Tap Water v. Bottled Water
 

An interesting question arose from a post in Politics even though what started as a joke, quickly degenerated into an AC cluster [censored].

The issue is -- Considering environmental impact, health and well-being, cost and enjoyment, what is better: tap water (filtered if you like) or bottled water, such as Poland Springs, Evian, etc.

Pros and Cons

Bottled water wastes an incredible amount of resources in its packaging.

Bottled water's packaging is harmful to the environment, as non-recylced plastics take very long to degrade.

Bottled water takes a resource that is for everyone and turns it into a commodity that not everyone can afford.

Bottled water is expensive. Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?

Most tap water has less bacteria and other contaminates.
--------------------------
Bottled water tastes better (to those who buy it presumably).

You look cooler in a restaurant drinking bottled water as opposed to tap.

Bottled water is often more convenient (for carrying around, etc.).

The difference in cost, for a single person, maybe a couple of hundred a year, is minimal.

My building may have rusty pipes or other contaminates.

The debate made me seriously question for the first time my purchasing of bottled water. (I live in NYC, btw).

Any insights from the Lounge?

Re: Tap Water v. Bottled Water
 

Some bottled water lacks fluoride.

Re: Tap Water v. Bottled Water
 

[ QUOTE ]
Some bottled water lacks fluoride.

[/ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]
General Jack D. Ripper: Mandrake, do you realize that in addition to fluoridating water, why, there are studies underway to fluoridate salt, flour, fruit juices, soup, sugar, milk... ice cream. Ice cream, Mandrake, children's ice cream.
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Lord, Jack.
General Jack D. Ripper: You know when fluoridation first began?
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: I... no, no. I don't, Jack.
General Jack D. Ripper: Nineteen hundred and forty-six. Nineteen forty-six, Mandrake. How does that coincide with your post-war Commie conspiracy, huh? It's incredibly obvious, isn't it? A foreign substance is introduced into our precious bodily fluids without the knowledge of the individual. Certainly without any choice. That's the way your hard-core Commie works.
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Uh, Jack, Jack, listen, tell me, tell me, Jack. When did you first... become... well, develop this theory?
General Jack D. Ripper: Well, I, uh... I... I... first became aware of it, Mandrake, during the physical act of love.
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Hmm.
General Jack D. Ripper: Yes, a uh, a profound sense of fatigue... a feeling of emptiness followed. Luckily I... I was able to interpret these feelings correctly. Loss of essence.
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Hmm.
General Jack D. Ripper: I can assure you it has not recurred, Mandrake. Women uh... women sense my power and they seek the life essence. I, uh... I do not avoid women, Mandrake.
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: No.
General Jack D. Ripper: But I... I do deny them my essence.

[/ QUOTE ]

Perhaps this post isn't totally TLDR material, but we're allowed to tell jokes here, right?

Re: Tap Water v. Bottled Water
 

A lot of bottled water is simply purified (R/O, distilled, etc) tap water.

Re: Tap Water v. Bottled Water
 

[ QUOTE ]
The debate made me seriously question for the first time my purchasing of bottled water. (I live in NYC, btw).


[/ QUOTE ]

Ditto here. Enviromental impact of all this plastic is pretty big, I suppose. "Convenience" pros are easily rebutted by filling the one bottle you have with tap water over and over. I think I will stop buying bottled water for now, unless I get convinced that tap water tastes bad.

Re: Tap Water v. Bottled Water
 

[ QUOTE ]
purified

[/ QUOTE ]

Yummy.

Buying bottled water on any type of regular basis is really not a wise decision. Not only for all the reasons listed by the OP, but not a financially sound decision either.

A consumer can get purified water at their kitchen sink for a LOT less money in buying a reverse osmosis system for their home. A lot more convenient as well as better than most bottled waters.

Re: Tap Water v. Bottled Water
 

I used to HATE people who insisted on bottled water. The town I grew up in has really good tap water though. I live in the Boston area now, and the water is so gross--I drink mostly bottled now.

