Is Tap Water or Bottled Water Healthier?

[Lewis]

I don't know about this, I drink spring water only and tap water only when I have to. I cook with tap water and I shower with it, but that is as far as it goes.
Now they are saying that tap water is better than spring water I don't thinks so, and tap water taste really bad to me. Now the only advantage tap water has over spring water is the Fluoride for your teeth. but tap water is some bad tasting water. I don't buy that tap water wins stuff, because God's natural water is best if it is unpolluted.

Tap water wins again and again and again and again.


We all know that bottled water has a larger carbon footprint than tap water. Those bottled water people have to harvest water, construct a plastic bottle for it, ship it the water to the bottles or the bottles to the water. Then they have to transfer the products to stores, refrigerate a percentage of the bottles and then consumers have to drive to store and get the bottled water. It's a mess, a mess I tell you.
<="" p="">
Is Bottled Water Less Polluted?
No.
According to a study by the Environmental Working Group, bottled water is just as polluted as a tap water. In fact, twenty percent of bottled water has more chlorine than California's state regulations will allow in tap water.
We should stop polluting our water. That's what we should really learn from this.
Is Bottled Water Subjected to Higher Health Standards than Bottled Water?
Nope.
The FDA sets standards for bottled water, while the EPA sets standards for tap water. Tap water is tested for contaminants hundreds of times a month while bottled water gets tested only once a week.
Here are a few shocking finds made by the NRDC:


<="" p="">Here are a few shocking finds made by the NRDC:
For example, one brand of "spring water" whose label pictured a lake and mountains, actually came from a well in an industrial facility's parking lot, near a hazardous waste dump, and periodically was contaminated with industrial chemicals at levels above FDA standards.


According to government and industry estimates, about one fourth of bottled water is bottled tap water (and by some accounts, as much as 40 percent is derived from tap water)—sometimes with additional treatment, sometimes not.


City tap water can have no confirmed E. coli or fecal coliform bacteria (bacteria that are indications of possible contamination by fecal matter). FDA bottled water rules include no such prohibition (a certain amount of any type of coliform bacteria is allowed in bottled water).


Any violation of tap-water standards is grounds for enforcement—but bottled water in violation of standards can still be sold if it is labeled as "containing excessive chemicals" or "excessive bacteria" (unless FDA finds it "adulterated," a term not specifically defined).


City water systems must issue annual "right-to-know" reports telling consumers what is in their water; as detailed in this report, bottlers successfully killed such a requirement for bottled water.




Read the report for more shocking information about bottled water.
Air Pollution
Bottled water has a large carbon footprint which contributes to air pollution and global warming. Air pollution can cause respiratory problems. Global warming can cause other, civilization-crippling problems.
Think about this. Water companies are usually run by city or county municipalities, by people you know and have elected. The people who operate the water supply have a vested interest in keeping the water supply clean. They drink and bathe in that water. Their kids drink and bathe in that water.
On the other hand, a bottled water company may be located somewhere around the world. These corporate heads are not elected officials. They don't know you. They do not have any local stake in their water, and if they are selling industrial parking-lot water than they probably know better than to drink it.
Yet, some people do not trust tap water. Why?
More on Bottled Water
The Only Bottled Water Worth Buying Costs $20
Skip the Bottled Water: It's Dirty
50 Million Reasons to Keep Bottled Water Out of Your Travel Plans

Which is Healthier: Tap Water or Bottled Water? - Planet Green

 

[tooblessed]

I suppose as long as our water sources remains external and we can't access our own personal Wells, looks like we're stuck with what they dish out. Who can we trust these days when money is involved?

I always thought those who travel to Wells for their water were better off and building water pumps and the like for them is not a good idea.

 

[jasoncran]

florida gets it water from the aquifer 1000ft down.

considering that pollutants can get there its not that safe at times.

