Sipping bottled water has become such a habit for people trying to live healthier — think Jennifer Aniston and her Smartwater ads. Choosing water over sugary sodas is great, but many people think bottled water is healthier than good ol' water from the tap. And cleaner too. But research has found that is not true. In fact, bottled water could contain more impurities than tap water — that's not smart at all. Here are seven reasons to skip the bottled water and opt for tap.
- Tap water is highly regulated. It is regularly checked for traces of E. coli and fecal coliform bacteria. The FDA doesn't hold the same rules for bottled water.
- Tap water must be tested for coliform bacteria 100 or more times a month. Bottled water companies are only required to test once a week.
Learn five more reasons.
- Tap water must be tested by government-certified labs. The same requirements for bottled water companies don't exist.
- Bottled water doesn't have to list the source, purification methods, or chemical pollutants on the bottle, so there's no telling what you're drinking.
- Tap water is free, and a bottle of water typically costs at least $1, which adds up. In fact, 40 percent of bottled water is actually just tap water, so it's a rip-off to pay for it.
- Used water bottles tend to end up in landfills and account for 1.5 million tons of plastic waste a year, so they're not the most eco-conscious. Filling a reusable bottle with tap water is the better way to go as far as the environment is concerned.
- The bottles are also unhealthy. The chemical phthalate is added to the plastic to make it less brittle. When the plastic is heated (like in your car on a hot day), the chemical leaches into your water. Drinking this chemical has been linked to reproductive issues, liver problems, and an increased risk for certain types of cancer.
Which do you drink more often, water from a bottle or the tap?
Source: Getty
Nica
i would drink our tap waterif it didnt smells so bad. i just cant swallow it
1Filtered tap for me!
2I am a water/wastewater engineer who works in this industry and it's amazing what a rip-off a lot of bottled water is. If you look at a Dasani or Aquafina bottle's label, you will see that it is just treated water they buy from the local municipalaity and they remove the chlorine for taste. For example, if you live in the Charlotte, NC area, Dasani buys it's water from the Charlotte Mecklenburg Utilities Department and just filters out the chlorine. You'll pay $1 for that bottled water while for that same money, you can get 2,000 gallons from the tap. And whereas removing the chlorine may taste better, it's originally there to prevent regrowth of any bacteria in the water. Remove it and you risk regrowth of the bacteria.
Also, I never recommend buying anything that says "spring" or "natural" water because if it truly is minimally treated spring water, chances are great that there are bacteria and other contaminants in that water. The FDA requirement to test once a week is not adequate enough. Source water quality can change on an hourly basis and it's very easy for that one test to have missed a contamination or spiked bacteria growth that may have occured days earlier and has since subsided so that the current test shows all is well. While in the meantime that contaminated water from a few days ago has already been shipped to consumers and no one is aware of the contamination.
Tap water is the way to go - both for the environment and for your health and safety.
3I drink filtered tap too. Love my Brita pitcher!
4I love my Brita filter too. I just fill it up every time I use it and the water is always cold and refreshing. And when I am on the go, I just fill up my Nalgene bottle. Very convenient!
5Tap FTW! As a bonus the tap tastes great where I live.
6Tap. I'm cheap.
7I have well water where I live.
8Definately tap, filtered could work. Fill up my own water bottle too.
9The tap water here in Philadelphia is terrible. And remember those reports that city tap water contains traces of about a million pharmaceuticals? That was -after- the treatment process. I drink spring water - I've been drinking the same brand for the past 15 years and have never gotten so much as a stomachache from it. I wish I lived somewhere with more palatable tap water, though.
10this is good information but at the same time... this is kind of like restaurant eating - how do you know that the same kind of d-bags that are out there thinking it's funny to let toilet water go into a $3 bottle of "Evian" aren't the same kind that are working at the water plant, thinking it's funny that you're brushing your teeth with like.. what your neighbor just washed their hair in ( obviously, this is an exaggerated scenario )?
11I keep two Brita pitchers on a stand near my sink so I can always have filtered water on hand. I'm especially happy with Brita because they've finally started a recycling program for the used filters!
12I love tap water. I have a Brita pitcher, but I hardly use it because I think it makes the water taste nasty.
13For those who don't want to use a filter, you can do what I do: leave water sitting out all day. The chlorine will evaporate (not all of it, but enough so that you don't taste it), and boom! yummy tap water.
14poptart princess wrote "how do you know that the same kind of d-bags that are out there thinking it's funny to let toilet water go into a $3 bottle of "Evian" aren't the same kind that are working at the water plant, thinking it's funny that you're brushing your teeth with like.. what your neighbor just washed their hair in ( obviously, this is an exaggerated scenario )?"
