Shitty 2nd Research Draft -

Bottled Water Vs Tap Water

“Miracle in a bottle or just another tonic?” In 1993, four hundred thousand people in Milwaukee, Wisconsin suffered intestinal illness caused by a microbial pathogen known as Cryptosporidium (Cryp-to-spor-i-di-um). Cryptosporidium hospitalized four thousand people and reportedly killed fifty more (CRY). This outbreak was not an isolated issue: the states of Nevada, Oregon and Georgia where effected as well. This kind of public water contamination helped to spark a debate in the minds of many consumers whether bottled or tap water was better. Bottled water has all but replaced the consumption of tap water. Consumers justify the consumption of bottled water with the rising concern for the quality of municipal (tap) water and the convenience of bottled water. With bottled water, consumers are told that the water comes from a far away island; that the water is untouched by human hands. With tap water, consumers may not know the source of their water. With bottled water, consumers can see the clearness, taste the silkiness and detect no odor. The same cannot be said about some tap water, which in some areas is not clear, does not have a silky taste, and can have very strong odors. Consumers want to believe in the products they purchase, whether bottled or tap water. Although bottled water presents the illusion of a high quality healthy product, the benefit and production process has generated great concern because of the presumed quality differences between bottled water and tap water, the production costs of bottled water compared to tap water, and damage to the environment.

The convenience of bottled water is not the question. What is the price of convenience to the consumer and the environment? Bottled water is becoming the next new age consumer product, one which consumers cannot do without. Bottled water has also become the second largest beverage consumed next to carbonated drinks. The bottled water industry is a billion dollar a year industry and expected to grow. With this growth, concerns arise about the true benefit of bottled water. One of the major differences between bottled water and tap water is that the consumer can see where the bottled water comes from or the treatment technique used. With tap water, there are no such comforting images.

The quality of both tap water and bottled water are the concerns of two organizations: the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for tap water and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for bottled water. The quality of particular water is more complex than any label or lack of labeling could tell a consumer. Contaminants are present in all water sources around the world, but it is up to EPA and the FDA to determine what levels are safe for consumption. According to the EPA, the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) was passed in 1974 to “protect public health by regulating the nation’s public drinking water supply” (EPA). The EPA became aware of the health risks associated with unregulated tap water. The SDWA has been amended twice since the original was written in 1974, once in 1986 and again in 1996. The SDWA authorizes the EPA to set quality standards for all public drinking water, these standards include: “assessing and protecting drinking water sources; protecting wells and collection systems; making sure water is treated by qualified operators; ensuring the integrity of distribution systems; and making information available to the public on the quality of their drinking water” (EPA). The 1996 amendment to the SDWA stated that the public has a right to know what is in their water and if it poses a health threat. Therefore, when a public water source tests high for a particular contaminant, EPA standards mandates the public be made aware of the contamination.

The EPA has two regulations governing drinking water: the National Primary Drinking Water Regulation, which is legally enforceable, and the National Secondary Drinking Water Regulation, which is non-enforceable. The primary standard regulates the levels of contaminants that are harmful to the public if consumed. Arsenic and Radon are just two of the many contaminants that naturally and unnaturally contaminate public water supplies. An article written by Brandon Loomis for the Anchorage Daily News reports, high Arsenic levels in two of the three Kenia’s public well water supplies. Federal regulations require 10 parts Arsenic per billion, the two wells tested at 15 parts per billion. The City has until 2009 to comply with federal regulations ( Loomis) . The EPA does not work alone in setting and regulating these standards; “states, tribes, drinking water utilities, communities and citizens all help to ensure that their tap water is of a safe for consumption” (EPA). The EPA gives the states authority to impose the secondary regulation. This regulation deals with contaminants that effect a person cosmetically or the taste, odor, or color of the water. The primary and secondary standards apply to all public water systems. The quality control of both tap water and bottled water are similar in that both have to abide by strict regulations.

The FDA regulates bottled water as a food. The FDA utilizes the Code of Federal Regulations (21 CFR) to regulate the different aspects of bottled water. Regulation 21 CFR – 165.110[a] defines different types of bottled water, such as spring water and mineral water. Regulation 21 CFR – 165.110[b] establishes allowable levels for contaminants (chemical, physical, microbial and radiological) in bottled water. Regulation 21 CFR defines some of the types of bottled waters as follows: Artesian water – water from a well tapping a confined aquifer in which the water levels stand at some height near the top of the aquifer. Mineral water – Water containing not less than 250 ppm total dissolved solids that originate from a geologically and physically protected underground water source. Purified water – Water that is produced by distillation, deionization, reverse osmosis or other suitable processes. Sparkling bottled water – water that, after treatment and possible replacement of carbon dioxide, contains the same amount of carbon dioxide that it had at emergence from the source. Spring water – water derived from an underground formation from which water flows naturally to the surface of the earth at an identified location. Regulation 21 CF – 165.110[b] regulates more than 70 different chemical contaminants. These standards include but are not limited to microbiological standards (coliform levels), physical standards (turbidity) and radiological standards (radium-226 and radium-228) (FDA). Because the FDA regulates water as a food, the assumption could be made that quality control would remain high; that is not always the case. According to the FDA, if a water bottling company is in good standing with the FDA’s regulations, then inspections are not as frequent. The EPA regulates that municipal water sources must be checked regularly and a annual report on the condition of the water source. The standards for tap water and bottled water are meticulously regulated and thoroughly checked.

