., for instance, municipal water falls under the purview of the Environmental Protection Agency, and is regularly inspected for bacteria and toxic chemicals. Want to know how your community scores? Check out the Environmental Working Group's National Tap Water Database.

While public safety groups correctly point out that many municipal water systems are aging and there remain hundreds of chemical contaminants for which no standards have been established, there's very little empirical evidence that suggests bottled water is any cleaner or better for you than its tap equivalent.

3) Bottled water means garbage

Bottled water produces up to 1.5 million tons of plastic waste per year. According to Food and Water Watch, that plastic requires up to 47 million gallons of oil per year to produce. And while the plastic used to bottle beverages is of high quality and in demand by recyclers, over 80 percent of plastic bottles are simply thrown away.

That assumes empty bottles actually make it to a garbage can. Plastic waste is now at such a volume that vast eddies of current-bound plastic trash now spin endlessly in the world's major oceans. This represents a great risk to marine life, killing birds and fish which mistake our garbage for food.

Thanks to its slow decay rate, the vast majority of all plastics ever produced still exist — somewhere.

4) Bottled water means less attention to public systems

Many people drink bottled water because they don't like the taste of their local tap water, or because they question its safety.

This is like running around with a slow leak in your tire, topping it off every few days rather than taking it to be patched. Only the very affluent can afford to switch their water consumption to bottled sources. Once distanced from public systems, these consumers have little incentive to support bond issues and other methods of upgrading municipal water treatment.

There's plenty of need. In California, for example, the American Society of Civil Engineers estimated the requirement of $17.5 billion in improvements to the state's drinking water infrastructure as recently as 2005. In the same year, the state lost 222 million gallons of drinkable water to leaky pipes.

5) The corporatization of water

In the documentary film Thirst, authors Alan Snitow and Deborah Kaufman demonstrated the rapid worldwide privatization of municipal water supplies, and the effect these purchases are having on local economies.

Water is being called the "Blue Gold" of the 21st century. Thanks to increasing urbanization and population, shifting climates and industrial pollution, fresh water is becoming humanity's most precious resource.

Multinational corporations are stepping in to purchase groundwater and distribution rights wherever they can, and the bottled water industry is an important component in their drive to commoditize what many feel is a basic human right: the access to safe and affordable water.

What can you do?

There's a simple alternative to bottled water: buy a stainless steel thermos, and use it. Don't like the way your local tap water tastes? Inexpensive carbon filters will turn most tap water sparkling fresh at a fraction of bottled water's cost.

Consider taking Food and Water Watch's No Bottled Water Pledge. Conserve water wherever possible, and stay on top of local water issues. Want to know more? Start with the Sierra Club's fact sheet on bottled water.

Bottoms up!

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Comments: 283

ghsonian Feb 26 2011 at 11:45 AM

Municipal water is costing me $400 dollars a month from DWP, if we us any more water for drinking it will cost me another $200 dollars a month vs $10 a month with bottled water.

The municipal system is gauging the population, and it is ridiculous how much the municipal system is charging us for one of earth's free resources. So I vote for bottled water if it is the same as tap water; it's cheaper to drink than DWP's water!

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Guest Jul 05 2011 at 1:27 PM

How much are you spending for gas per month??? Gas being at $4.00 per gallon and bottled water being maybe $5-7.00 per gallon. Think of the savings when you buy water pitcher with carbon filter and a personal water bottle. Filter in pitcher purifies your water even better than bottled kind... Your pocketbook will look better. I don't believe water bill could be that high unless you water your lawn all day every day. Our water bill is less than $5 per month...

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Guest Sep 25 2011 at 9:47 PM

Where is everyone gettinf these prices from? I can buy a gallon if water for 99 cents from any supermarket in FL....... Yes, if you pay for gallons if water by the little bottles it could cost more; but, if i buy premium fuel it could cost. I applaude anyone that chooses water iver soda, and if they are thirsty while on the go rhen buy a gallon of water and a cup of ice and call ut day. I pay around 3.50 for regular fuel by the gallin, and 99 cents for water by the gallon.

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Guest Aug 24 2011 at 12:59 AM

If you are buying individual bottles at the ridiculous markup, then MAYBE bottled would cost you that much. However, if you smart, you would be buying in larger quantities (such as 5 gallon bottles) and paying most likely around $1.50 a gallon. This whole argument that bottled water costs more than gas is ridiculous. I wish my gas only cost me $1.50 a gallon! And a carbon filter is no where near the level of filtration that bottled water companies use. Most use reverse osmosis with ozone and uv sterilization.

