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Friday, July 17, 2009

It's Official - Tap Water Safer Than Bottled Water

The large transportation costs and plastic usage of bottled water has long upset environmentalists who see a lot of wasted energy going into a product that is available throughout the country through your tap. To add to the seemingly large array of problems related to bottled water, Consumer Reports recently concluded that tap water is indeed safer to drink than bottled water.

In a Consumer Reports article from July 10th called "Is tap water safer than bottled?" they seem to answer that question in the affirmative: Yes, it is.

Bottled water, regulated under the federal Food and Drug Administration and the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act has less stringent quality standards than tap water, which is regulated by the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the Safe Drinking Water Act.

The EPA has more restrictions as to the amount of particulate matter that can be present in water, and there are a few substances that the EPA regulates that the FDA doesn't have any limits for. Certain bottled waters leech carcinogens into the water as well from the plastics used in the bottle.

When looking at whether to drink bottled or tap water, personally I always choose tap water. In restaurants or any pubic places it's free, taste just the same as most bottled water (double-blind studies show that people are more influenced by either the brand or the price, and cannot actually tell the difference between premium bottled water and tap water), does not have the environmental costs as bottled water, and, it turns out, is actually safer for you. The choice seems pretty simple to me.

Water is becoming a serious world-wide issue as people's access to clean drinking water is in higher demand than it has ever been. Drinking tap water, rather than bottled water, may actually help reduce the energy and environmental costs of ensuring that all people have access to clean, safe drinking water.

Consumer Reports: http://blogs.consumerreports.org/safety/water_safety/


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