There are many myths surrounding tap water and bottled water. Therefore, we share 5 reasons to avoid bottled water:
1. Tap water is as safe to drink as bottled water
Currently, in Spain more than 1M annual controls are carried out on public drinking water. Water treatment plants and public water companies fall within the legislation that regulates water sanitation and this is very strict. However, this regulation is different in the case of the bottled water industry.
On the World Health Organization website, they noted that many Europeans believe that bottled water has medicinal properties or is beneficial to health. Despite this, the WHO has found no evidence to support the benefits of bottled mineral water.
2. Plastic bottles contain numerous chemicals
Some recent scientific research is showing that water, in contact with certain plastics, can pose a risk to our health in the long term. Some chemicals from plastics, such as the so-called phthalates, capable of inhibiting testosterone and other hormones, can seep and be released into the water.
The material of which most plastic bottles are made is PET, polyethylene terephthalate, a thermoplastic polymer from which 80% of water bottles are manufactured. Chemical substances called phthalates are added to PET to add color and other characteristics. These substances are also found in the resins of stoppers and packaging lines. These additives can migrate into the water. That is why it is advisable not to reuse water bottles or leave them in the sun, since time and radiation are factors that help their release into the water. The Biosanitary Research Institute of Granada demonstrates this in this study.
3. Not all bottled water comes from aquifers
NRDC conducted a four-year review of the bottled water industry and the safety standards that govern it with more than 1,000 water bottles. The bottom line is that there is no assurance that just because water comes out of a bottle it is safer than tap water. It is estimated that 25% or more of bottled water globally is actually just tap water in a bottle.
4. The plastic bottle value chain has a large environmental footprint
The CO2 footprint left by plastic bottles in their production, transportation and distribution is enormous. Let us remember that plastic is manufactured from oil, and that oil is one of the most polluting elements that exist. In addition to all the water (4 liters for every liter bottle manufactured) and fuel that is used for its manufacture, which contributes to this large footprint.
In its distribution, bottled water is packaged and transported to its final destination to be consumed. In this process, we can count on packaging that is mostly made of plastic, apart from the bottle itself, which has more environmental impact. And on the other hand, transportation, with its corresponding fuel until reaching its destination. Depending on your starting point, the footprint left by this transfer is greater or lesser.
At the end of their useful life, the majority of plastic bottles (around 80%) are not recycled and end up in the oceans, posing a serious problem for marine fauna or in 'garbage continents', where many people live poorly among rubble to try to extract valuable material from all the waste.
5. Plastic in bottled water may contain toxins
The plastic with which water is bottled can have certain considerable risks. Many companies try to use plastics free of BPA, a potentially dangerous carcinogen, but other companies do not. However, there is still research to be done in this field since it is unknown if there are even more toxins released into water when it is exposed to plastic bottles.