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The best option though is to find a good spring water so you also get the nutrients and minerals that your body need from its water without the nasty chemical that the city adds in and pollutants from the surface water sources that most tap water comes from. Which, by the way, a carbon filter will not remove.

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Bek Jun 20 2011 at 9:55 PM

How do you get away with spending only $10 a month on bottled water? (I don't know how much you pay for water in the States, but in Aus we pay on average $2-$3 for a 600ml bottle). Sounds like you need to drink more water, anyhoo - and tap water is always going to be cheaper!

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Maggie Feb 26 2011 at 8:10 PM

Sorry but your post doesn't make any sense. You attribute your bill to drinking water when I suspect you bill reflects your usage for drinking, showers, dishwasher, laundry and of course your lawn. How you came up with another $200.00 if you drink tap water is just unfathomable. Please explain. There is no info regarding the number of people in your household and how much water they drink a day. The biggest 'use' of water is your shower and your toilets. I suggest you don't make blanket statements

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- I'm just saying!!

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america Feb 22 2011 at 10:50 AM

it taste lik plastic it sucks :( u can get tap anywhere it isint better then tap water :D

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JOSLYNN Feb 22 2011 at 10:52 AM

GOOD JOB SO GOOD WATER BOTTLE IS BAD FOR THE ENVIORMENT

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Rita Atkins Feb 16 2011 at 10:24 PM

I am amazed at this one sided view of this article and the entertaining comments that follow. First of all, let's get this straight, tap water is poisoned, it's full of toxic chemicals, and please don't believe me, all you have to do is pay a few dollars and take a sample to a lab and test it out. You'll be surprised by how many chemicals you are drinking from that. 2nd, I am tired of all the advertising and propaganda from water filter companies and steal bottle resellers, they are so quick to put

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their blurb in by telling us how bad bottled water is and then they recommend their product with a link, in fact, most anti-bottled water propaganda is from water filter companies, they must really missing their budgets. 3rd, I am definitely not a fan of coke or pepsi or any of their products, in fact I'm not a fan of any product that does not add health/nutrition to the body. BUT, please, understand that the filtering process that these companies put their water through is by far much more complex than your $200-$2000 home machine, so you'll never get the same filteration or the same water quality, so stop comparing their bottled water to your tap or to your filtered tap water. 4th, the only bottles that contain chemicals that leach into the water, eg, BPA, are the large home/office delivered bottles, NOT the bottles you buy from a convenience store. AND how can you be so concerned of these chemicals when the chemicals in the tap water you are drinking are way more toxic and dangerous than the ones from the bottle to start with. We all need water to survive, it really annoys me to see ant-bottled water comments, because if there are no bottled water, then there's only unhealthy beverages left to drink, and unfortunately most people don't know what is healthy and what's not, and many are not aware of the effects of sweeteners, preservatives and flavours in foods are. People are so vulnerable to fall for unhealthy vitamin waters and sports drinks, etc. The best water to drink is natural mineral water from a tested and an approved spring, but since we all don't live next to a spring, the next best thing is bottled natural mineral water, only bottled water with the words "natural mineral water" is protected under international laws to be bottled from the source and adulterated or processed. These waters are normally slightly alkaline and have natural minerals which are beneficial to our health, unlike RO, or spring water that is dead water. As far as where the bottles end up, this is not the problem of the bottle or the bottlers, this is a human problem. BUT at least the bottles are recyclable, water filters are NOT, they end up in landfills. My advice is do your own research and drink the healthiest water you can get. If you want to save money, get a filter, if you want to save your life, drink natural alkaline mineral water. If you think you are saving money drinking tap water, you wrong and ignorant because YOU WILL GET SICK and it will cost you more to get your health back if you don't get a terminal disease or die.

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DMW Aug 26 2011 at 5:24 PM

It's not just the water. If the water is not healthful enough you should be taking that up with your municipality. But what about all the trash that the plastic causes, all the damage and the ingestion of plastics by fish and then of course up the food chain to us? Think about that for a while.

