Imagine that you are standing in your kitchen after going for a jog. It was a great run—you went for five miles nonstop, and feel great. After taking a moment to cool down, you open your refrigerator, pull out an Acadia water bottle, unscrew the cap, and take a long, refreshing drink. Well, you feel healthy right now, but what you do not know is that that water bottle may actually be causing you more harm than good. Bottled water companies have perfected the art of making you feel like you are doing the best for yourself by buying their product. They state in their advertisements how bottled water is very safe, and is strictly regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. However, because harmful chemicals and pollutants have been found in bottled water, and companies are not required to share information on the contaminant testing that they do, and the actual plastic from the water bottle itself may be dangerous, bottled water is not safe.
The University of Iowa Hygienic Laboratory conducted some tests on different brands of bottled water for the Environmental Working Group, and found some interesting things. “10 popular brands of bottled water, purchased from grocery stores and other retailers in 9 states and the District of Columbia, contained 38 chemical pollutants altogether, with an average of 8 contaminants in each brand. More than one-third of the chemicals found are not regulated in bottled water.” For example, in Sam’s Choice bottled water from Wal-Mart, several disinfection byproducts were found. These byproducts, called trihalomethanes, existed in amounts greater than what is regulated for bottled water in the state, and were associated with cancer and reproductive problems. In the same brand, the tests found a cancer-causing chemical called bromodichloromethane. This chemical also exceeded legal limitations, which shows that Sam’s Choice bottled water is not safe to drink. It is alarming to find two pollutants in one brand of bottled water, but it also opens up the possibility of finding more contaminants in the brand, as well as other brands. This possibility proved to be true when the tests found amounts of those two chemicals in Giant Supermarket’s Acadia brand that were also greater than legal regulations (Olga Naidenko, Nneka Leiba, Renee Sharp, and Jane Houlihan).
It is scary enough to hear these findings, but is even scarier to know that water bottle companies that do contaminant testing are not required to disclose any information that they find. This makes it possible that companies like Sam’s Choice and Giant’s Acadia might have known about the pollutants in their water, and still put it out there to sell. People have no reason to believe that their bottled water is safe, which the lab tests discussed previously have proved—bottled water is indeed not safe. Most water bottle companies claim that they follow the same safety standards as tap water. However, this statement means nothing because there is no proof. The reason that people trust these bottled water companies is their cleverly developed propaganda. It is really quite amazing how—in an age when people are obsessed with looking at nutritional facts and the ingredients of food—they have tricked people into buying their water with no solid evidence to support their claims of cleanliness. Bottled water is “1,900 times the price of tap water” (Olga Naidenko, Nneka Leiba, Renee Sharp, and Jane Houlihan). It is ridiculous that people should spend this much money on water, when there is simply no evidence that bottled water is worth its price, let alone that it is actually safe to drink.
Recent research even suggests that not just the water in bottled water should be cause for concern, but also the plastic bottles themselves. It has been shown that some chemicals in the plastic bottles can leach into the water over time. Some harmful chemicals, like ‘phthalates’, have been found, having leached into the water. These chemicals are harmful because they can “disrupt testosterone and other hormones” (Bottled Water). There ought to be safety regulations on the amount of these chemicals allowed for bottled water companies to put into their bottles. It is very popular for people to reuse water bottles, and that is when the harmful chemicals leach into the water. However, such limits do not exist.
The FDA actually proposed to set these regulations, but bottled water companies were successful in their campaign against them. Of course they would object so strongly; it costs them money to regulate their production that strictly, and, if people found out that the levels of phthalates were so great that there was a need for limitations, then their confidence in bottled water safety would go down, which could decrease sales. One of the greatest myths about water is that bottled water is safer than tap water. As discussed earlier, companies claim that they follow the same strict regulations as tap water. “By law, FDA standards for bottled water must be at least as stringent and protective of public health as standards set by EPA for public water systems.” They also have to meet strict industry standards, which sometimes are stricter than other regulations (International Bottled Water Association). However, because unsafe amounts of contaminants were found in some brands of bottled water, or had leached in from the plastic of the bottle, apparently these regulations aren’t as strict or enforced as was thought. Bottled water can’t be deemed “safe” if pollutants that negatively affect your health, especially the health of people with weak immune systems, have been found in more than one instance. It is ridiculous to claim that bottled water is safe and healthy, when obviously, it is not.
Meanwhile, chemicals are leaching into people’s bottled drinking water and people are drinking up, exposing themselves to the possibility of being harmed from phthalates from the plastic, or any other pollutants like bromodichloromethane or trihalomethanes that bottled water companies put into their water. While this is happening, companies don’t have to share any of the lab test results that they might find, for example, the fact that pollutants found in their water are linked to cancer and reproductive problems. So, what do you do now that you know the facts? Well, you can start by writing to the FDA and the government, asking them to adopt strict regulations for water bottle safety, for example, limits on the amount of contaminants allowed in bottled water that are cause for concern, like bromodichloromethane, trihalomethanes, and phthalates from plastic. And until those requirements do come in to place, you can drink tap water in order to save a lot of money, and to ensure your safety from unsafe bottled water.
Works Cited
International Bottled Water Association. “Bottled Water is Safe.” Opposing Viewpoints: Water.
Ed. Jacqueline Langwith. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. PLYMOUTH CANTON COMMUNITY SCHOOL. 25 Mar. 2010
Olga Naidenko, Nneka Leiba, Renee Sharp, and Jane Houlihan. “Bottled Water May Be Harmful.” Opposing Viewpoints: Water. Ed. Jacqueline Langwith. Detroit: Greehaven Press, 2010. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. PLYMOUTH CANTON COMMUNITY SCHOOL. 25 Mar. 2010
"Bottled Water." NRDC. 25 Mar. 2008. Web. 14 Apr. 2010.
