Bottled Water Toxicity and Money Waste
Posted by Norman Fong
Environmental Working Group has a report that their Oakland office tested 10 brands of bottled water and found that Wal-Mart’s Sam’s Choice contained chemical levels that exceeded legal limits in California and the voluntary standards adopted by the industry. They also have articles on why bottled water is a no go.
Bottled Water’s Source
Would you believe that bottled water sold at a San Francisco Bay Area Wal-Mart came from Las Vegas? Don’t they have a drought problem?
9 billion gallons of bottled water were consumed in 2007, with less than 50% divulging their source. On average, this water cost $3.79 per gallon, almost 2,000 times the cost of tap water. Many families waste over $1,000 a year on unnecessary bottled water. This is a waste due to all the energy used to manufacture, transport, and dispose of bottled water.
Considering bottled water does not offer better quality than tap water, costs MORE than gas, and drains the environment, just say no. Use a Brita water filter if you are concerned with your tap water. Fewer than 15% of water bottles are recycled, leading to a big waste of resources.
The CamelBak BPA-Free Better Water Bottle is a low cost water bottle that I switched to. No more buying bottled water and no BPA.
Stainless steel water bottles are also a good bet. Just make sure they have no plastic interior liner or BPA liner.
Airline Clean Drinking Water EPA Ruling
Got sick on an airplane flight? It could have been the water.
The EPA has just published the Aircraft Drinking Water Rule (ADWR) to ensure that safe and reliable drinking water is provided to airline passengers and crew. What prompted this was that in 2004, the EPA found all aircraft water systems to be out of compliance with the national primary drinking water regulations (NPDWRs). According to the air carriers, it is not feasible for them to comply with all of the monitoring that is required in the existing regulations.
Subsequently, EPA tested 327 aircraft of which 15 percent tested positive for total coliform. EPA considers this to be a high percentage of positive samples. In response to these findings, EPA embarked on an accelerated process to tailor the existing regulations for aircraft public water systems. In the interim, EPA placed 45 air carriers under Administrative Orders on Consent (AOCs). Until the final ADWR compliance dates, air carriers remain subject to the existing NPDWRs and AOCs where applicable.
It is great they are beefing up the system. You can play safe by bringing an empty water bottle with you. Fill it at the airport at water fountains located after security.
Filed under: Conservation, Easy, Effort, Environment, Green, Home, Money, Reduce, Shopping, Water | Tags: Bottled water
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4 Responses to “Bottled Water Toxicity and Money Waste”
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April 20th, 2009 at 12:49 am
[...] people would waste money on Water Delivery services. This is definitely a big business. We have covered how unnecessary bottled water is in the [...]
January 1st, 2010 at 12:03 am
[...] Ditch bottled water [...]
August 22nd, 2010 at 11:30 pm
A few words on water treatment systems….
How do you change people’s perception of tap water, while also providing them with the security the masses have come to associate with bottled water? Installing a whole house water filter or commercial water treatment system is a great alternative. Doing so will optimize water quality, help to minimize our reliance on natural resources such as oil and offset our impact on the environment in the transport and disposal of plastic bottles.
Benefits to installing a water treatment system for home or commercial applications include removing disagreeable tastes and odors, including objectionable chlorine, many chemicals and gases, and in some cases it can be effective against microorganisms. In particular, reverse osmosis is highly effective in removing up to 99% of contaminants in water. It removes several impurities from water such as total dissolved solids, turbidity, asbestos, lead and other toxic heavy metals, radium, and many dissolved organics. The process will also remove chlorinated pesticides and most heavier-weight VOCs.
Water treatment and reverse osmosis systems can be implemented for use in housing developments, cosmetic production, food processors, hospitals, remote area drinking water systems, and water stores, just to name a few. So next time you reach for a bottle of water, make sure it’s a reusable bottle (preferably stainless steel), and fill it up with delicious tap water recently purified by your water treatment or reverse osmosis system.
January 6th, 2013 at 12:05 am
[...] Ditch bottled water [...]