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Guest Aug 24 2011 at 1:06 AM

You are absolutely right! How many people would be buying a soda or some other unhealthy drink if there wasn't an option for bottled water? At least people are trying to make a healthy choice. And there are bottled water companies who are providing a much healthier SPRING water and being eco friendly in the process. Plus, there are companies who even provide a 5 gallon option in BPA free plastic bottles. People shouldn't bash the industry as a whole, but try to make a more informed decision about

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which bottled water to buy. All waters are NOT created equal!

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Bek Jun 20 2011 at 10:01 PM

If you're that concerned, come to Melbourne - cleanest drinking water in the world :)

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Paul Apr 13 2011 at 5:18 PM

I try to live a healthy and informed lifestyle, and in doing so, I try to do a lot of research. As I was reading this article, I was disappointed to see how one-sided and opinionated. I saw the documentary 'Food Inc.' (and learned a lot), and because of this article, I will watch the recommended documentary 'Thirst'. I know many commodities (such as food and bottled water), have been grossly corporatized, and it's very unfortunate, because many consumers are misled, misinformed, and misguided (

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biased research/reports/articles, aggressive media campaigns, subjugating competitors), but that's not reason enough to say don't drink bottled water, and drink tap water instead (which are two unfounded statements). Your reason number 1) Saying bottled water isn't a good value - what basis do you have to determine bottled water's value? You generalize ALL bottled water (which in itself is not fair to do), then skip all other variants of bottled water going right to Pepsi's Aquafina and Coca-Cola's Dasani, then disqualify your generalized version of bottled water by saying, "These two brands are essentially filtered tap water" (Many other companies providing bottled water use the same type of source - municipal water), then you fix their price at $1 for a 20oz. bottle (which you suggest is a good deal for that particular product. Note that many brands of bottled water can be purchased for $1/gallon - including Crystal Geyser and Arrowhead. This is VERY common), then you compare it to your estimated U.S. national average price of $3/gallon of gasoline (Site your source. Who said this, when was the study done, how was the study conducted, what type of gasoline. I'm surprised you didn't start comparing it to milk). There are so many things wrong - in just your reason number one. Your reason number 2) So your saying the bottled water industry is not regulated? Under-regulated? How/why does it fall under FDA regulatory authority? What is/isn't monitored/regulated by the FDA? What type of water falls under your statistic of 70%? Is it ALL bottled water? (Note: I would like you to expand on this as I'm curious and want to be well informed). You say, "there's very little empirical evidence that suggests bottled water is any cleaner or better for you than its tap equivalent". First, not all tap water is the same (just like not all bottled water is the same). Second, your supposed lack of evidence saying bottled water is cleaner or better than tap doesn't necessarily mean it's the same. Your reason number 3) Yes, plastic itself is polluting, and can be toxic (BPA). But don't discredit bottled water because of it. Instead, suggest recycling, or using glass bottles (here, suggesting filtered tap water is a viable alternative, albeit, not as healthy). We as a society do need a stronger campaign against plastic pollution. Your reason number 4) This is an interesting idea, but I'm not sure it's a strong argument. Your reason number 5) Yes, I agree bottled water has been corporatized. I don't like it either.

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tara Apr 25 2011 at 11:05 PM

You should watch Tapped it's on Netflix . You may change your mind .

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Sam Mar 28 2011 at 6:19 PM

I'm astonished at your ignorance and selfishness, Rita.

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Sam Mar 28 2011 at 6:11 PM

Actually, municipal water is legally tested for bacteria every four hours whereas bottled water is only tested weekly. Even then, if the bottled water is being sold within the same state as production there are no obligatory safety standards WHATSOEVER. That 'filtration' you go on about doesn't necessarily exist. And the packaging your talking about (polyethelyne terephthalate) IS found in all bottled water packaging - it's the most cost efficient and easy to produce and it DOES leach into your 'pure

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spring mountain' water. In fact it'll probably leach into your water before you even pick it up off the shelf. As for bottles ending up in landfill, by buying bottled water you are creating a market for it. You are the cause for over-production. When tonnes of polyethelyne end up in landfill every year you don't quite understand the impact your excessive-consumerist American demands are having on the rest of the world. And to top it all off, you pay LESS for petrol in your car then you do for bottled water.

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quinton Mar 22 2011 at 12:48 PM

no not all water is the same but tap water is not all chemical and water is a chemical its self not all chemicals are bad. Bottled water is just tap water but put in a bottle and resold.