 

[reba]

For 10 years i worked maintiance at a water bottling plant. Our plant bottled SPRING water. I tested it all the time we ozoned and filtered from the spring to the bottle was about 4 minutes. The water was God given clear! Nestle Corp bought them out about 10 years ago, and the plant is now dormate.

The point is some bottled water is good. We fought a battle for SPRING water. If the the label says spring water it should be spring water. If it doesn't say spring it is just tap water.

 

[jasoncran]

some bottled water say spring but arent.

i think evian is one of those.

when i was in aghanistan we have water from nestle , and it wasnt pure spring water.

how could i tell when we frooze it, and took it from the freezer it was cool, but as soon as we opened it frooze!

that means its has salts etc.

 

[Igor]

I think the comparison to tap water depends a lot on where you are. I've traveled around the US considerably and drank some pretty nasty tap water, and also had some that was pretty good (at least as far as taste). I'm lucky in that where I live now, the tap water is pretty much the same as spring water. The small town runs their own wells and tests the water regularly. The tests consistently show it to be pure enough that it doesn't require anything to be added to it (at least so they tell us). As far as taste, it seems to be every bit as good as any of the bottled water I have tried.

Just a few miles north of me is one of the large water bottling companies that ships water all over the US. I am told by one of their employees that all they do is pump the water out of the same aquifer that my tap water comes from, filter it, and put it in the little bottles that contain a few mouthfuls and people pay over $1.00 for.

The surprising thing is that, because of great marketing strategies, even the people where I live pay lots of money to buy those little bottles, and are convinced it is so much better for them than our tap water! I wish I had thought of that business!!! We also have really good air here too. Maybe I could start filling ziplock bags with it and selling it to people in polluted areas... Hmmm

 

[jasoncran]

I think the comparison to tap water depends a lot on where you are. I've traveled around the US considerably and drank some pretty nasty tap water, and also had some that was pretty good (at least as far as taste). I'm lucky in that where I live now, the tap water is pretty much the same as spring water. The small town runs their own wells and tests the water regularly. The tests consistently show it to be pure enough that it doesn't require anything to be added to it (at least so they tell us). As far as taste, it seems to be every bit as good as any of the bottled water I have tried.

Just a few miles north of me is one of the large water bottling companies that ships water all over the US. I am told by one of their employees that all they do is pump the water out of the same aquifer that my tap water comes from, filter it, and put it in the little bottles that contain a few mouthfuls and people pay over $1.00 for.

The surprising thing is that, because of great marketing strategies, even the people where I live pay lots of money to buy those little bottles, and are convinced it is so much better for them than our tap water! I wish I had thought of that business!!! We also have really good air here too. Maybe I could start filling ziplock bags with it and selling it to people in polluted areas... Hmmm

here

National Trust's latest PR push

 

[Igor]

here

National Trust's latest PR push

LOL. Well, there ya go. Once again, I'm a day late and a dollar short!

 

[jasoncran]

yrs ago i heard of that in japan, btw the purest water is called reverse osmosis, but you cant drink that in large amounts.

you will die. where i work we use that process and then put the minerals back in.

 

[reba]

Most of Nestles water comes from the LA basin. Nasty



This is just too creepy these ads are too fast with knowing what is in my mind......

 

[PouringRain]

Where I live we can not drink the water.

 

[Lewis]

Our bodies are 70% water.
Think about that—almost three quarters of your body is water.
Shouldn't that water be as pure as possible?
You may be thinking, "Well isn't water water?"
Technically yes, H2O is H2O, but it's what's in that water that makes all the difference.
Summit Spring Water is extraordinarily pure just as it bubbles from the spring. And the few trace minerals that are even detectable in testing are essential to your health.
It's nature's perfect hydration solution and there's no other spring water like it.
What most people don't think about is what's in most other kinds of water and man-made beverages they consume regularly and in large quantities. Below we've listed a number of interesting facts to consider when you make a choice as to what
you want your body to be made of.

