Is it Healthier to Drink Local Bottled Water or Local Tap Water? Taylor Jones Dr. Joanna Castner Post Intro to College Writing What is your research question? Studies have shown there can be various distinguishing effects on the body and the environment from the consumption of tap water compared to the use of bottled water. In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with drinking tap water nor does it effect our environment. Bottled water, on the other hand, has an extensive effect on the environment because plastic bottles take so many years to biodegrade in our local landfills.
Consumers today spend a certain amount of money on bottled water that may not even be safe to drink. Spending a greater amount of money on something does not mean that it is a better quality or tastes any different, in this case. Also, prices on bottled water accumulate and increase over the years, which is illogical since the consumer is already spending money on local tap water. Consumers say that the taste of bottled water is better than tap water when really they are usually drinking the same thing.
I have heard from many locals that Conway tap water is “gross” but have those consumers even taken the time to look up what the local bottled water has in it? Sometimes I wonder if those consumers are just saying that because others told them that it’s not safe. The consumers hear that they are not to drink the local tap water so it’s automatically bad in their book. My proposal should show that the only thing different about tap water and bottled water is that our local tap water is essentially free and bottled water will charge you for, well, tap water.
Everyone already knows that plastic is bad for the environment so why would we continue to use it for storage of our water? In 2008, the University of Cincinnati scientists discovered that when it comes to BPA exposure from polycarbonate plastic bottles, it is not whether the container is new or old but the liquid’s temperature that has the most impact on how much BPA is released (Science Daily). Leaving a bottle of water in a car for a few days and drinking it is harmful to your body.
The chemicals used, such as BPA, to make the plastic in the bottle disperse into the water, as the plastic gets soft from the heat. Reporting in Natural Society, BPA contributes to Prostate Cancer, early onset puberty in girls, obesity, hyperactivity, brain damage, Breast Cancer, developmental problems on fetuses, infants, and children, and an alteration in gender-specific behavior in boys (2012). D. Flint suggests that plastic bottles are used to store different substances for consumption and cleaning.
Most of the time, people reuse plastic bottles a few times (eHow Contributor, July 2012). Even though plastic bottles are an easier way to package things, they also take years to biodegrade. According to The Effects of Bottled Water on the Environment, the energy required to manufacture and transport these bottles to market severely drains limited fossil fuels. The Natural Society mentioned in a recent study that at often times, the water that is sold in bottled water is tap water (2012).
This article also mentioned that it was similar to how the tobacco industry spent millions on “false” advertising, the bottled water industry spends billions each year to make you think you need their “pure” water. On the other hand, other companies who advertise for extra filtration systems on your tap water facets spend roughly the same amount of money on commercial advertisement as companies in the bottled water industry. What they don’t tell you is that by not buying bottled water and spending that money on tap water filtration systems such as the “Brita” filter, one can save money not only per month but year.
Not having to buy bottled water everyday not only saves you money on water but also in an exponential trend saves you money on gas from not having to travel back and forth to the grocery store to buy water and helps maintain the integrity of the environment in its natural state. According to A. Henshaw, Centers for Disease Control reports that the U. S. has the safest drinking water in the world. It also mentions that more than 286 million Americans get their water from a community water system (2012).
Wellness Sultana said that chemicals like chlorine and fluoride are used to treat the water and kill any germs that may exist in it but it is not enough to harm your body (K. Ashley). According to the investigation by the Associated Press, drinking water supplies in 24 major metropolitan areas were found to include drugs. The drugs get into the drinking supply through several routes: some people flush unneeded medication down toilets; other medicine gets into the water supply after people take medication, absorb some, and pass the rest out in urine or feces (K. Doheny).
According to Natural Society, tap water regulation is performed by the Environmental Protection Agency and does not undergo the same rules as the bottled water; the rules on tap water is much more strict that those of the FDA’s for bottled water (2012). Although the rules are much more strict than those of FDA’s, unfiltered tap water is not a healthy alternative. Unfiltered tap water, like bottled water, still contains a huge amount of harmful substances such as lead, arsenic, pharmaceutical drugs, recreational drugs, chlorine, fluoride, rocket fuel, and radiation (Natural Society, 2012). M.
