Today, it was announced that we are now paying $15 billion annually for bottled water and yes, I buy my share of it too but I did a little research and found some interesting statistics.
The NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) tested more than 1,000 bottles of 103 brands and found the following:
1/4 of bottled water is bottled tap water.
Much that claims it is "spring water" is brought to the surface by a pump in a well and is then treated with chemicals.
5 brands were sent to a microbiologist to be tested for bacteria and there was no difference in bacteria content in the bottled water and tap water.
Bottled water regulations are inadequate to assure consumers of purity or safety.
Everest water is not from Mt. Everest. It is from Corpus Christi, Texas. Glacier Clear water is not from a glacier in Alaska, it is tap water from Greenville, Tennessee.
Dasani and Aquafina are both reprocessed tap water.
On a final note, a taste test was conducted in NYC and testers were to rate water tastes as bad, average or great. K-Mart brand (which was also the cheapest) won. Aquafina (which is reprocessed tap water) ranked second, Iceland Spring and plain tap water tied for third and Evian (most expensive) ranked dead last.
So, if there is no evidence that bottled water is healthier and there is no evidence that it tastes better, I guess we are just spending $15 billion a year on hype!
But if buying bottled water makes us drink more of it, which we all know is good for us, I say, "carry on!"
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