Tap Vs Bottled Water. Are You Paying Twice
Author: David Cassell
Tap vs bottled water – some experts think that in bottled water, the American public is spending billions on a product that they are already paying for. They argue that tap water is no safer than bottle water, so paying for tap water and buying bottled water is like paying for the same thing twice.
No Different From Tap?
A landmark study by the National Resource Defense Council (NRDC) found that of the 103 brands they tested, most were found to be of acceptable safety. However, some 30% of the brands tested were found to be of questionable safety, containing bacteria and chemicals that does not meet state or industry guidelines.
An investigation of five national bottle water brands done by ABC 20/20 revealed that there was no clear winner in the tap vs bottled water contest. Five bottles representing five different brands were taken to a microbiologist for testing. He found that there is no difference between New York city’s tap water and the brands tested.
When 20/20 approached Yale University School of Medicine’s, Dr. Stephen Edberg, on the advice of the International Bottled Water Association, he told 20/20 that bottled water is not necessarily safer or healthier.
However, one thing the investigation ascertained after interviewing many consumers, was that bottle water does taste better than tap.
But when you consider that people pay between 240-10,000 times more on a gallon of bottled water than they do tap, one would imagine that they would want more than better taste – they’d want a guarantee of safety. But as you are about to find out, there is very little in the way of a safety guarantee coming your way.
Weak FDA Regulation
Bear the following in mind about the bottled water industry:
1. The FDA exempts about 70 % of bottled water from it’s safety standards because their rules only apply to brands which are packaged and sold outside of the state in which it is produced.
2. The FDA exempts carbonated water and seltzer from its bottle water safety standards and applies only flimsy sanitation rules to these products.
3. The FDA rules for bottle water safety is much weaker than the EPA’s safety standards for tap water even though more than 50% of the American population consumes bottle water.
Certainly, it doesn’t exactly inspire confidence that the FDA is letting water bottle suppliers off the hook where safety is concerned. And it must make you wonder if suppliers aren’t taking advantage of this slackness.
The Best Solution – Home Water Treatment
In the event of a natural disaster, bottled water is a savior. The normal water supply would be disrupted so there would be other choice but to use bottled water.
However, in normal circumstances, there is no other device that improves the quality of your tap water like a good water purifier.
Depending on the type of purification device you get for your home, different types of contaminants can be removed from your drinking water to make it healthier and safer.
For example, a countertop distiller or an ultraviolet water purifier will kill microbiological contaminants in drinking water. It has been widely agreed that microbes and other pathogens, are the most dangerous of all drinking water contaminants. This is because they have the potential to kill you very quickly.
For those who are more concerned by the bad taste and appearance of tap water, a whole house water filter would be a good choice. It can provide chlorine and sediment free water to every tap throughout your home.
By checking if a water filtration product is certified, you’ll be able to make a more informed decision as to what filter to acquire. Certification tells you what contaminants a filter can remove and by how much.
Therefore, before you hand over your hard earned money to any supplier, make sure they provide certification documentation either on their website or in their place of business.