I think the answer to that is the fact that tap water is highly regulated by the FDA, tested over 100 times a month, and tested by government certified labs. So, unless everyone in the tap water purification industry are in on some nasty trick (conspiracy?) against the general public, it is highly unlikely that would happen.
15I wish our tap water was more reliable.... If it was, I would drink it all the time. Sometimes it comes out smelling like sulfur, other times chlorine, and even worse - sometimes it smells like pond water and also looks funky - it has a yellowish or brownish cast to it. I do drink our tap water when it smells/looks okay, but I keep our fridge stocked with cold bottled water just in case.
16i have a brita filter and my water stills smells. and like someone mentioned what about the pharmaceutical traces which i dont think rita filters out. its a 50/50 chance. i use the filtered water for making teas and drink cold water from the bottle
17For Anon - those same pharmaceuticals that are in the tap water are in there because they are in the SOURCE water which is groundwater, streams and lakes. If it's in the source water, it's in the "pure spring" water that you are buying bottled too. The water treatment plants are just beginning to test and learn about those pharmaceuticals and there is research on trying to figure out how to remove them. It's an emerging concern, something that is becoming a problem because of the mass consumption of pharmaceuticals (such as prozac, birth control, even blood pressure medicine), especially when research is showing fish and other aquatic species are changing sex due to all the pharmaceuticals found in the environment. Pharmaceuticals are in trace amounts in nearly all water sources anymore. The technology is just emerging on how to remove them and I guarantee it will be the municipal water treatment plants that install that technology first and lead the way in research since bottled water is not going to be required to monitor for that much less treat for it.
And for PopTartPrincess - again, water treatment plants have near-continuous monitoring installed so that the tiniest fluctations in fecal bacteria would show up; not so with bottled water manufacturers. It's very insulting to suggest that the people responsible for the health of MILLIONS would do that. In my profession, if I mess up because of a mistake, tens of thousands of people could get sick or die, I'd be jailed, my employer would be fined (at least 6-7 figures), I'd lose my professional license, and could not work in the field again. I've spent too many years of schooling, and training to throw that away for a quick prank such as that, and I'm sure close to 100% of the other engineers/operators in this field feel the same way.
18Anon #17 - brita does not remove the pharmaceuticals. Right now, there's not much in the way of removing them, they are going to be in tap water and bottled water. The levels are TRACE and there isn't enough research to show what ingesting trace levels will do. After all, millions of people are taking these pharmaceuticals daily in the form of pills, which is why they are in the water in the first place. The concern is from a lifetime of ingesting these trace chemicals and what happens when prenatal, infants and children are exposed to them - how is it going to affect their development?
Telane - it sounds to me like your tap water has a lake as it's source water. I'd guess that the yellowish/brownish tint along with the smell occur mostly in the summer and fall - which is when algae growth is highest in the lake. There are limits to the turbidity (color/clarity) of the water and the water is below the regulated levels if it is being distributed to you, so it is SAFE for consumption. The pond/and or sulfur odor is most likely from trace amounts of algae in the water, which will not harm you but creates a taste/odor issue (which are aesthetic concerns rather than health concerns). It can be extremely expensive to remove the last "remnants" of algae to eliminate the taste/odor so cost becomes a factor in the level of treatment. It also sounds like piping (whether in your house or in the distribution lines) could be old and in need of replacement.
19I used to drink bottled but I've switched to filtered tap. It's saved us a ton of money.
20I drink tap water. We have an in-line filter in our fridge that filters it, but our city water is great. I trust the tap water more than I trust any bottled water company because, like Yogaforlife said, it's MUCH more highly regulated than the bottled water and I receive our city's water report every 6 months (I think) that reveals EXACTLY what's in the water. I'm pretty sure the bottled water companies won't provide that info for you.
21Obviously yogaforlife knows waaay more about this than I do, but I have a couple questions that I'm honestly curious about: 1) if bottled water is so potentially dangerous and unregulated, then why have I never heard of anyone getting sick from it? I would think it would make national news as the equivalent of when a lot of people get food poisoning from the same restaurant and 2) how do you reconcile the "high regulation" and safety of tap water with the events in Woburn, MA, where all those kids got leukemia from the water? Maybe our regulations have tightened in the past couple decades? Just wondering.
22I've never been a fan of bottled water (though my husband is). I grew up boiling water for drinking. It was just a habit my parents had (it was not required for our safety, though it probably was when they were young). And we never drank cold water - always room temperature. I still boil tap water (old habits die hard) and add my own spin by filtering it after boiling. One jug goes into the fridge for my husband and one on the counter for me.