What’s wrong with municipal tap water?
Is chlorine really that bad?
What about Fluoridation?
Doesn’t my filter take care of all of those contaminants?
Can water really make that much of a difference?
What about other bottled waters?
Isn’t all spring water the same?
Aren’t spring water companies destroying and hoarding a valuable natural resource?
Does Summit Spring Water really taste that much better?
Two Different Kinds of Bottled Water?

What’s wrong with municipal tap water?

It’s true that municipal water supplies are regulated by the federal government to ensure that they comply with federally mandated safe drinking water standards. But safety in this case means that chemicals like chlorine have been used to kill living organisms that can cause harm. If these chemicals kill other living organisms can they really be good for human consumption? They may not kill us in the short term but what are they doing to us over the course of our lives?
The other consideration is that although municipal water meets certain criteria when it leaves the building there’s really no way of knowing what kinds of contaminants are being picked up along the way from the plant to your tap. It’s a long system of pipes that lead through cities and towns (some built during the Lincoln administration), across your yard, into your home and through the copper, PVC, or lead pipes throughout your home. Summit Spring Water comes from the spring, through a short stainless steel pipe and right into a sterile container, that’s it.
Is chlorine really that bad?

Well, consider the fact that if you buy a tropical fish it will most likely come with a warning not to put it into freshly drawn tap water because the chlorine may sicken or kill it. You’ll be advised to let the water sit in an open container to off-gas the chlorine over the course of a couple of days. In fact, many municipal water treatment plants keep fish in tanks as an early warning system to identify problems with the levels of
chlorine in their water.
There's quite a bit of concern in the medical community that the current boom of GastroEsophageal Reflux Disease (GERD or Acid Reflux) may be linked to drinking chlorinated tap water. The belief is that chlorine (even in small amounts) kills off the good bacteria in our stomachs just as it kills the bad bacterial in the municipal water system. That throws off the chemical balance in the gut, causing unnaturally high acidity and poor absorption of vital nutrients. Many healthcare providers recommend drinking natural spring water exclusively. Furthermore, they warn against drinking other bottled and fountain beverages, all of which are likely to contain chlorine. You'll find more detailed information about the link to GERD here.
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What about Fluoridation?

Most municipal water supplies are fluoridated. Although Fluoridation programs have done wonders for the prevention of tooth decay, the fact is that fluoride is a poison. Doesn’t it make more sense to use a fluoride toothpaste or rinse to prevent tooth decay rather than guzzling it every day along with your much-needed water consumption?
Doesn’t my filter take care of all of those contaminants?

Many people take precautions by installing expensive whole-house filtration systems or point-of-consumption filters under sinks. Others use filtering pitchers to make their water taste better. Although these systems certainly improve the taste of the water and may minimize the level of chemical and organic contaminants, most can’t remove every harmful component. The best bet is to start with pure clean water in the first place.
Can water really make that much of a difference?

It really can. Over time all of those small amounts of contaminants you consume can bioaccumulate until they reach detrimental levels. In the 1800s Summit Spring Water was shipped to major cities around the world and sold as a healing tonic. In New York City it was sold in apothecaries for 40¢ per gallon. This is when coffee sold for 10¢ per pound. And people traveled from all over the world to stay at the Summit Spring Hotel to “take the waters.â€
Why is this? Is Summit Spring Water really a magic healing tonic? Well, as much as we’d like to think it is, our theory is that the municipal water supplies were so bad during that time, with lead and creosote-soaked log pipes, the water made those who drank it sick. When they switched to Summit Spring Water it was probably the lack of contaminants that made people feel well again. What this tells us is that minimizing contaminants in water does in fact improve health.
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What about other bottled waters?

There are definitely some very fine spring waters in the world. But there’s also a lot of hype in the bottled water industry. Due to the boom in popularity of spring water and it’s limited supply, big international conglomerates have created a whole new category of “engineered waters,†which are essentially municipal tap water that in some cases is heavily filtered and chemically treated and in other cases is just plain old municipal tap water. They design a pretty label with mountains and rivers on it and give it a
natural-sounding name and people pay good money for it.
Isn’t all spring water the same?

