Negative Essay On Bottled Water

hat sentence sums up one of the major problems with bottled water. Humans on average consume A LOT of water. We need it to survive. However many people simply prefer the ease of using a plastic water bottle to that of say a tap or even something like a Brita. While bottled water does provide access to clean drinking water it often comes with some consequences to humans, animals, and the environment. From what bottles are made out of and how they are made, to how they are disposed of, can cause lasting impacts on humans and this planet. Not to say that all bottled water is bad. Bottled water can save lives in emergency situations. Bottled water can be a lifesaving thing to have after natural disasters, or in instances when access to fresh
According to One Green Planet, The United States consumes on average the most bottles of water. Followed in second by Mexico, then Brazil, and China. This means that it is mostly developed countries and not developing countries using bottled water. I found an interesting study done by BMC about the health beliefs surrounding bottled water. Its findings concluded that, “Convenience, cost, and taste were influential factors when making decisions as to whether to buy bottled water; health beliefs were unimportant motivating factors” (Ward et al.). In this study most people did not see that there was any health benefit or difference from drinking bottled water in comparison to tap. This makes me think then, why are so many people choosing convenience over this planet’s environment and the health of all who are on it? After all a Brita, which is still made of plastic, but is a much more environmentally friendly option, isn’t being used more frequently to replace bottled water. Even now water filters that connect right to ones tap that filter ones water. Some bottled water is not even really “filtered” and is simply tap water after all. Brands of water and how pure they are can be
Both good and bad consequences. Bottle water makes it easier for people to consume water. Bottles are portable, they have lids that can close, can be bought for “relatively” cheap, and even comes in different fruit flavors. All of this makes people more inclined to choose water over highly sweetened, caloric beverages. The more water people drink the better off they are especially in the place of sugary drinks that can play a factor in obesity and diabetes outcomes of populations. Plastic water bottles can be good but also bad. Bottles in general and their production can cause some serious environmental issues, “It takes over 1.5 million barrels of oil to meet the demand of U.S. water bottle manufacturing. This amount of oil far exceeds the amount needed to power 100,000 for a year, which does not include fossil fuel and emissions costs of greenhouse gases needed to transport the final product to market” (Water Project). Aside from that, marine life can swallow plastic caps and bottles, thinking it is a source of food and that can cause death or serious internal issues to the marine life. Residents, especially farmers, near water plants can have water shortages since so much water is needed to make bottled water. Plastic water bottles are also made with BPA and PVC. With these chemicals and others carcinogens can be released if the bottles are not stored correctly or are exposed to extreme heat. Water