23you always hear stories from both sides - and well it's kind of a personal choice i guess. my husband and i have a brita water filter that we love - so i guess in a sense we go the tap route. personally - i just like that i don't have as much waste. that's the key for me.
24i wrote what i did due to the fact that when i used to drink tap water - sans filter - i had a build-up of heavy metals in my system. i then switched to spring water and started using a filter and the build up went away. just like people that work in restaurants are supposed to be taking utmost care of food prep and whatnot, you have some that don't give a crap and do unacceptable things that if you really knew about it, you wouldn't eat what you'd been served. same goes with just about every aspect of life and society from the water you drink, to even beauty products you use on a daily basis. what's not questionable? but hey, if you can't see it/smell it/taste it - you think it's not there/bad/icky.
25While I have no doubt that there are benefits (economical and environmental) to drinking tap water, I really don't buy into the argument that it's healthier. If it is, then why does the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommend that people with weakened immune systems, including anyone with cancer, elderly people, and infants, (which is a lot of people) drink "high quality bottled water" instead of tap water? http://www.epa.gov/ogwdw/faq/faq.html#mcl
26I try to drink tap water but the pipes in our house are very old (think 1946) and the water has a very distinct rust smell and taste.
27Tap water is so much cheaper and better for the environment! I always drink tap water, bottles are incredibly wasteful.
28I have a counter top distiller and after seeing what's left in the bottom, I would never drink our tap water. As for the government regulating the tap water, I don't trust the government to have the standards for the general population that I have for my own consumption. The government is not always reliable when it comes to quality control.
29Filtered tap all the way.
30Or pellegrino in a glass bottle if I'm feeling fancy
brita filtered tap water ftw
31We buy bottled once in a while, but generally we just fill the bottles back up with tap and put 'em in the fridge. :3
32I generally just drink tap water.. I can`t taste a difference between it and bottled waters. I love the taste of Evian water for some reason though, so that is my go to bottled water if I ever forgot my own water bottle or don`t have access to clean water.
33Chloe Bella - I'm not familiar with the WO incident, although, since regulations went into effect in the 70's and have consistently improved and became more stringent, water quality has vastly improved, both in our tap water and in the protection of the source water used for our tap water. Waterborne illness still occurs (from well water, tap water, and bottled water), the difference is because it's not happening on a massive scale, it's hard to trace. The most common symptoms of water borne illness are diarrhea, stomach cramps, vomiting, and lethargy. How many people just go to the drugstore and take pepto and never go see a doctor because they figure they have a flu bug or ate something bad? Unless a large group of people get sick in a concentrated area, it's hard to pinpoint the source; especially with so many sources of water available. There are people who get sick from both bottled and tap water, it's hard to trace the illness back to there unless they go to the doctor and get testing for specific bacteria such as cryptosporidium, giardia, cholera, etc.
The incident of leukemia, I have no familiarity with. I started college studying in this field in 2000 and I could not work in this field until I also had a master's and by the time I was studying for my master's in 2004-2006, the regulations on drinking water underwent a huge change and became even stricter which has caused a lot of plants to have to upgrade their technology. Regulations require that the best available technology is used, which is the most advanced treatment. I truly believe we have among the safest tap (potable) water in the world, this is why you have to drink bottled water when in other countries - their water contains pathogens that your body has never been exposed to because they have a lower level of treatment, hence why you can get the "mexican runs" just from eating veggies/fruit rinsed in that water.
34Poptart Princess - the process is completely computer operated anymore, with manual overrides available should something occur. The operators are there in a control room monitoring the computer screens, fixing equipment should there be a malfunction, and running the lab tests. A lot of the parameters are continously monitored so that there is an immediate feedback should a contamination occur. It's not common that there are people in the actual areas where the treatment occurs, unless they are there for routine maintenance of equipment.
Since 2001, there have been evolving security measures to protect both the source water and the water in the distribution system. This is due to the possibility of a bioterrorist attack on our water supply or within the drinking water system. If you think about it, somebody could potentially poison tens of thousands to millions of people with anthrax or other bioagents by putting it in the water. I'm not going to disclose the measures that are in place to detect this for obvious reasons, but trust me when I saw an employee would not be able to get away with throwing in some dirty water for just for kicks. This is a very serious concern and threat that is not handled lightly and there are checks, sensors, monitors everywhere throughout the process and system to ensure that within a seconds of something happening, we are aware of it and can shut the whole system down and alert the public.
