Bottled water is the world’s best-selling drink, and Americans are its most loyal customer. You pay hundreds or even thousands of times more for the prepackaged water than you would if you got it from the tap. Yet nothing has proved that “ultra-purified,” “mountain-sourced,” “glacial-runoff,” or “oasis-obtained” water is any better for you.
What we do know is that bottled water takes a lot more energy, resources, and—yes—water to produce and transport. That takes a toll on the environment and your health.
Below are a few of the lowlights for water bottles:
Plastic Bottles Can Raise Your Blood Pressure
Recently, bottling manufacturers have been moving away from BPA and switching to the “safe substitute” bisphenol-S, or BPS. But new research is showing that BPS could cause its own health issues, including hyperactivity.
Bottled Water Probably Isn’t as Clean as Tap Water
Simply put, one government agency has more power than the other. While local water agencies regularly test tap water and release the results to the public, a survey of 188 bottled-water brands found that only two made that kind of information available to the public.
Billions of Bottles Are Adding to the World’s Pile of Plastic Debris
Water bottles, straws, toys, coffee-cup lids, and other plastic trash degrade into microscopic bits that end up in the bellies of multiple marine animals, causing thousands of deaths each year. Cleaning up the mess once it reaches the ocean is expensive. Cleanup projects on West Coast beaches alone cost an estimated $500 million annually.
Bottled-Water Companies Are Sourcing From Drought-Stricken California