Re: Tap Water v. Bottled Water
 

[ QUOTE ]
unless I get convinced that tap water tastes bad.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not sure why people are so concerned about how water looks or tastes. We're talking about something so important to our bodies. More than half of our bodies are water. Loss of 15-20 of water in our bodies can be fatal. It quenches thirst, aids digestion, cools the body, flushes out wastes, carries nutrients to cells, reduces risk of kidney stones, lubricates joins, relieves headaches, curbs appetite and snacking.

• 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.

• In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it’s often mistaken for hunger.

• Even mild dehydration will slow down one’s metabolism by as much as 3%

• One glass of water shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of dieters studied in a University of Washington study.

• Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.

• Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of high quality water could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.

• A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or printed page.

• Drinking five glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.

Considering all these things, doesn't it just make sense to replenish the body with the highest quality water possible?

Re: Tap Water v. Bottled Water
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
unless I get convinced that tap water tastes bad.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not sure why people are so concerned about how water looks or tastes. We're talking about something so important to our bodies. More than half of our bodies are water. Loss of 15-20 of water in our bodies can be fatal. It quenches thirst, aids digestion, cools the body, flushes out wastes, carries nutrients to cells, reduces risk of kidney stones, lubricates joins, relieves headaches, curbs appetite and snacking.

• 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.

• In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it’s often mistaken for hunger.

• Even mild dehydration will slow down one’s metabolism by as much as 3%

• One glass of water shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of dieters studied in a University of Washington study.

• Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.

• Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of high quality water could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.

• A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or printed page.

• Drinking five glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.

Considering all these things, doesn't it just make sense to replenish the body with the highest quality water possible?

[/ QUOTE ]
my BSometer went off like crazy when i read this list. it's hilariously retarded sounding, and of course you cite no source.

so i searched snopes, and sure enough the whole thing is pure BS from some 2001 bulk email.

i always wonder why people don't do their research before spouting this stuff as gospel. when you see a list of bullet points with references to "studies" and percentages, you should doubt the sht out of it.

glad to be of service.

i drink bottled water because it tastes better btw.

Re: Tap Water v. Bottled Water
 

Threads on this come up periodically on 2+2. If I do say so, there's usually some serious misinformation tossed about. I've been picky about my water for years, so have tried to keep on top of the issue. Still, the answer, IMO, is a bit muddled. A few points:

1) Those who insist tap water is generally purer than bottled are only right if they're talking about some instances of spring water which has been left unprocessed. Bottled water consisting of tap water purified by reverse osmosis or distillation is obviously purer than unprocessed tap water.

Moreover, the tap water in many US cities does contain some toxins you really shouldn't want to drink. Arsenic is a good example. Some cites, like Albuequerque, have very high levels of arsenic in their tap water:

http://www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/u...lbuquerque.pdf

So there can be good reason to want to drink something purer than the straight tap water of your city.

2) Muddying the waters though (no pun) is the issue of the environmental impact of bottled water. It's certainly an important consideration.

3) Also, complicating the issue is that there is evidence that drinking water stored in plastic may not be good for you. Many kinds of plastics leach substances such as BPA, thought to interfere with the endocrine system:

http://www.ourstolenfuture.org/

So bottled water may have its own problems.

Incidentally, Nalgene sports water bottles may be among the worst offenders in this regard. There are stainless steel and other alternatives.

4) You can install a home reverse osmosis system, or a home distiller. If you don't care about the wasted water in the former or the extra power usage in the latter it could be the way to go. (But those are environmental considerations too.) Distillation probably does the slightly better job of purifying water. Both remove arsenic and almost all other harmful sustances.

5) One good way to go, is to live in a town with exceptionally pure tap water. I'm lucky enough to find myself in this situation now. We use an under-the-sink filter as well, just to get out some basics like residual chlorine.

If we lived elsewhere, I'd seriously consider RO or distillation.

Re: Tap Water v. Bottled Water
 

[ QUOTE ]
i drink bottled water because it tastes better btw.

[/ QUOTE ]

haha. Well, good for you anyway. Save yourself some money and what not with a home RO system.

Thanks for the link. I'll check this out. Regardless of the validity of these points, the importance of water to our body and health (not just water, high quality water) is unquestionable.

Re: Tap Water v. Bottled Water
 

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-38689228117046242&q=[censored]+Water

Some of it must be taken with a grain of salt; but an interesting view nonetheless.