35Chloe bella - one last comment. You are correct, the EPA does recommend for people with compromised immune systems, that they drink high quality bottled water. The level of treatment the EPA is referring to is Reverse Osmosis, where quite literally only the water molecule is able to pass through a membrane, thus leaving all other contaminants behind. This is the highest level of treatment available, but it can only occur after the water has been treated the traditional way that your tap water is already treated. This final step in treatment is extremely costly due to the large amount of chemicals that have to be added to coagulate the contaminants, the extreme sensitivity of the membrane, etc. You end up having the cleanest, most pure form of water possible, but at an extremely high cost. This cost is prohibitive to most public water treatment plants and even most bottled water companies.
This is great technology - it's what is used for making drinking water from salt water. It's definitely the future of treatment but like any new technology, costs are so prohibitive right now (think vcr's when they first came out compared to now). However, that being said, some of the largest bottled water companies (Dasani, Aquafina) do employ this technology. If you want to know if your bottled water does it, it will say it right on the bottle - water is treated using "RO" or Reverse Osmosis (Aquafina says HydRO-7). It must say RO or reverse osmosis, otherwise it's a different filter technology (micromembranes or ultramembranes). Aquafina and Dasani take tap water, and then provide a further level of treatment using RO. A lot of other water bottle companies take tap water and just remove the chlorine so it "tastes" purer than tap water. And again, I can't stress - never drink spring or "natural" water - it's barely treated water, not treated near as much as your tap water.
Immune-compromised individuals should drink RO treated water since they are so highly susceptible - one bug, pathogen, oocyst can compromise them, whereas a normal individual has a healthy immune system and should you ingest a random oocyst or bug, your immune system takes care of it before you ever get sick. There is research out there now on how many "bugs" or pathogens do you have to ingest before you get sick or show symptoms and the research is showing the numbers to be magnitudes higher than what the epa allows to test in the water.
36Excerpts from Chloe Bella's EPA link:
What if I have a severely compromised immune system?
A. SOME people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the GENERAL population. People with SEVERELY compromised immune systems, such as people with CANCER undergoing chemotherapy, people who have undergone organ TRANSPLANTS, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, SOME elderly, and infants can be particularly at risk from infections. These people should SEEK ADVICE about drinking water from their health care providers. (yoga comment ~ This is still a small subset of the population, not the majority of our population, and the EPA is not stating here that you cannot drink public tap water, it's suggesting you talk to your health provider about your specific health issue.)
What about bottled water?
A: Bottled water is NOT necessarily safer than your tap water. EPA sets standards for tap water provided by public water systems; the Food and Drug Administration sets bottled water standards based on EPA's tap water standards.
SOME bottled water is treated more than tap water, while some is treated LESS or NOT treated at all. Bottled water costs much more than tap water on a per gallon basis. Bottled water is valuable in emergency situations (such as floods and earthquakes), and HIGH quality bottled water may be a desirable option for people with WEAKENED immune systems. (yoga comment ~ again, this is where Reverse Osmosis treated water is desired for individuals with compromised health)
Consumers who choose to purchase bottled water should CAREFULLY read its label to understand what they are buying, whether it is a better taste, or a certain method of treatment. (yoga comment ~ most treat for taste, which means removing the chlorine. Filtering to remove chlorine (for taste) is not higher treatment! Instead it creates an environment in which bacteria can regrow. If you do choose to drink bottled water (damn the environment or you have a severely compromised immune system as listed above), choose a water bottle that uses public water supply that is reverse osmosis treated. I personally use my own steel water bottle filled with tap water. If I must buy a water bottle, it's only Dasani or Aquafina since I know they use tap water that is further treated with RO.)
Keep the questions/comments coming! I went into this field to help the environment and make the public safer and it's something I'm very passionate about. I'm actually more of a dirty water gal- drinking water is too easy IMHO
37I just wanted to log in and thank Yogaforlife for all the awesome info
I only buy bottled water if I have no other option. Such a ripoff and so bad for the environment.
38Yeah, thanks Yoga! The incident I was referring to is what the book (and later John Travolta movie) "A Civil Action" is based off on. It is an interesting read, and you would probably like it since it's semi-related to your field. A lot of kids got leukemia because a plant was illegally pouring chemicals into the ground that contaminated an entire city's water supply. BUT, it happened in the 80's when technology/restrictions may have been different and the people acknowledged that the water didn't look/smell/taste right.
Another question: I've always heard that tap water is treated with fluoride, which is why our generation has so few cavities. Do you also lose this benefit by drinking bottled water?
39Chloe - good question about the fluoride. Yes - fluoride is added to municipally treated drinking water and it's very essential, although infants and children are the ones who benefit the most from the addition of fluoride to drinking water. When you drink bottled water you lose this benefit.
