5 Reasons Why You Should Stop Drinking Bottled Water Right Now

By Fattima Mahdi Truth Theory

Water is essential for our survival. Unfortunately, big corporations have capitalised on this demand and have turned water into a commodity. These corporations have done a great job of making us believe that bottled water is healthier. For example, Evian’s slogan is “live young” and this implies that drinking their brand of bottled water will likely revitalise us and keep us youthful.

Bottled water companies have made many of us skeptical of filtered water. To make matters worse, a lot of us have grown accustomed to the taste of bottled water, which is why we look to the ice cold fridges, and not to filtered water, when we want to quench our thirst. Despite the temptation, there are plenty of reasons to skip bottled water altogether.

Water bottles are not sustainable

Plastic bottles present a very big problem for our environment. They are manufactured using oil and other non-renewable resources which take hundreds of years to break down. In addition, “biodegradable” bottles don’t break down as easily as the label suggests, they are just made using less plastic.

Bottled water contains toxins

Plastic water bottles contain toxins. According to the NPR, the toxins in plastic products can “leach in and contaminate” the containers contents. Some of the industrial chemicals used in plastics can act like a hormone and can have an impact on the brain development of babies.

Bottled water may come from the tap

When we watch bottled water adverts, we are led to believe that our H2O is being sourced from the volcanic regions and heavenly springs. In reality, this may not be the case. TODAY estimated that 25% of the bottled water being sold has actually come from the tap before being sealed. So, you’re better off filtering water, opposed to buying it from companies.

Bottled water may be less safe than filtered water

Tap water has to meet a number of health and safety regulations before it is distributed.  However, it is important to note that bottled water does not have to adhere to the same regulations. Due to this oversight, bottled water can be less safe and more likely to contain harmful toxins (as described above), than water from the tap which has been filtered.

Just because companies brand their water with words such as “purified”, it does not mean that this is actually the case. Sadly, you really have no idea if your bottled water is in fact safe.

Water bottle production actually wastes water

Plastic needs a lot of water to be produced. Ironically, it takes a lot of water to make water bottles. NPR estimates that it could take 6 to 7 bottles worth of water to make the container. That is a lot of waste! You could just pour yourself a glass of water from the tap and filter it.

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