Re: Tap Water v. Bottled Water
 

Nice post John. One point I'll add to your Distilliation > RO is that not all RO systems are created equally. The same goes with the waste water. There are systems that have only a 1:1 waste ratio. Also, another concern is that RO systems store their water in a plastic bladder in a holding tank. I like the idea that many manufacters have of putting a 0.5 micron carbon block filter after the holding tank as the water goes to the faucet.

Re: Tap Water v. Bottled Water
 

[ QUOTE ]
A lot of bottled water is simply purified (R/O, distilled, etc) tap water.

[/ QUOTE ]

Some is, some isn't.

While I'm not a big bottled water drinker, I've done litmus tests on my tap vs. poland spring water, and there was a definate difference in the pH.

Re: Tap Water v. Bottled Water
 

[ QUOTE ]
An interesting question arose from a post in Politics even though what started as a joke, quickly degenerated into an AC cluster [censored].

The issue is -- Considering environmental impact, health and well-being, cost and enjoyment, what is better: tap water (filtered if you like) or bottled water, such as Poland Springs, Evian, etc.

Pros and Cons

Bottled water wastes an incredible amount of resources in its packaging.

[/ QUOTE ]
Some truth to this.
[ QUOTE ]

Bottled water's packaging is harmful to the environment, as non-recylced plastics take very long to degrade.


[/ QUOTE ]

So recycle the bottles. Most recyclers take PET bottles.
[ QUOTE ]

Bottled water takes a resource that is for everyone and turns it into a commodity that not everyone can afford.


[/ QUOTE ]
So what? If you can't afford bottled, use tap.
[ QUOTE ]

Bottled water is expensive. Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?


[/ QUOTE ]
Agreed.
[ QUOTE ]

Most tap water has less bacteria and other contaminates.


[/ QUOTE ]
Evidence?
--------------------------
[ QUOTE ]

Bottled water tastes better (to those who buy it presumably).


[/ QUOTE ]
Not that I've noticed.
[ QUOTE ]

You look cooler in a restaurant drinking bottled water as opposed to tap.


[/ QUOTE ]
Yeah, right.
[ QUOTE ]

Bottled water is often more convenient (for carrying around, etc.).


[/ QUOTE ]
Buy 1 bottle of water, refill with tap water as needed.
[ QUOTE ]

The difference in cost, for a single person, maybe a couple of hundred a year, is minimal.


[/ QUOTE ]
But still not worth it, IMO.
[ QUOTE ]

My building may have rusty pipes or other contaminates.


[/ QUOTE ]

A little rust won't hurt you. Lead, OTOH ...
A filter will take care of rust. I'm not sure about lead.
[ QUOTE ]

The debate made me seriously question for the first time my purchasing of bottled water. (I live in NYC, btw).

Any insights from the Lounge?

[/ QUOTE ]

The tap water where I live (Denver) is good enough that I hardly ever buy bottled. It can get a little chlorine taste sometimes, but that really doesn't bother me much. If I lived somewhere where the city water tasted bad, I might buy bottled or filter it. If I want really good tasting water, I go high in the mountains and find some coming right out of a spring or a snowfield.

Re: Tap Water v. Bottled Water
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
A lot of bottled water is simply purified (R/O, distilled, etc) tap water.

[/ QUOTE ]

Some is, some isn't.

While I'm not a big bottled water drinker, I've done litmus tests on my tap vs. poland spring water, and there was a definate difference in the pH.

[/ QUOTE ]

H2o that is free of contaminants (as in anything that is not h20) always has a pH lower than 7

Re: Tap Water v. Bottled Water
 

These days I drink nothing but water. In fact, the last time I had anything non-water to drink was almost a month ago. That's besides the point. I always drink bottled water. To me, there is a definite quality difference between bottled water and tap water. Even with a Pur water filter, my tap water doesn't taste nearly as good as bottled water.

The best bottled water I've tasted is the Fiji water. It's expensive, but wow is it ever good.

Re: Tap Water v. Bottled Water
 

if you guys ever get bored of always water, green tea is pretty good too

Re: Tap Water v. Bottled Water
 

My tap water smells like chlorine so I drink bottled water.

