Water, water everywhere...

Hello,

My name is "Bwings" and I avoid bottled water.

Water, water everywhere, but not a drop for free. Oh, that's not how it goes? Well, it's sure how it is. Imagine, paying for tap water in a polyethylene or  polycarbonate container, the later being the worse. You could simply purchase a nice non-leaching bottle for a similar price and maintain filling it at home before your voyage. Would certainly be more economical considering.

Here goes the, "when I was young I walked uphill both ways" speech, but it is true. When I was younger, only 6 or 7 years ago, you could buy water out of a cooler for $1. I thought it a tad funny but considered myself as buying the container and not, in fact, the water. Although I knew it was wrong to do I'd continue to reuse this container for weeks. Looking back it makes me shiver a little at the frequency by which I used that plastic container as in comparison to the frequency that I washed it. *shiver* However, I digress, now when one finds oneself needing a quenching beverage outside of home, that same bottled water could run you $1.75! Sure 0.75 in 6 years doesn't seem like much....for general food. But for bottled water? Something you'd otherwise have for "free" at home. I put free in quotes of course because it'd come out of our tax dollars etc. but essentially to pay for bottled water, are you not paying for it twice?

That remains my biggest reason for avoiding bottled water. There are however the lovely alternative reasons for not buying bottled water. Some of these I don't buy into myself, no pun intended. But I am here to offer all the criteria for my decisions and so here it is.

1) Regulations - It is possible for your tap water (assuming not well) to be more tightly regulated than the bottled water you bought today. I say possible because not all bottled water would necessarily be as loosely watched as some others. However, tap water, by law, must be disinfected, frequently tested for bacteria and parasites and filtered to remove pathogens. None of this is required of bottled water. That does not mean they don't do it, simply that they needn't do it. Funny isn't it. Isn't it all tap water? Well...except for that spring water, mineral water, and/or water from the glaciers.

That is right, bottled water needn't be disinfected or tested as frequently, nor does it have to be filtered or tested for parasites. Yummy. But again, this doesn't mean they don't, simply that it's not enforced. One could argue that this is because it's tap water and already assumed (by the factory) to be regulated by the government. Why triple test what is presumed to be tested by the government already? Seems folly.

2) The container, that lovely, colorful (although often plain and translucent) container by which you transfer H20 to your body for quenching. It of course is our plastic buddy again. Although I am aware of glass alternatives. I don't likely need to go far into the plastic debate as it's all over the news. But to summerize there are the topics of BPA which is in the polycarbonate options. There are also heavy metals in plastic bottles that over time, regardless of temperature, break down and enter your body through that very source of thirst quenching fluid.

3) The icky studies performed by the National Resources Defense Council found that about 20% of bottled water tested contained known carcinogens or neurotoxins. 20% is a low number but it's a hell of a lot higher than 0%!

The study can be found online straight from the horses mouth. But here are the highlights:

Not even 50% passed! Close, but certainly not 50%

• Where is our water coming from? One alarming discovery by the NRDC was in Massachusetts  where there was a well designated as "spring water" sold under many labels. It was discovered that this well was in fact located IN a parking lot (oh it gets better) of an industrial warehouse facility (worst is yet to come) near a state-designated hazardous-waste site!!!! Did you just spit out your bottled water?! Feel free to dry off your monitor now. There's more. Several chemical contaminants were found in this water, duh, including Trichloroethylene (carcinogen), Dichloroethane and Methylene Chloride. The source was not identified and although contamination was found in 1993 through 1996 the company continued to sell the water! Dry off your monitor, the well is no longer in use thanks to a friendly whistle blower. But for 3 years the contamination was known and never addressed! 

Again, you can see the lengthy study for yourself and make your own judgement calls. I like to take everything I read with a grain of salt, research into it and then form my own opinion. So, in short, I would expect no less from people who read my blog.

However, I can assure you my honesty at all times and in the case of bottled water vs. tap water, I feel water can/will be contaminated regardless of source. I use tap water, filtered through a brita water filter. I avoid purchasing water bottles mostly because I'm cheap and less because of possible carcinogens. I can not deny the compelling study though and so I present it to you for your own judgement call. 

Tis all from your friendly neighborhood hippie mom.