The Truth About Bottled Water

You see, the thing is, that regardless how much we want to believe in something, you still have to take the time to realize the truth. You cannot assume. It is imperative that you do your due diligence and research just exactly how healthy something is for you, regardless of your intuition. I had a hunch. Just a thought that drifted in and left me as quickly as it came that the reality of bottled water is much more simple than what they wanted me to believe. You see, they like to create an image using words and pictures that create a sense of purity. And if you notice, they tend to use that word a lot. They also enjoy fashioning pictures that resound some sort of magical spring in some land far away that again replicates that crispness, fresh kind of feeling that makes you feel good about using there product. However, when you do finally snap out of that reverie, that stupor that they put you under, and actually get to the bottom of that spring, you find it is less crisp and pure than you may have originally thought. Follow me.

The Journal of Environmental Health reported that a quarter, if not more, of all bottled water that is sold in the US was taken from public municipal water system. Also, a study done by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) found that after testing 1000 bottles of water that 33% had bacterial contamination, synthetic organic chemicals including industrial solvents, and inorganic contaminants such as arsenic. Another disturbing find that I came across conducted by the NRDC and found at BetterWayHealth.com says that "At the national level, the Food and Drug Administration is responsible for bottled water safety, but the FDA's rules completely exempt waters that are packaged and sold within the same state, which account for between 60 and 70 percent of all bottled water sold in the United States (roughly one out of five states don't regulate these waters either). Not a single bottle of water that I have ever seen that can be purchased in a store, not a single one of them ever made an effort to bring that information forward. And why would they? The whole illusion of bottled water is that you are buying there product to keep you from using the water that comes from the very same municipal water system in place at your homes. Why would you buy there product if you already have it at a cheaper price? But it gets better.

Another aspect about bottled water is, in effect, the actual bottle itself. One thing you must understand is that the bottle before being filled with water, sitting at room temperature, is a breeding ground for bacteria. Sure, when the FDA was sniffing around the bottle may have been perfectly safe. But after a week or so of just sitting around, by the time you buy the water it may now be officially the worst water you could consume. And remember, there is no expiration date on those bottles. They could have been sitting in loading docks and storage moving from one location to the next creating an unsafe container to put the water in. I was reading and article by one Liza Gross and she brings up an interesting find: "Scientists at the FDA found traces of bisphenol A-an endocrine disruptor that can alter the reproductive development of animals-after 39 weeks in water held at room temperature in large polycarbonate containers (like that carboy atop your office water cooler)." The NRDC looked into one particular bottled water known as "Spring Water", actually came from an industrial parking lot next to a hazardous waste site. Extremely alarming.

Now there are particulars that you should look for when shopping around for bottled water. There are certain loopholes that companies use in there wording to get around actually identifying themselves using clean and clear water sources. You must watch out for words like: carbonated water, disinfected water, filtered water, seltzer water, sparkling water, soda water, or water. These phrases used on the labels are exempt from any regulations, therefore, will be taken advantage of, and thus, you will to. Words like mineral water, artesian water, spring water, and well water are words and systems that are regulated and are safer in the long run.

The water business has become a giant. Bottled water sales have grown at a steady pace of nearly 10% every year since around the early 1990's. And really, show no signs of slowing down with the advents of flavored waters, vitamin waters, and other such "value-added" ingredients that entice even further. Giants like Pepsi and Coca-Cola are firmly in the market and bottled water is becoming one of the most bought beverages in America. It has it's tiers of quality, if you will, ranging from the cheap waters to the more expensive sparkling waters of S. Pellegrino and the likes. But what we are really dealing with is a ploy, shrouded in uncertainty and negligence, really, by the American people. Just because Arrowhead bottled water shows glorious mountain ranges on the label, and has fancy wording does not designate any sort of significance to there product. In fact, in my opinion, couple with a lot of research, you are much better off sticking with tap water coupled with some sort of Brita filtering system or something of that sort. Do not be fooled.