Ryan reported that tap water is regulated under the strict standards of EPA but that some contaminants get by (Competitor, 2012). Why is this question important to you and to society? Water is essential to our bodies to keep our bodies healthy and most people recognize the importance of healthy habits. Personally, knowing what my body consumes is genuinely important. Most people would tell you they feel the same way unless they do not know any better. Consumers today are buying water filters to put on their faucet at home. This would be a cheaper way to get clean, purified water just from your faucet at home.
The Water Project is an organization that provides people without access to clean water, purified water. If the U. S. would cut the amount of money spent on bottled water, we could provide more helpless people with pure water across the world. According to Natural Society, when bottled water was first introduced, consumer’s thought it was a joke. How could companies put a price on what’s free and turn it into a commodity. To put this into perspective, buying bottled water is like buying oxygen; everyone has a right to clean water just as everyone has a right to clean, fresh air (2012).
The article also mentions that 60-70% of the bottled water that we drink does not go through the FDA rules, which proves that we don’t always get the cleanest bottled water (Natural Society, 2012). If we thought that buying bottled water was so ridiculous in the first place then why, as consumers, would we believe that it is a good idea today? Studies by M. Ryan show that Americans currently consume more than 9 million gallons of bottled water per year (Competitor, 2012). This is clearly going to stop up landfills since it takes so long for one bottle alone to biodegrade.
Studies have shown in other areas the bottled water they have tested is not as healthy as drinking the local tap water. Tap water is essentially better for your body. This factor is important to me because I really do not want to harm my body in any way. The death age increases throughout time because we are finding out about different products that bring harm to our bodies. If we continue to drink out of bottled water, I believe that the death rate that gradually increases now will begin to decrease because we are doing nothing to stop people from drinking out of bottles.
Drinking from bottles could be what is stopping our death rate from increasing. People today are lazy and drinking water from a bottle is a lot easier than getting a cup out and pouring water into our cups. How will you collect research to answer the question? So far my research has consisted of local advertisement and watching different plans of the water purification systems from various companies. Later on, my research will consist of, hopefully, an interview with an employee who works at the local Conway water purification center.
I plan on asking if they know anything about the local bottled water as well as the local tap water here in Conway. After that, I plan on looking in the Torreyson Library for articles over the local tap water. Another good source for information that I will take advantage of for my research is the newspaper to see not only local conflicts with their argument of preferring bottled water over tap water, but also taking a look nation wide and seeing how this topic is viewed. Can you pull off this research project in the time you have and with the resources available to you?
I believe that after I interview a member of EPA I will be able to get more information on the topic. This should help me get a better understanding of my general topic. I am hoping that the EPA member or an employee from Conway’s water purification center who I interview will be able to help me with getting a better picture and a more broad understanding of the topic itself. I’m also hoping they will be able to help break down the different steps to the purification of tap water. The only problem I have stumbled upon is getting enough information on the local bottled water here in Conway.
Other than that, I believe I have enough time to pull off the research project. References Amidor, T. (2012). Should You Drink Bottled Water or Tap Water? Retrieved from http://blog. foodnetwork. com/healthyeats/2012/02/14/should-you-drink-bottled-water-or-tap-water/ Ashley, K. (, June 6). [Web log message] Retrieved from http://wellnesssultana. blogspot. com/2012/06/is-tap-water-bad-for-you. html Conway Corporation. (2012, January 1). Report on the City of Conway’s Water Quality for 2011. Retrieved from http://www. onwaycorp. com/uploadedFiles/Services/Water-Wastewater/Water Report 2011. pdf Henshaw, A. (2012, August 21). 8 Interesting Facts About Tap Water. Retrieved from http://www. symptomfind. com/nutrition-supplements/facts-about-tap-water/ Natural Society. (2012). The Bottled Water Industry Deception. Retrieved from http://naturalsociety. com/the-bottled-water-deception/ Ryan, M. (2012, April 17). Water: Bottled or Tap? Retrieved from http://running. competitor. com/2012/04/nutrition/water-bottled-or-tap_51081