Re: Tap Water v. Bottled Water
 

just get a brita so u can filter ur tap water...that way it's almost as good as bottled water at a fraction of the price...

Re: Tap Water v. Bottled Water
 

Didn't CR do a blind taste test a few years ago in which NYC tap water beat all the bottled waters in taste?

Re: Tap Water v. Bottled Water
 

FIJI PLEASE

Re: Tap Water v. Bottled Water
 

[ QUOTE ]
Didn't CR do a blind taste test a few years ago in which NYC tap water beat all the bottled waters in taste?

[/ QUOTE ]
It wouldn't surprise me, but it would seem to me that someone who drinks tap water most often will be more inclined to say tap water tastes better in part because they're more used to it. The reverse for someone who drinks bottled water more regularly. Is this the case? And if so, was this controlled for in the test?

Either way, I drink bottled water because it's not a problem financially, it's more convenient for me, and I think it tastes better. I used a Brita filter for a while but I drink a lot and I like my water cold, so it was a bit of a hassle. I still use it for making tea though.

Re: Tap Water v. Bottled Water
 

[ QUOTE ]
One point I'll add to your Distilliation > RO is that not all RO systems are created equally. The same goes with the waste water. There are systems that have only a 1:1 waste ratio. Also, another concern is that RO systems store their water in a plastic bladder in a holding tank. I like the idea that many manufacters have of putting a 0.5 micron carbon block filter after the holding tank as the water goes to the faucet.

[/ QUOTE ]

Those are good additional points.

I'll add that in the last couple of years I've seen a couple of filters that claim to reduce arsenic. (Typically, you've needed RO or distillation to do that.) But I haven't looked into them in any detail.

Re: Tap Water v. Bottled Water
 

www.nsf.org is a great place to check these things out.

http://www.nsf.org/consumer/drinking...ogram=WaterTre

Has a great contaminant Guide and also has a "Search for NSF-Certified Products" section where you can look for certified products by contaminant removal/reduction or you can check out a certain manufactures.

http://www.nsf.org/Certified/DWTU/

At any rate, the Kinetico Reverse Osmosis System Plus Deluxe is by far my favorite equipment. Lots of great features and the longest warranty in the industry by a long shot at 7 years.

http://www.kinetico.com/Kinetico/EN/Resi...em+Plus+Deluxe/

That's what I use in my home anyway.

Re: Tap Water v. Bottled Water
 

interesting. i prefer the taste of bottled water too, although i drink both tap and bottled water equally happily, just whichever is closest when i want it.

by the way, can water 'go off'? sounds stupid but sometimes if i drink say 1/2 a bottle of water and then forget about it for 2 days, when i find it again i dont drink the rest, just toss it

Re: Tap Water v. Bottled Water
 

I've noticed the exact same thing with bottled water even if it gets opened and then put away for a couple days with the cap on. I don't know if it's some sort of weird psychological difference or if there really is a difference.

Re: Tap Water v. Bottled Water
 

[ QUOTE ]


The best bottled water I've tasted is the Fiji water. It's expensive, but wow is it ever good.

[/ QUOTE ]

QFT

Re: Tap Water v. Bottled Water
 

[ QUOTE ]
by the way, can water 'go off'? sounds stupid but sometimes if i drink say 1/2 a bottle of water and then forget about it for 2 days, when i find it again i dont drink the rest, just toss it

[/ QUOTE ]

In a way it does. What happens is that the dissolved air in the water slowly outgasses over time. The same sort of thing as a soda going flat. While the water doesn't go bad, it does affect how it tastes.

Re: Tap Water v. Bottled Water
 

This is somewhat true, but it's not the whole picture. It's true that water does contain dissolved gasses, and these gasses affect the flavor. Have you ever drunk boiled water, say, while out camping or something? It tastes pretty bad, having lost almost all dissolved gasses. Bottled water, though, is going to be pretty close to equilibrium when it's bottled (if there was much of an exess of dissolved gasses, we'd call it carbonated water), so there's not much outgassing that can occur UNLESS it warms up. An open bottle of water in your fridge won't outgas hardly at all, but if it warms up to room temperature, its capacity for holding dissolved gasses diminishes, and it'll lose some.