Buying Bottled Water: Daft Or Clever?

There should be a category of Darwin Awards for those special products like bottled water and SUVs which indicate the narrow possiblity that humans will avoid extinction.

I would propose legislation that requires all Darwin Award winning products to carry a mandatory forehead sticker that says, “I’m incredibly stupid and selfish and we’re all gonna die, but I’m worth it!”

1)Because whatever tap water they are using tastes better than my shitty tap water in Queens.

2) Sometimes I’m thirsty and not near a tap. (you know… pretty much everywhere you go outside of your home)

I mean, the idea that I buy bottled water for fear of being poisoned is ridiculous (take that economist!),it’s just as ridiculous as the idea that buying bottled water is ridiculous.

National Resources Defense Council has an extensive study on bottled water industry titled “Bottled Water: Pure Drink or Pure Hype?”

You’ll be surprised with the facts they discover about EPA’s tap water regulation versus FDA’s bottled water regulation: http://www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/bw/table1.html

Basically, I have lost almost all faith in a perfect water treatment system and I leave my trust to my body immune system.

Can anyone tell me why if “And getting your water shipped from Fiji turns out to be horrifyingly wasteful (surprise).

” there would be a full page ad for bottled water from Fiji in Issue 005?

If you’re out and about, it makes sense. But…We have a drinking problem, and it makes oil seem cheap

“bottled water is less likely to be contaminated or poisoned by terrorists.” GIVE ME A BREAK ! it’s all about image, it’s the same as the damn Starbuck paper cup, that is more of a fashion statement than it is a environment friendly gesture. REUSE A CUP !

when i got deployed to Iraq in 2003 the only safe water was bottled. The ice blocks the locals provided were NOT to be used in the bottled water because of the excessive amounts of microbes that lived in their water. The statement: “bottled water is less likely to be contaminated or poisoned by terrorists.” is just plain stupid. If the public water system ever got posioned then companies using that water to fill up their bottles would be selling the same poisoned water.

Here’s what’s stupider than drinking water from anything: arguing about it. Can’t someone compile a definitive grouping of facts?? I’m talking environmental effects, the likelihood of contamination – on all sides (chlorine, plastic, intentional poisoning), and cost effectiveness. There’s too much hearsay everywhere on this topic!

I’ve never quite understood the obsession with bottled water, at all. I do understand that in regions where the tap water is officially undrinkable, bottled water is a necessity. I’m not sure exactly what the situation is over there, but here in Finland (and other Nordic countries for that matter) drinking solely bottled water is simply out of the question. I cringe at the thought of buying bottles and bottles of something I can get for free simply by turning on the tap.. and not only because of the price, but because of all those plastic bottles piling up – and even worse, those waters imported miles and miles away, allegedly “cleaner”.. words are not enough to express how appalled I am by this trend.

The taste issue comes from the chlorine in most cases, unless you’re in some danky city with more problems than just chlorine. I hate taking a shower or drinking water and feeling like I’m harming myself from the noxious fumes. However you can aerate your water for between 30-60 minutes to get rid of the smell/taste of the chlorine. Though, I don’t know if it actually removes the chlorine itself.Not as a put down, but Nordic countries have it better than most States… and we usually don’t have as much access to good clean natural ground water like Sweden does. Anyhow, the plastic bottles should be switched to glass or something less toxic. The best solution is to not have bottled water to begin with. Truly, bottled water acts as a poor bandaid against the reoccuring sores of unclean and overchlorinated tap water.

@ barango – likely because Fiji paid GOOD money to print that ad, which is how GOOD stays in business. If publications denied ad space to advertisers, there would be
significantly less opportunity for us to consistently obtain quality
journalism….and I drink bottled water occasionally because, like many have said above, I get thirsty sometimes when I’m not near a tap.

To be honest, I think at this point everyone knows that bottled water may not be the best alternative. Whether your concern is safety in terms of plastic consumption, cost, taste, etc. I find many people choose bottled because it’s convenient. It’s there, it’s cheap, it’s cold and it’s water!

