Rethink The Way You Drink…Water!
Posted by admin on April 27, 2010
Eliminating bottled water is an easy change that will bring triple rewards: it is better for the environment, your health, and your wallet!
The Pacific Institute reports that over 50 percent of Americans drink bottled water occasionally or as their main source of drinking water. The primary reason cited for choosing bottled water is that it is thought to be purer and healthier than tap or filtered water. However, approximately 44% of the bottled water sold in the United States is sourced from municipal water supplies, which may or may not be further processed/filtered. The rest is sourced from groundwater or springs. Although groundwater or spring sources may sound better than tap water, that is often not the case.
In the U.S., tap water is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) while bottled water is regulated by far less stingent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rules. Because FDA rules do not apply to bottled water that is packaged and sold within the same state, 60-70% of the bottled water sold in the U.S. is totally exempt from FDA regulation. There is no uniform testing of bottled water for such pathogenic contaminants as E. coli, fecal coliform bacteria, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, fecal streptococci, Cryptosporidium, and Giardia, or for other toxins and carcinogens such as arsenic, toluene, and phthalates. Approximately 22% of the bottled water brands tested by the National Resources Defense Council contained chemical contaminants, including arsenic, toulene, xylene, phthalate, adipate, and styrene, as well as high levels of pathogenic contaminants.
Of additional significant concern are the resources, particularly energy resources, used in the life cycle processing of bottled water. A 2009 report estimated that the total energy requirements for bottled water consumed in the U.S. in 2007 ranged between 32 and 54 million barrels of oil. This amount of energy represents about 2,000 times the energy needed to produce tap water, which is generally of high quality, in the United States.
The production of every liter of bottled water results in the consumption of approximately 3 liters of water. The depletion of local water systems such as groundwater aquifers and streams by water-bottling plants is a growing concern. For example, Fiji produces more than a million bottles of water every day for global consumption, yet less than half the population has access to safe, reliable drinking water. [And just think of the energy consumption and carbon emissions associated with exporting bottled water from Fiji to the U.S.!]
Approximately 3 tons of carbon dioxide are produced in the manufacture of each ton of PET plastic bottles (Pacific Institute, 2008). The Pacific Institute estimates that in 2006 over 2.5 million tons of CO2 were produced in the manufacture of plastic bottles for bottled water. Additional carbon emissions result from transporting water to factories, filling bottles and preparing them for distribution, transportation to outlets, retail and home refrigeration, and transportation to recycling centers or landfills. For example, the shipment of 18 million gallons of bottled water from Fiji to California produced approximatley 2,500 tons of greenhouse gas emissions while the transportation of bottled water from Western Europe to New York City produced approximately 3,800 tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
The production of plastics can cause serious pollution problems that affect both the environment and human health. The Polaris Institute (2007) states that, “(b)ottled water manufacturers are the end point of a supply chain that contains some of the biggest polluters on the planet”. The specific manufacturing processes for water bottles release extremely dangerous toxic chemicals and contaminants, such as nickel, ethylbenzene, ethylene oxide, and benzene, into the air, water, and soil.
While most bottled water comes in recyclable PET plastic bottles, approximately 87% of those bottles are never recycled; they end up in landfills instead. The NRDC (2008) estimated that approximately 2 million tons of plastic water bottles ended up in landfills in 2005 and the Polaris Institute (2009) states that plastic water bottles are the fastest growing form of municipal solid waste in the United States and Canada. According to the California Department of Conservation, more than 1 billion water bottles end up in the trash in California each year. Some of these are destined for landfills and waterways, others for the incinerator. Incineration of plastic bottles emits toxic vapors, including dioxin, which pose serious risks to human. Moreover, incineration creates greenhouse gases that damage the ozone layer and contribute to climate change.
Safeguard your health, protect the environment, and save money in the process – kick the bottled water habit today!
