Bottled Water--Is It the Answer?
Perhaps you are one of the many, many Americans who have turned from drinking tap water in recent years. After all, who knows whats in it? In many cities it tastes, smells, or even looks odd.
The obvious alternative is bottled water, which over the past 15 years has become increasingly popular. Plenty of us are solving the problem this way. But this alternative has some serious drawbacks, and it turns out that many sellers are selling just filtered tap water anyway. Since the FDA (which regulates bottled water) has lower testing standards than the EPA (which regulates tap water), the bottled water may have more microbes in it, according to tests.
One of the undesirable aspects of drinking bottled water is the waste problem. 60 million bottles of water per day are used in America, and a lot of them are winding up in the landfills. Since we all need to drink gallons of water each day, if we choose bottled water, we will go through a lot of bottles.
In addition to creating a huge disposal problem, theres a big health issue. Clear plastic water bottles (with a recycling symbol #1, 3, or 7) are very likely to contain BPA, a controversial chemical that leaches out of the plastic, contaminating the water.
According to The Green Guide, an online magazine, a growing number of scientists are uncovering evidence of harm from BPA. They are finding links to diabetes, infertility, cancer, and childhood hyperactivity, for a total of 104 independent studies showing bad effects from BPA. At the same time, there are 11 studies, paid for by the indiustry, which show no harmful effects. The FDA is choosing to side with the industry on the controversial issue and is allowing use of BPA.
BPA isnt just in the clear plastic bottles. Its also in canned food containers, baby bottles and toys, and vats used for processing wine. In fact, 95 percent of Americans tested in 2004 had some level of BPA in their urine, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as quoted by Zandonella.
Now, let's remember that we were drinking bottled water because we wanted pure water, free of contaminants. Well, bottled water isn't going to do that for us! We can switch to glass, stainless steel, or plastic with a recycling number of 2, 4, or 5.
Heres how to drink pure water and also control what container I am using: I can get a home water filter , one that triple-filters the water coming out of my kitchen tap or icemaker. I can bottle this water myself using glass or stainless steel containers, -- or BPA-free plastic bottles with recycling symbol #2, 4, or 5. And here's the best part: it costs a lot less! I purify my own water for about eight cents per gallon. - 17273
The obvious alternative is bottled water, which over the past 15 years has become increasingly popular. Plenty of us are solving the problem this way. But this alternative has some serious drawbacks, and it turns out that many sellers are selling just filtered tap water anyway. Since the FDA (which regulates bottled water) has lower testing standards than the EPA (which regulates tap water), the bottled water may have more microbes in it, according to tests.
One of the undesirable aspects of drinking bottled water is the waste problem. 60 million bottles of water per day are used in America, and a lot of them are winding up in the landfills. Since we all need to drink gallons of water each day, if we choose bottled water, we will go through a lot of bottles.
In addition to creating a huge disposal problem, theres a big health issue. Clear plastic water bottles (with a recycling symbol #1, 3, or 7) are very likely to contain BPA, a controversial chemical that leaches out of the plastic, contaminating the water.
According to The Green Guide, an online magazine, a growing number of scientists are uncovering evidence of harm from BPA. They are finding links to diabetes, infertility, cancer, and childhood hyperactivity, for a total of 104 independent studies showing bad effects from BPA. At the same time, there are 11 studies, paid for by the indiustry, which show no harmful effects. The FDA is choosing to side with the industry on the controversial issue and is allowing use of BPA.
BPA isnt just in the clear plastic bottles. Its also in canned food containers, baby bottles and toys, and vats used for processing wine. In fact, 95 percent of Americans tested in 2004 had some level of BPA in their urine, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as quoted by Zandonella.
Now, let's remember that we were drinking bottled water because we wanted pure water, free of contaminants. Well, bottled water isn't going to do that for us! We can switch to glass, stainless steel, or plastic with a recycling number of 2, 4, or 5.
Heres how to drink pure water and also control what container I am using: I can get a home water filter , one that triple-filters the water coming out of my kitchen tap or icemaker. I can bottle this water myself using glass or stainless steel containers, -- or BPA-free plastic bottles with recycling symbol #2, 4, or 5. And here's the best part: it costs a lot less! I purify my own water for about eight cents per gallon. - 17273
About the Author:
A home water filter can give you with exactly the abundant, pure water you need, in BPA-free containers of your own choice. Save money too! pure, pure water from your home water filter costs exactly 8 cents per gallon. Learn about filter options, including filters attached to the shower head, at http://www.home-water-filter.info .
posted by X - Men at
3:12 PM
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