But what about the inefficiency of having to stand at the tap for 3-4 seconds?

I live in Brasilia, Brasil. People here say the water is great but everyone filters it. If you go to a restaurant they wont serve you tap water you HAVE to buy bottled for the same cost as a beer. In the States all i ever got a the restaurant was water cause it’s free. But I have bee to parts of this country and even just outside the city and short of dehydration I ain’t drinking that water. Bottled water has it’s place, but Capitalisim will make money where it can, and fear and stupidity know no bounds. The govement agencies whose job it is to inform the public have a responsability to be as competative in marketing the correct info as the Bottled water companies have in their vauge info inteded to mislead and instil fear, and false hope for health benfits.

There is no question I should take bottled water because in the farm where I live all we have is water from deep well which is absolutely undrinkable. To digress a bit, what would happen if someone smart enough came up with bottled or canned air for breathing.

The amount of oil it takes to make a water bottle is equivalent to the amount it takes to fill it. I use a klean kanteen and so should you! = ]

“Water Wars” and “Blue Gold” discussed the creation of corporate water sources – even to toating icebergs in giant bags to bring glacial water to bottling plants. Spring water can be ‘bad,’ just remember the benzene scare with regard to Perrier Bottled Water … Also remember the Cryptosporidium problem in Milwaukee …That reminds me, I need to order a new filter for the water dispenser in my refrigerator ….

If you are concerned about chlorine in your tap water, filters such as Britta filters remove it (science tests have proven this).As to why most Americans buy bottled water, convenience is a big factor. The other is lack of education.  The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) regulations on bottled water are less stringent than the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), who handle municipal water systems.  Most people do not know this. And how many people do you think are aware that 40% of bottled water is tap?   I’ve been working on a campaign called TapIt Water (tapitwater.com) that not only educates the pubic about tap water’s safety, but also provide a solution to our “horrifyingly wasteful” bottle habit.  We have created a network of over 240 food establishments in New York City that will serve the public tap water so that their is no need to buy bottle water when on the go. We are in the process of  branching off into other cities.Another solution-based group is Take Back the Tap. They lobby to get more money to protect and invest in the municiple water system, to prevent privatization of tap water (which makes it really expensive and has already happend in a few communities in the US), and to encourage businesses to go bottle free.Hopefully our efforts will reach people and inspire a nation-wide lifestyle shift. Not to mention that drinking tap saves people and families hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars each year.

People if you want clean water stop using products that put contaminants into the environment which end up in your water supply. Stop disposing of your meds down the toilet which is a common practice. No one thinks when they put pesticides on their lawn that it can impact ground water quality. There is no such thing a pure water today! Put a filter on your tap and save $$$.

hi =D

The reason I do not drink tap water is that it is fluoridated. Brita and those pitcher filters do not remove fluoride. I drink bottled water, especially filtered PWS water is that it is filtered via Reverse Osmosis, the only type of filtering that actually gets rid of the Fluoride they dump in the water.

I don’t want fluoride in my drinking water. I can brush my teeth with it but I refuse to drink it. I will keep gladly giving my money to any company that sells me an alternative to drinking the fluoridated stuff that comes out of the faucet.

to JaketheSnizake, I’ve lived in Davis, CA, and the water is terrible to the palate. As is Woodland, Yuba City, Sacramento, and other places in CA I’ve lived. You should try the tap water in Auburn…no Cl, no mineral taste, no taste at all…the way water should be! I guess snow runoff is the best water source!

BTW JellyDonut, I drive an SUV and I drink bottled water, from a reusable stainless steel bottle! So let’s not judge those people who drive SUV’s as such horrible people! I bet you drive one of those “eco friendly” cars who’s batteries are more toxic to the environment to manufacture and dispose of than any of the emissions that my SUV will ever produce!

I’m really afraid of being human. I can’t make a right choice where I’m not destroying the world I love. I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry.