Wedjaget That Bottled Water?
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 05. 6.07
We often write about bottled water. The continuous fascination stems from how convenience-driven the market is. Laying out logic can't overcome convenience, no matter how significant the environmental effects may be. The only recourse would be to point out the financial waste and absurdity of the situation, to think "outside the bottle". And it's happening. The Muskegon Chronicle let its readers know, for example, that:- "The label doesn't mention that the Aquafina sold in Michigan comes from the city of Detroit's water system...Detroit gets its water from the Detroit River and Lake Huron. The American Water Works Association last year rated Detroit's water the best-tasting municipal water in Michigan...The Dasani sold in Michigan is also Detroit city water; and the Propel sold in Michigan is flavored water from municipal water systems in Indianapolis and New Jersey, company officials said...Critics accuse companies like Pepsi (Aquafina) and Coke (Dasani) of hypocrisy by promoting bottled water as a healthier alternative to tap water when those products are, in fact, purified tap water."
At roughly $1 per bottle, bottled water costs about 3,300-times more per ounce than water from Muskegon's water system. Muskegon, like most West Michigan communities, gets its drinking water from Lake Michigan.
The most amazing fact learned from the Muskegon Chronicle is that there exists an International Bottled Water Association, whose purpose it seems in part is to advocate for the product.
Second most amazing fact: there is an advocacy organization, Corporate Accountability International, which is leading a campaign against the corporatizing of public water resources.
Via:: Muskegon Chronicle.
Image Credit: Message In A Bottle
While I understand the need to draw attention to bottled water, what about other bottled products? Pop and juice also come in plastic bottles and are shipped or trucked halfway across continents and around the world. Aren't they just as bad as bottled water?
Of course, juice and pop don't flow free from our taps. Wondering if this is the difference.
We mostly buy beer that is brewed and bottled within 15 km or where we live, so I've opted not to bring alcohol up as well. :-)
It is quite possible that something like Coke is bottled near you. They don't have one central plant, but spread it out through separate companies.
Also, you are buying something you couldn't easily have without buying it bottled.
While I think in many areas bottle water is far from necessity, but here in Arizona, the tap water is barely drinkable! It is very hard and tastes very chemically. At my house we do our best not to waste, though. We buy our water in reusable 5 gallon bottles and use glasses and reusable bottles to drink it.
I am not sure what other options we have. In my experience filters and other similar items that can be bought in stores do not work very well here.
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I hear you. Just be glad you don't live in South Dakota where all they have is alkalai water.
I found this post quite helpful if a bit disturbing. Is there any chance that Dasani et al have some special filtering system? Any chance they are kicking back to Detroit to help them improve their public water? Probably not. I, for one, would find it quite fantastic if the municipal water cos would trumpet this fact and go into the market themselves, thereby giving other municpal water cos the idea to make a buck on the side too.
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There really are no filtration breakthoughs in public water systems. Public water systems must meet EPA recommended maximum contaminant levels, so users are not exposed to too much fluoride, radon, arsenic, selenium etc etc. In recommending the levels EPA looks at all forms of exposure, not just drinking. Showering, cooking are key.
When it comes to pathogens, meeting safe levels at end of pipe calls for addition of chlorine, chlor-amines, or ozone/UV light. Chloramines are cheaper to maintain at adequate levels at distance from the treatment plants, but have the drawback of tasting bad.
The services performed by bottlers include adding dissolved mineral salts to improve flavor, filtering out chlorine and other organic off-flavors, and of course ensuring that the water remains sterile once bottled - much like the canning of food. Don't forget that they are putting their product in plastic that leaches some constituents back into the water over time.
A person who starts out with decent tasting tap water can easily filter out the any organic compounds and chlorine, matching the quality of bottled water. However, if your tap water is extremely hard, no amount of filtration will make an improvement.
Anyone can buy a RO system for their home. They have them at Home Depot. That's what a majority of bottled water is. I don't buy bottled water unless I'm away from home and my Nalgene bottle is empty. A lot of it is convenience.
Several years ago i took an engineering class that toured a pepsi bottling plant in detroit. They take tap water, run it through a lime soda precipitator (to remove minerals) then a carbon cartridge filter(just like the ones attached to alot of water dispensing refrigerators).
I used to laugh, because my girlfriend payed more than a dollar a bottle for this. Now i groan, because my girlfriend pays more than a dollar a bottle for this.