Comparing Bottled Water and Tap Water

In recent years the arguments against the bottled water industry have become

much more prevalent, as well as prominent in the arena of social and political debate.

Those who argue in favor of bottled water cite convenience and health among their

number one reasons. Those opposed the promulgation of the purchase and consumption

of bottled water cite that it is in fact, less stringently regulated and tested for impurities

than tap water, these opponents also claim that bottled waters’ environmental toll far

outweighs the positives in regard to convenience. So what exactly are the facts? Bottled

water is obviously more convenient, but is it safer?

Although some of the public water supplies in America, from which Americans

routinely get their tap water, are less than perfect, this fact does not make bottled water

any safer than tap. Each is upheld to a somewhat different set of standards. Bottled water

is not necessarily better for you than tap, and may in some instances be worse. It is also

much more expensive, takes more energy to produce and the potential determent it has

created environmentally far outweighs any benefits of its convenience.

Since bottled water is considered a food product, it is regulated by the Food and

Drug Administration (FDA), whose standards are somewhat different than those of the

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which is the governing body overseeing the

safety and regulation of tap water, derived from public water supplies.

On one side of the argument is the International Resource Defense Council

(NRDC), who argues that the, “FDA provides no specific requirements – such as

proximity to industrial facilities, underground storage ta...

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...resulting from many factors, placed on our water sources, is evidence to me that

we could stand to become a little more mindful of the situation and how our

“convenience” impacts the lives of others and the rest of the world.

Works Cited

Glennon, Robert. Unquenchable: America's Water Crisis and What to Do About IT.

Washington.Covela.Londin: Island, 2009. Print.

Howard, Brian C. "Meaage in a Bottle: Despite the Hype, Bottled Water Is Neither

Cleaner or Greener." Emagazine.com Sept. 2003: 1-14. Google. Web. 07 May

2010.

Priesnitz, Wendy. "Bottle Water or Tap Water?" The Reference Shelf : Water Supply. 2nd

ed. Vol. 80. New York: H.W. Wilson Co, 2008. 42-45. Print.

Royte, Elizabeth. Bottlemania. New York.Berlin.London: Bloomsbury, 2008. Print.

Stern, Steven. "Bottle Water Faces Backlash." Cnn.com. 22 Apr. 2010. Web. 7 May

2010.