Mr. Riley's Reflecting Pool: Bottled Water: Not So Crystal Clear

Over the past few weeks, we've been learning all about issues. We've read a number sources on a given issue that were one-sided and two-sided. The issue I researched was bottled water because we have a bit bottled water dispenser in our kitchen at home, and I wanted to find out whether it was worth it or not.

I learned so much as a reader and writer in this unit. Click on the Vocaroo link to learn more:

Want to see what I think about bottled water? Just read on:

Picture this. A couple sits down for dinner in a respectable restaurant. Menu in hand, a friendly waiter approaches and recommends a well-known bottled water brand, as it is their best seller. Moments later he returns to the table with a bottle of crystal clear water. What the couple doesn’t know is that there really isn’t difference between this bottle of water and the water they get out of their tap at home. Truth be told bottled water is a complete myth. Not only that, it is outrageously expensive, and it causes a ton of waste.

Sure, some people say that bottled water is a safer and healthier option over tap water. Needless to say, that’s a complete myth. According to the Chris Baskind, author of “5 reasons not to drink bottled water,” there is “very little empirical evidence that suggests bottled water is any cleaner or better for you than its tap equivalent.” Many scientists and doctors agree. As Dr. Aaron Margolin, a microbiologist, explains “there is actually no difference between the New York City tap water and the bottled waters that we evaluated” in tests for bacteria. In fact, some bottled water companies draw water from the same source as municipal water. That said, the evidence is clear. Bottled water is not any safer or healthier than tap water.

Not only that, bottled water is way too expensive. Baskind notes that a $1 bottle of water in a vending machine costs 5 cents an ounce whereas the cost of gasoline, which goes for over $3 a gallon at the pump, costs only 2 cents an ounce. That’s surprising since gasoline is much more difficult to locate, process, and refine than water. It’s no wonder that loads of companies are trying to break into the bottled water industry. Baskind argues, “In terms of price versus production cost, bottled water puts Big Oil to shame.” The real shame also belongs to the people who buy it.

The thing is, the issue of bottled water doesn’t end at the kitchen table. Every bottle of water produced by bottled water companies adds to another drastic problem, waste. According to safebottles.com, approximately 100 million plastic water bottles are used daily worldwide. And where do all of these plastic bottles end up? The National Resources Defense Council reports, “Over 80 percent of plastic bottles (that’s 80 million plastic bottles each day) are simply thrown away.” That’s 1.3 million tons of plastic waste that fills landfills or finds its way to the ocean every year. In fact, there is a growing "garbage patch" of plastic estimated to be more than twice the size of Texas floating in the North Pacific Ocean, according to Back2Tap.com. Environmentalist Charles Moore adds, “People think the ocean is like a lake and we can go out with nets and just clean it up. Most of this plastic is in tiny pieces and it's everywhere. And it won’t degrade for 700 years. All we can do is stop putting more of it in.” So even if we do away with buying bottled water, the bottles aren’t going away anytime soon.

In short, bottled water is all washed up. With it’s murky misconceptions, preposterous “price at the pump,” and evil environmental effects, it’s amazing that the bottled water business is still booming. At least you’ll know what to do the next time a waiter offers you a refreshing glass of bottled water.

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