Education

IMPORTANCE OF WATER

Water is one of the most important substances on earth. All plants and animals must have water to survive. Without it there would be no life as we know it on earth. Apart from its role in all manner of metabolic processes, people have many other uses for water.

WHY BOTTLED WATER?

National Geographic Kids - Safety? - Some people

drink bottled water because they think it is better

for them than water out of the tap, but that’s not always true. In most places in the United States, local governments make sure water from the faucet is safe. There is also growing concern that chemicals in the bottles themselves may leach into the water.

Convenience? - People love the convenience of bottled water. But maybe if they realized the problems it causes, they would try drinking from a glass at home or carrying water in a refillable steel container instead of plastic. [1]

WHAT IS IN YOUR WATER?

THE PH OF YOUR WATER

ABC News - "Bottled water may be no safer or healthier than tap water, while selling for up to 1,000 times the price." The reason, according to the environmental group, is an absence of standards regulating bottled water. "In fact," said the report, "there are more standards regulating tap water in Europe and the United States than those applied to the bottled water industry." [2]

EWG - Laboratory testing by EWG has found all sorts of nasty stuff in popular brands of bottled water - disinfection byproducts, industrial chemicals, prescription drugs and even bacteria. And unlike your local tap water utilities, which are required to test for contaminants each year and disclose the results to the public, the bottled water industry can hide the results of its testing. Knowledge is power, and with bottled water you'll likely know nothing about what you're drinking.An EWG investigation found that PET plastics - the kind used to make plastic water bottles and marked with a "1" code on the bottom - can contain dozens of chemical additives, manufacturing impurities and breakdown byproducts. That's more than 80 additional contaminants that could be leaching into your water. [3]

NCBI Studies

BPA - In recent years there have been several epidemiological studies and controlled animal experiments performed concerning the health effects of plastic components such as BPA and DEHP. Associations were found between exposure to these compounds and destructive effects on health and reproduction, such as early sexual maturation, decreased male fertility, aggressive behavior, and others. At present, BPA has been one of the first plastic materials to be recognized for its potential harm.

DEHP - There are similar issues with di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP). DEHP is the plasticizer most frequent used in polyvinyl chloride (PVC). There are particular concerns with human exposure, as this additive is not chemically bound to the plastics in which it is incorporated, and thus can leach out readily. Several rodent and human studies have found correlations between DEHP exposure and harmful health effects, including changes to the female and male reproductive systems, increased waist circumference and insulin resistance. [4]

In the U.S., researchers found that 94% of all water samples — including tap water from places like Trump Tower and the Environmental Protection Agency’s headquarters — were contaminated by plastic.

Brand

Absopure

Amway Perfect Water

Aquafina

Aqua Hydrate

Arrowhead

Chill [Super Chill]

Chippewa Water

Core

Crystal Geyser

Culligan

Dasani

Deer Park

Distilled

Drinking Water

Essentia

Eternal Water

Ethos

Evamor

Evian

Evolve

Fiji

Function

Gatorade

Gerber Pure Water

Great Value RO Water

Ice Canyon

Icelandic

Ice Mountain

Hilton Head, Tap

Ionized Water

Lassens

Life Water

Northern Chill

Penta

Perrier Water

Poland Spring Water

Propel Fitness Drink

[Nestle] Pure Life $1.00/gal.

Niagara

Real Water

Soda: Canned Diet Pepsi

Smartwater

Spring Water

Super Chill

Tap Water (Los Angeles City)

Vitaminwater

Volvic

Voss Water

Well Blue Pitcher [5]

7.5

7.2

5.0

9.0

6.8

7.5

5.5

7.5

6.5

8.0

5.0

6.3

5.0

4.5

9.5

7.0

8.0

7.5

8.0

7.0

5.0

3.5

6.5

7.5

8.0

6.5

8.0

6.0

7.0

4.0

5.5

6.0

3.6

6.5

5.0

8.0

3.2

6.0

7.0

7.5

3.4

7.5

5.5

9.5

[1] National Geographic Kids - Plastic Pollution

[2] ABC News - Study: Bottled Water No Safer Than Tap Water

[3] Environmental Working Group The Top 5 Reasons to Choose Filters over Bottles Water.

[4] NCBI PubMed - Plastics and Environmental Health: The Road Ahead

[5] Alkaline Water Plus - Analyzing & Comparing Brands of Bottled Water

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