BUYING BOTTLED WATER
Recently there has been a mushrooming of water bottling companies in almost every neighborhood. The business of Bottling water started in the United Kingdom, Holly Well, where the first commercially bottled water took place in 1621(Levêque and Robert, 832). Since then, the industry has undergone enormous growth over time. Every player tries to use the fanciest language to promote bottled water in this very competitive market segment. A significant percentage of Americans consider bottled water safer and as having a better taste than tap water. In fact, on average, every American drink about 114 liters of bottled water annually. One of the questions that have attracted greet controversy is whether bottled water is better than tap water (Levêque and Robert, 833). Water is one of the most important components of the human body, making over 75% of its composition. As a result, everyone seeks to ensure they drink the water of the best quality to void contracting water-borne infections or ingesting toxins, which could compromise the proper functioning of body organs. This paper seeks to explore convincing reasons why we should not buy bottled water since it has no significant advantages over tap water. In fact, bottled water has long-term adverse impacts on the environment.
Bottles water is obtained from many sources, including tap water, artesian wells, and springs. Although many people perceive bottled water as safer, having a better taste and convenience than tap water, the truth is that the converse might be true. EPA regulates tap water while the FDA supervises bottled water. However, regulations governing water bottling have not been revised for many years. Despite these regulatory frameworks, many research studies (over 14) have revealed microplastics in bottled water already in the market(Qian, 59). Microplastics have been shown to have serious effects on animal models, including disruption of the endocrine system, promotion of inflammation, and accumulation in organs such as the liver, kidneys, and intestines. One study conducted in 2018 concluded that 93% of the 259 sampled products had microplastics (Graydon et al., 12). Besides, many people have testified that one can hardly distinguish the taste of bottled water from that of tap water. The safety concerns and the fact that there is no difference in taste makes it illogical to buy bottled water rather than drinking tap water. Also, bottled water’s taste, just like tap water, will mainly depend on the source from which it was obtained.
The recent past has been characterized by calls from several quotas on the need to conserve our environment. Bottled water processing and distribution channels require massive amounts of energy ranging from treatment and bottling to refrigeration to transportation. In the USA alone, 1.8 billion kilograms of plastic is used in making containers for water bottling. Estimates reveal that just 20% of bottled later politics are recycled in the US (Levêque and Robert, 828). Poor disposal of plastic bottles has been shown to have serious environmental and ecological effects threatening the current and future biodiversity. The energy used in processing bottled water, including boing and bottle manufacturing, contributes significantly to carbon emission, contributing to climate change. Therefore, it is unreasonable to continue buying something that causes environmental degradation without any added benefit.
Another reason why we should drink tap water rather than buying bottled water is the fact that bottled water is expensive. The convenience associated with bottles water comes at a high cost. In the US, 3.8 liters of bottled water costs about $ 9.47, while the same quantity of tap water can be obtained at the cost of jus f $0.005. This cost makes bottled water more expensive than milk and gasoline besides being about 2000 times more costly than tap water (Graydon et al., 15) r. Tao water can also be made convenient to use by carrying it using reusable bottles, which will also be environmentally friendly. Further, commercial stores can be selling tap water cheaply by simply receiving a replacement for the reusable bottle. As a result, one will only need to carry a reusable bottle to buy tap water at commercial stores cheaply. These measures can save substantial amounts of money, which can then be used to mitigate environmental degradation and climate change.
Therefore, tap water is better in hydrating ourselves than bottled water. It doesn’t have microplastics that are toxic to our body, is less costly, and has a minimal environmental impact. The water’s tastes are the same and are determined by the source and hence should not be perceived as an advantage of bottled water, and besides, before reaching the point of consumption to water in stores in large reservoirs where several processes occur to reduce the number of contaminants (Qian, 59). For bottled water processing requires several chemicals which have negative impacts on the environment. Even though the water bottling industry cannot be halted overnight due to economic concerns, governments should take gradual steps to downscale bottled water consumption without adversely impacting their economies and employment levels. People working in distribution networks can be trained into doing the same work but with tap water in reusable containers.
Works cited
Graydon, Ryan Christopher, et al. “Bottled water versus tap water.” International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education (2019).
Levêque, Jonas Germain, and Robert Clyde Burns. “Drinking water in West Virginia (USA): tap water or bottled water–what is the right choice for college students?.” Journal of water and health 16.5 (2018): 827-838.
Qian, Neng. “Bottled water or tap water? A comparative study of drinking water choices on university campuses.” Water 10.1 (2018): 59.