Funny you ask this. I grew up on well water, which of course has no fluoride and I am the most cavity prone person I know. I brush too hard/often and I brush my tooth enamel away. No matter what I do (and I obsess over my teeth) I have cavities. I was at the dentist last week to get some fillings replaced and I asked him why my brother and I have such problems with cavities even when we floss/brush more than the average person. He told me that fluoride is essential to tooth development from when you are an infant until you are about 10. The fluoride is what helps make the teeth so strong. Growing up on well water, I never had fluoride and I now have very soft teeth that are so cavity prone.
So I would say if you have children, tap water is the way to go for them to get fluoride since it's already provided in the water. If you only use bottled water or well water, I'd look into a floruide supplement/toothpaste for your children which I believe the dentist can provide. I wish my parents had known about this - would save me a lot of time, pain and money at the dentist.
The "Civil Action" you refer to, I will have to look into. It sounds like illegal dumping of a hazardous material that made it's way into the source water for the town. Definitely is something that used to happen frequently before regulations became stricter (think Love Canal and Erin Brokovich (spelling)). There are so many tests now that constantly monitor source water to ensure that incidents like this do not happen or if an accident should happen, the public is not exposed to it.
40Wow I just wanted to say thanks for all the info!
41*giving my spring water bottle on my desk the stink eye*
I like the convenience of bottled water, but its so expensive so I started to reuse the bottles and fill them with tap. Then I hear the new thing about how reusing plastic bottles is supposed to give you cancer. Can you ever win?
42In a pinch I'll drink bottled water, but I usually go for the cheaper brands that I know are just tapwater from Melbourne or something.
Usually I have filtered rainwater, we use a Brita filter to get any nasties out and the water only tastes a little bit funky when you put a new filter in. Pop the funky water in the fridge and it's fine chilled!
I'd drink Adelaide tap water, but it's really quite FOUL. Too much chlorine and nasty chemicals.
43It's OK to drink tap water... But who takes care and tests the water that comes from the buildings and house's reservatories? If I collect the water straight from the tubes that comes from Company's supplier.. I really think it's OK. Come from buildings reservatories. No thanks.
44Brita!
45The problem is, tap water contains chlorine, which is linked to causing cancer. But if bottled water comes from municipal sources we have the same problem. It seems like I can't win - what way do I avoid chlorine?? (a few European countries have banned it from their tap water, but I doubt that will happen here any time soon)
46When there talk about government regulations pertaining to checking tap water, you have to remember the government you are talking about in most of the the cases are "local governments". Most water/waste companies are managed by the city or town. The purity of the water really depends on who and how it's being checked. Let's just say I'm originally from a small town, and when I was 17 I worked at the local Wal-mart. My city government or at least the water plant was buying 1 pallet (a lot) of CLOROX Bleach per month and had been dumping the crap in my city's water for some time. Previously, I had remembered how good the water tasted when I was a kid, but the taste had drastically changed to a clorinated taste as I grew up. I was told to keep information hush-hush, as sewage pipes and clean water pipes had both busted and mixed awhile back and occasionally it happened in the winter when pipes froze. I think my old city is still doing this, as the water still looks and tastes the same, like clorox (if you let it sit for awhile, the taste and clearness get better). I'm not a water expert, but common sense tells me that when you "clorinate" water, it has to be regulated. And commercial CLOROX is not the clorine that's supposed to go in our water. No matter what regulations there are, they don't mean a thing if there not being followed, enforced, or if there are no checks and balances. The biggest cover-ups happen in small towns (minimal oversight). If the checks and balances aren't there or are faked, you won't know exactly what's in your tap water, only what they officially tell you. Personally, I don't drink much tap water anywhere unless I have to, I drink mostly filtered (Brita) water, and sometimes bottled.
47Kinda late to this butthought I'd put in my two cents. Brita definitely didn't help me. As soon as I started using it for the disgusting San Diego water, I got headaches again. Ever since moving down here for school I have gotten more headaches that are suddenly triggered by food and now the water than anything else. The water down here, whether aesthetic or not, is disgusting. It smells awful and I see dirt particles and stuff IN the Brita filter just before going into the filter itself and it turns me off from even TRYING the tap. I... think I'll stick to bottled water for now. If it's tap water, that hopefully it's BETTER tap water, rather than San Diego tap.
48I think that bottled water in some places can be better for you than tap and in other places can be worser. Filtered tap water can be better that bottled water but depends on what type of filter you have. It depends on what type of brand of bottled water your buying sometimes its actually healthier. PHD Dr. Dunnn
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