Is Bottled Water Better Than Tap?
| by Gregg Ess | September 30, 2008
It can be argued that bottled water is the fastest growing choice for a drink in the United States. Americans spend billions of dollars on it. Some people prefer it to other beverages like soda. Others may think it is safer than their tap water. And yet others just think the taste of bottled water is better than tap.
But is bottled water better than tap? Since water’s taste and quality, whether it’s bottled or tap, can vary from source to source, it stands to reason that bottled water’s taste and quality will from brand to brand .Natural mineral content and how the water is treated also plays a part.
ABC’s 20/20 news asked New Yorkers “is bottled water better than tap?” Many said they preferred bottled water stating it tastes better than tap. But when 20/20 performed a blind taste test, tap water tested fairly well. One of the five bottled waters used was rated the worst tasting. Incidentally it was one of the more expensive brands too.
Also of note is that some said they think bottled is healthier than tap. There are no tests to prove that either way.
There are the environmental issues to consider. According to Food and Water Watch, it takes more than 47million gallons of oil to make the plastic bottles for Americans every year. Enough to fuel approximately 100,000 cars for a year. Then those bottles become garbage, most of which are not recycled.
What about cost? Looking at a recent water bill, I was charged $10.21 for 1500 gallons of water. Add in service fees and such, the total bill was $27.95. That comes to around 2 cents per gallon. If you were to buy that much in bottles most people couldn’t afford to take a shower.
You could install a water purifier in your house and with the cost of filters it would still cost under 10 cents per gallon. Compare that with bottled water which can be a dollar per gallon or more.
When comparing the taste, quality, environmental issues and cost, the question still remains, is bottled water better than tap? It would seem it’s the environmental issue that’s the biggest deciding factor. Followed by cost. Using glass bottles and a water purifier at home can resolve both of those issues.
But is bottled water better than tap? Since water’s taste and quality, whether it’s bottled or tap, can vary from source to source, it stands to reason that bottled water’s taste and quality will from brand to brand .Natural mineral content and how the water is treated also plays a part.
ABC’s 20/20 news asked New Yorkers “is bottled water better than tap?” Many said they preferred bottled water stating it tastes better than tap. But when 20/20 performed a blind taste test, tap water tested fairly well. One of the five bottled waters used was rated the worst tasting. Incidentally it was one of the more expensive brands too.
Also of note is that some said they think bottled is healthier than tap. There are no tests to prove that either way.
There are the environmental issues to consider. According to Food and Water Watch, it takes more than 47million gallons of oil to make the plastic bottles for Americans every year. Enough to fuel approximately 100,000 cars for a year. Then those bottles become garbage, most of which are not recycled.
What about cost? Looking at a recent water bill, I was charged $10.21 for 1500 gallons of water. Add in service fees and such, the total bill was $27.95. That comes to around 2 cents per gallon. If you were to buy that much in bottles most people couldn’t afford to take a shower.
You could install a water purifier in your house and with the cost of filters it would still cost under 10 cents per gallon. Compare that with bottled water which can be a dollar per gallon or more.
When comparing the taste, quality, environmental issues and cost, the question still remains, is bottled water better than tap? It would seem it’s the environmental issue that’s the biggest deciding factor. Followed by cost. Using glass bottles and a water purifier at home can resolve both of those issues.
Article Source: http://www.articleset.com
You are welcome to publish or reprint this article free of charge, provided:
- you include the entire article, unchanged, including the "About The Author" box
- all hyperlinks remain active, including the bottom ArticleSet.com link (does not apply to print publications)
- you agree not to hold the authors nor ArticleSet.com liable for any loss profits, expenses, or any other damages resulting from the use or misuse of articles published on this website
Menu
Home Top ArticlesTop AuthorsSubmit ArticleArticleSet BlogLink To UsArticle FeedsTermsContactFeatured
Language
