While most commercially-bottled water is considered safe for human consumption, "Studies have shown that chemicals called phthalates, which are known to disrupt testosterone and other hormones, can leach into bottled water over time. One study found that water that had been stored for 10 weeks in plastic and in glass bottles contained phthalates, suggesting that the chemicals could be coming from the plastic cap or liner" (Bottled water, 2011, NRDC). Other contaminants have been found in some popular brands of bottled water, and no study has found that any brand of bottled water is substantially safer than tap water that satisfies basic, federal environmental standards. Even if bottled water is safe, the obvious question arises: why pay for something that you can get for free? Bottled water is expensive, and surely consumer's dollars could be channeled into more worthy areas of the economy, such as buying higher-quality food (or saved in the bank)!...
Carrying a reusable container for water generates far less waste, conveys the same hydrating health benefits to the consumer, and does not pose any additional health hazards to the drinker -- at a far lower price.
A Counterproposal by Goodman A counterproposal to all the above comes from an article by Sara Goodman, in which the author advocates not for a ban, but for more regulations by giving detail of current lack thereof. Goodman begins by reiterating the fact that bottled water manufacturers do not disclose information about their product, but also states that they are not obliged to do so. The problem for this is that the
However, there is the perception that tap water 'tastes funny' and this drives the industry in its marketing of a product that Barnett views a kind of modern form of patent medicine -- it is at best needlessly expensive and harmless to the drinker, at worst destructive to the ecosystem (Barnett 139). In fact, there is a kind of circular irony -- the more bottlers are allowed to exploit
Is Bottled Water Truly as Pure as the Industry Would Like Us to Believe? The NRDC hired three independent laboratories to conduct the testing of more than 1,000 plastic bottles -- 103 different brands -- and found that "about one third" the 103 brands contained "significant contamination," that is, levels of chemical or bacterial contaminants that exceed federal and state standards. After the independent labs completed their research and testing, NRDC
With this information, people can make informed decisions regarding the water they consume. Which additives are healthful? Which are not? These are examples of only some of the questions responsible consumers should have when choosing their water. Regarding the use of plastics, the solution is simple. By simply changing their habits from plastic water bottles to stainless steel or any of the other alternatives, not only is the consumer
Water v. soda Water is the building block of life; our bodies are composed mostly of water, as is the earth on which we live. If we "are what we eat," then it makes the most sense to drink more water than any other beverage available. However, many people fall out of the habit of drinking water because of all the flavored beverages on the market. Although most beverages are based
Risk Assessment for a water company Risk Assessment Report Organization: Artesian Water Company Table of Continent Executive Summary 3 Table 4 Analysis Problem & Solutions 6 Conclusion Risk Assessment Report for Artesian Water Company Artesian Water Company hereby presents their annual risk assessment report. Together with other companies, these reports are always presented to the Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) and United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as well as the public has the opportunity of
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