Is Bottled Water Better Than Tap Water?
@ester_tamisin (522)
Philippines
May 3, 2007 2:01am CST
One of the price we pay for development is pollution. Nothing seem to be clean anymore including our water.
Bottled water industries have thrive on the fear that even the municipal water may be contaminated. They have made their pitch that bottled water is cleaner, safer, and healthier than tap water. But experts have disagreed and stated that the only difference between the two is the manner to which it is distributed and the price that comes with it.
Catherine Ferrer, a University of Geneva researcher led the study commissioned by the World Wildlife Fund that came up with this conclusion that bottled water is only safer in areas with confirmed contamination. But reiterated that boiled or filtered tap water is still better for lower income families.
The study also mentioned that regulatory standards for European and U.S. tap water is stricter than that of the bottled industry. But as expected, the International Bottled Water Association countered that the industry stadanrd in the United States is at least as protective as that of tap water.
6 people like this
22 responses
@jayparalejas (193)
• Philippines
3 May 07
yes in many ways. one is it's really clean. but the bottle container is not good for the environment because it contain amounts of lead that is bad for the environment. well tap water goes around from the source to your home so your not sure if it's safe or not.
@timou87 (1638)
• Singapore
3 May 07
I know that in some places bottled water is the only option as clean sanitized water may not be freely available. However in Singapore, water is clean enough that we can drink straight from the taps, so drinking bottled water is actually more of a lifestyle choice than a necessity
@Marie2473 (8512)
• Sweden
5 May 07
Here in sweden the tap water is better than the oné u get on a bottle. The water here is so very clean and I do not know anyone that doesnt drink it. The only bottled water I get is the one with fuzz in it =)
@trinidadvelasco (11401)
• Philippines
3 May 07
if we want to know whether our tap water is fit for drinking, let's take a sample to the laboratory and have it tested. when we buy bottled water, we are only trying to stay away from the consumption of contaminated water. we all know the implications of the ingestion of contaminated water into our system. from where i live, it has been pinpointed, time and again, that our tap water is much better than those which comes in bottles. yet there are still plenty of people i see around, who buy bottles and bottles of bottled water.
@Gemmygirl1 (2867)
• Australia
3 May 07
They did some research in this herein Australia not long ago & noticed that bought water was not better for you, it's actually bad for your teeth.
Tap water boiled will always be good but normal tap water/rain water contains flouride which is good for the teeth - so for a healthy mouth you're better off just drinking from the tap.
We're encouraged here in Oz, to install rain water tanks. That way you have your clean rain water & don't have to pay for bottled water!
1 person likes this
@filmbuff (2909)
• United States
3 May 07
It really depends on where you live and what bottled water you are drinking. Here in the United States there are some cities that have just awful water. There are other cities that have water nearly as pure or better than bottled water. One of the drawbacks to bottled water is that they generally do not add bacteria killing agents, nor floride to the water. Both are common in tap water. Floride equals stronger teeth, bacteria killing agents well kill bacteria which is why it's generally not safe to open bottled water, and then let it sit closed or otherwise for any length of time before drinking it. I've known several people who have gotten sick from doing that, or reusing the empty container. It really does all boil down to where you live.
1 person likes this
@hikarushidou (843)
• Philippines
4 May 07
I personally think bittled water is really safer than tap water. they wouldnt exert so much effort in bottling these distilled/purified waters if they are just like the tap water.
@SheliaLee (2736)
• United States
4 May 07
I may be wrong, but I believe that bottled water is best. The tap water in the city I live in tastes awful. I won't drink it unless I have run out of bottled water or just in a big hurry to get something to drink. Sometimes when we turn the water on in our kitchen we can smell chlorine. I just don't think that is healthy for anyone. I have even started watering my plants with bottled water.
@tinamwhite (3252)
• United States
4 May 07
I guess that I am lucky...I have a well....it has great taste, no chemicals, and I have had it tested by the state that I live in......with a clean bill of health....I am content to drink it.
I do not like the taste of city water....in many towns you can smell the chlorine....or it has a funky taste....I had completely stopped drinking water unitl I moved back to the country and began using our well.....having been raised in the country, on well water...I never established a taste for anything else.
I realize that the bottled water companies are not regulated nearly as strongly as the public water systems and do not utilize this industry at all.
@angeleyes0175 (6)
• United States
4 May 07
There have been numerous studies on whether or bottled water is better than tap. I for one prefer bottled water. It might not be better and it might cost more, but I like the taste of certain bottled water brands better than tap. It just tastes different to me. Knowing water is healthier than other drinks, I have to drink it the best way I can. For me that is bottled. I know that many people disagree, but to each his own. The only time I actually liked the water from a tap was at a friends home, and her tap water is spring water. Makes you wonder what they put in city water.
@krishnakoduri (178)
• India
4 May 07
now a days we can't trust the tap water because rivers it self heavily polluted and after that filtering the river water is also not dependable in that case all are going for bottled water again also how for is good depending up on company and quality standards of that state
@rockerwitch (538)
• Philippines
4 May 07
I think that depends upon the place you live in. Over here, we stopped drinking tap water about 7 years ago after my horrible amoeba experience. So now all we ever drink is bottled water, except when sometimes I drink house water from restaurants. I've never had the amoeba problem since.
I agree with the lower income families using tap water because really, bottled water is just so expensive. If the people are careful enough in boiling their water and eliminating all prospective viruses or germs, then it's okay. But in our country, water sources are all polluted. It amazes me when we went abroad (I forgot where) that it said in the hotel that the water from the tap is safe for drinking. We never ever drank straight from the tap here at home. It's that bad. So in my case, I think bottled water is safer.
@angelofdeath (345)
• Philippines
3 May 07
i find tap water more refreshing than bottled water simply because bottled water ahs already undergone several processes which i think has already removed the refreshing factors of water. plus, some bottled waters have this distinct taste which makes me feel like i'm drinking a water tha has been stocked for ages.
@harwoodkp (285)
• United States
3 May 07
that all depends where the water came from. Some companies use tap water to fill their water bottles. The one reason bottle water is usally safer is the size of water systems in a city. Being so large sometimes allows contaminates to get into the water and they do not even have the chance to detect it.
I think I will take my chances with bottles water.
@GergOnline (399)
• United States
4 May 07
I believe so. i use culligan water to drink out of, but i do use my tap water for cooking and cleaning.
i know cooking the water wil clean it more than it was before.
@oldiebut (859)
• Canada
3 May 07
Bottled water has been a sucker's trap for years. One of the better known companies in Canada was discovered drawing their bottled water straight from the tap.
Take a look at a bottle of Evian bottled water for a moment. Stare at the name and work it out backwards. Evian certainly knows their customer base (naive for those who can't figure it out).
@13days (98)
• India
3 May 07
well i would prefer tap water....bottled water is full of plastic materials in it.....its compressed with preservative gases and all, its not natural, and its all artificial , all the nutrition of water r damped down kept close in the bottled water......well bottled water is just a source of taking water with you coz water cannot go with you in your hand there...lol its just a source of transport and coz u need water everywhere it comes in a bottle!! i use only when i go here or there,, otherwise tap water, is he BEST!! it makes u hardy by mind too tat u r resistant to the water u drink....!
@shak143 (1280)
• India
3 May 07
It is difficult to say that botteld water is better than tap water.It completly depends on where you are leaveing.Some bottle water companies are not taking enough care while purifying water and recycling the bottels.But government add enough chlorine to water to get purify.
Still we cant resist on them.