The cost of tap water can vary depending on the location and the type of water source available. The average household will pay about $.002 per gallon of tap water compared to between $1.00 and $4.00 per gallon for bottled water, the cost is more for imported water. The cost that a consumer pays for bottled water is not for the water alone, the price includes labeling costs, production cost and transportation cost; all of which makes bottled water very expensive. The cost of consuming bottled water is a choice that the consumer makes. The cost that the environment pays due to the production of bottled water is much steeper.

With the increasing concern over Global Warming, the production of bottled water is one area that could use some improvement. The environmental impact of producing bottled water greatly overshadows that of tap water. Other than the maintenance of the water treatment facilities, tap water has little impact on the environment. The bottled water industry produces billions of bottles of water a year and from the start of production until the end, the environment is paying a price. Fossil fuels are used not only for producing the plastic bottles, but also for the transportation of the product around the world; releasing greenhouse gases and polluting the air. Millions of tons of plastic are used to produce billions of plastic water bottles. Americans consume more then 30 billion bottles of water every year and according to the Container Recycling Institute 86% of empty plastic water bottles are not recycled (Milne-Tyte). That is 25.8 billion empty plastic water bottles taking up landfill space and biodegrading for the next 1,000 years. With that amount of empty bottles, the toxic material polyethylene terephthalate (PET) used to produce the plastic bottles will affect future water supplies. The water industry is very aware of the environmental concerns with the production of the plastic used for their product.

In an article in USA Today, the CEO of Nestle Waters North America branch said “Our new Eco-Shape bottle uses the least plastic of any half-liter bottle on store shelves. We make 98% of our single-serve bottles, eliminating the need to truck 160,000 loads of empty bottles into our plants and saving 6.6million gallons of fuel per year”(EBSCO).
It seems that at least one company is trying to change the process and help the environment while helping themselves.
Selecting which type of water to consume is a choice. If consumer are not satisfied with their home water they can purchase a wide verity of filters that will help with the color, taste, and odor of the water. The facts tell us that both bottled water and tap water are regulated to remove contaminants and both are safe for consumption. The EPA monitors the regulations place on tap water closer than FDA does for bottled water. The facts tell us that some municipal water supplies in rural areas should only be used for non-domestic purposes. Twenty-five percent of the bottled water produced today is treated tap water, which is produced by the Coke, and Pepsi. The cost we pay for bottled water is more than 100 times that of tap water. But as consumers, do we put a price on our health? We as consumers are given a choice between what seems to be a better product on the outside and what we know very little about. Thoughts of beautiful mountain water falls and crystal clear streams look and feel better than thoughts of underground mazes of pipes used for tap water. What most consumers do not know is that the United States has the best municipal water sources in the world.

The environmental impact is the deciding factor in this debate. On one hand, you have tap water with no or little environmental impact and on the other hand, you have bottled water which effects the environment in many ways. It is not the water that is the concern. The fact that Americans are drinking more water is pleasant to hear. Too many consumers drink beverages that contain as much as eleven teaspoons of sugar per twelve ounces of liquid. With more than 86% of water bottles not being recycled the plastic bottles are the problem. The plastic is causing the pollution that is slowly killing our planet. If bottled water is to be accepted across the board, bottling companies must find a way to improve recycling.


Works Cited
Breslau, Karen. "A Good Drink at The Sink." Newsweek 150.2 (02 July 2007): 14. Middle Search Plus. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 7 November 2007. <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mih&AN=25541563&site=src-live>.

Loomis, Brandon. “Kenai city water has too much arsenic.” Anchorage Daily News. AK, 3 Oct 2007. Newspaper Source. EBSCO. [library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 20 November 2007. <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nfh&AN=2W62W6977618859&site=src-line>

Milne-Tyte, Ashley. “Environmental cost to bottled water.” Container Recycling Institute. 20 April 2006. 23 Oct. 2007 <http://container-recycling.org/mediafold/newsarticles/plastic/2006/4-20-Marketplace-EnviroCosts.htm>.

"Success of bottled water can spill into recycling efforts." USA Today (n.d.). Middle Search Plus. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 7 November 2007. <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mih&AN=J0E416740087007&site=src-live>.

EPA. Environmental Protection Agency. “Setting Standards for Safe Drinking Water.” 28 November 2006. 23 Oct.2007 <http://www.epa.gov/safewater/standards.html>.

FDA. Food and Drug Administration. “Bottled Water Regulation and the FDA.” August/September 2002. 23 Oct.2007 <http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/botwatr.html>.