3 Disturbing Facts about Bottled Water

Bottled water is probably one of the most successfully marketed products available. Major bottled water companies consistently encourage the public to drink bottled water instead of tap water. As a result, a growing number of people think that bottled water is purer and healthier than tap water, without knowing some crucial facts.

“Consumers do not realize that [bottled water is] less regulated than plain old tap water,” according to a Reuters report in 2009.

Lacking information and awareness, consumers are drinking more bottled water than they used to. In 2008, Americans drank 8.6 billion gallons of bottled water, which is twice what they consumed 10 years ago, as reported by The New York Times.

Dr. Joseph Mercola, one of the most well-known natural health experts, warns that heavy consumption of bottled water has these drawbacks:

1. Bottled water may contain toxic chemicals. It can be contaminated with a combination of dangerous chemicals that damage your health. Alluding to a particular test performed by the Environmental Working Group, Dr. Mercola says that disinfection byproducts (DBPs), caffeine, industrial chemicals, Tylenol, arsenic, nitrate, and bacteria have been found in bottled water. DBPs have been shown to cause reproductive health problems and increased risk of cancer in humans. Bottled water may also be tainted with Bisphenol-A (BPA), an organic compound that can make your bones prone to developing cancerous cells.

1. Bottled water costs more. According to a video posted on Mercola.com, bottled water costs, on average, more than $1.50 per bottle, which is 1,900 times the cost of tap water. To give you an idea, statistics show that every US citizen, on average, spends more than $400 a year on bottled water. If you’re going to drink it on a daily basis, just imagine how much you’re going to shell out just to consume water that’s often not even healthy for you.

1. Bottled water poses a threat to the environment. The production, transportation, packaging, and disposal of plastic bottles causes permanent damage to the environment.

One detrimental effect it has on the environment has to do with the tons of carbon dioxide which are produced during manufacturing of plastic bottles. Large amounts of carbon dioxide can be toxic to the environment. Also, a large percentage of plastic bottles end up as garbage contributing to the overfilling of landfills.

Use a Water Filter for Your Faucet Instead

These disconcerting facts about bottled water, however, do not imply that tap water is healthier. Tap water is also tainted with DBPs and other toxic chemicals that may be harmful to your health.

Dr. Mercola’s best recommendation is to filter your tap water. By using a high quality water filter, you can get rid of contaminants in your water.

Related Links:
Is Bottled Water Really Pure?
The Waste of Bottled Water in America

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Tags: bottled water, clean water, quality water filtration system, Water filters