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nick Mar 25 2011 at 12:56 PM

try two diffrent kinds of water they prob dont taste the same because they put chemicals ino it to make all the chemicals come out

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Jason Mar 02 2011 at 9:09 PM

I cannot believe how one-sided and extremely ignorant your thoughts are. clearly you have no consideration for the environment because if you did you would realize how much plastic is building up in the oceans and our landfills. for the same price you can also take a sample of bottled water to get tested at the lab and realize how many chemicals are in there. for the sake of the environment is is that hard to get a filter, yes they do work, and are you that big of a baby where you cannot withstand

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a few harmless chemicals in your tap water? many generations have done it before us and they turned out just fine. stop being so selfish i was utterly shocked to see a comment so ignorant on this website.

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Guest Mar 22 2011 at 8:26 PM

I used to feel the same way. Until I realized how much crap is in our public water. The kids today have a lot more to worry about than previous generations. There wasn't as much as a concern about all the drugs being dumped in our system, all the contaminants, not to mention the frack water thanks to the gas drilling. Now there is a mention of dangerous levels of radium. Plastic can be recycled. If I had an option to save a couple dollars on water or save my child's health, well the answer is obvious.

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Dr. Water Feb 10 2011 at 6:03 PM

Water from the tap is not unsafe. It has been filtered and tested beyond the standards of bottled water. If you really do not feel comfortable drinking tap water then you can clean it more with iodine or bleach. A few drops will do the trick. Also if the water has a chlorinated taste then you can let the water sit out on the counter for a couple days and the chlorine should dissipate. Problems with bottled water are way more serious than a taste factor with your tap water. Bottled water has chemicals

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that leach into the water from the plastic bottle. The chemicals from the plastic in the water will cause cells in your body to mutate and form cancerous cells. I don't know of anyone that wants cancer. Also when you throw away the bottle, where do you think it goes?? It doesn't just disappear. It collects in landfills and where ever people throw them. Plastic does not break down very quickly, in fact it will probably be around longer than your grand children's children. Just do the world a favor and drink your damn tap water.

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Brandon Jan 26 2011 at 9:08 AM

This article provides a decent overview of some of the basics of what is wrong with bottled water. I wanted to point out from a health standpoint that bottled water coolers have some serious sanitation and contamination issues. In addition to the cost of bottled water, chemicals such as BPA are known to leak out of the plastic used in the 5 gallon jugs. More so, changing the bottles exposes the water to airborne contaminates and whatever germs/dirt that are on the hands of the individual that preforms

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the switch. If your office currently uses this outdated method of receiving drinking water, consider a switch to a bottle free water cooler. Learn more at www.bluereserve.com. Brandon

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Guest Aug 24 2011 at 12:43 AM

There are companies that are using PET bottles now for the 5 gallon bottles which are BPA free. And if you have seen a water cooler in the past 10 years, you would know that the new design makes it impossible for any contaminants from ones hand to get inside the cooler as they have a closed top and a probe that goes inside the cap on the bottled to extract the water. However, the filtered water coolers usually aren't getting service regularly and have been linked back to many sicknesses in office

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settings. The filters aren't changed and the toxins that they are supposed to filter out are then released through the filter, only in a much higher concentration.

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KBS Jan 24 2011 at 12:55 AM

I reuse my plastic water bottles many many times and the I recycle. Yes I have heard the rumors that the plastic leaches some chemical that will kill me but I will make that sacrifice for the env. And plastic water bottles are very easy to recycle. As opposed to: I meet many people who complain about plastic water bottles and when I ask what they use they say "a reusable bottle" (that's what my plastic one is..) And if I ask them what is it made of they can't tell me. Many of these bottles have

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multiple metals which are hard to separate. They include lids and bases and liners that contain more plastic then 100 water bottles. Please before you jump on this "I hate bottle water" bandwagon consider the whole picture and the alternatives. Reuse!!!!! Recycle!!!! Don't be fooled or blind.

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Rose Delara Mar 14 2011 at 5:48 PM

alright well since u reuse the chemical plastic i would like to say one thing , all your doing is digging up your own grave. Also they rarely recycle water bottles the companies dont want tha. They downcycle them meaning they either end up in landfills and stay thee for thousands of years or they burn them realsing harsh chemicals into the sair: by the way incase you didnt know is toxic pollution. And they mighjt recycle the prduct into lower quality products that will just be thrown out later...

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- kind regards-the person you dont wanna mess with...

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