No, definitely not. Since the revision in the 1990s of the definition of the phrase “spring water†it’s really hard to know what you’re getting. Water labeled as spring water may not be from a specific spring but rather may come from a number of industrialized sources where huge boreholes are drilled and the water is pumped out of the ground at an absurd rate. It may then be heavily processed to filter out and kill all of the contaminants stirred up in the pumping process. Not quite the pristine spring nestled deep in the woods we all would like to imagine. Summit Spring is actually nestled in the cool green woods of Maine inside a small stone building constructed in the 1930s to protect it from the elements. And every precious drop of Summit Spring Water flows from the Earth all on its own and is bottled right at the spring just as it always has been.
Aren’t spring water companies destroying and hoarding a valuable resource?

In some cases, yes. But Summit Spring has always been independently owned and operated by people who value this rare gem of a spring. Today the spring looks much the same as it did seventy years ago. Before that it was exposed to the elements, so we believe it’s better protected now than it was hundreds of years ago. We take great care to protect the spring and the land that surrounds it. And our collection and gravity-fed bottling process is as pure and clean as the water itself. In fact, we even use our spring water to wash and sterilize the bottles and jugs.
Does Summit Spring Water really taste that much better?

Well, everybody we’ve ever asked has said that they’ve never tasted a crisper, cleaner, sweeter spring water. Many people also feel as though it has a cleansing property, especially after drinking coffee or alcoholic beverages. The only way to know for sure is to drink it for yourself and decide. We have thousands of loyal customers who tell our competitors to take a hike when they come around trying to sell their water—even when they offer it for far less money. Once you’ve enjoyed Summit Spring Water, it’s hard to drink anything else.

Why Drink Natural Spring Water? And What's wrong with Other Forms of Bottled Water and Municipal Tap Water?

 

[Lewis]

Hmmmmm

Well, consider the fact that if you buy a tropical fish it will most likely come with a warning not to put it into freshly drawn tap water because the chlorine may sicken or kill it. You’ll be advised to let the water sit in an open container to off-gas the chlorine over the course of a couple of days. In fact, many municipal water treatment plants keep fish in tanks as an early warning system to identify problems with the levels of
chlorine in their water.
There's quite a bit of concern in the medical community that the current boom of GastroEsophageal Reflux Disease (GERD or Acid Reflux) may be linked to drinking chlorinated tap water. The belief is that chlorine (even in small amounts) kills off the good bacteria in our stomachs just as it kills the bad bacterial in the municipal water system. That throws off the chemical balance in the gut, causing unnaturally high acidity and poor absorption of vital nutrients. Many healthcare providers recommend drinking natural spring water exclusively. Furthermore, they warn against drinking other bottled and fountain beverages, all of which are likely to contain chlorine. You'll find more detailed information about the link to GERD here.
<top>
What about Fluoridation?

Most municipal water supplies are fluoridated. Although Fluoridation programs have done wonders for the prevention of tooth decay, the fact is that fluoride is a poison. Doesn’t it make more sense to use a fluoride toothpaste or rinse to prevent tooth decay rather than guzzling it every day along with your much-needed water consumption?
Doesn’t my filter take care of all of those contaminants?

 

[tooblessed]

Where I live we can not drink the water.

So what do you drink then? :bigfrown I've often wondered when we're told not to drink water abroad unless it's bottled, how people there managed to survive for thousands of years not drinking it.

 

[jasoncran]

So what do you drink then? :bigfrown I've often wondered when we're told not to drink water abroad unless it's bottled, how people there managed to survive for thousands of years not drinking it.

she has told me where she resides , and i know why she cant drink the water.

it would be too salty or aciding like the laosdicean springs

 

[tooblessed]

she has told me where she resides , and i know why she cant drink the water.

it would be too salty or aciding like the laosdicean springs

Where is she and again what on earth were people been drinking for the longest time

 

[jasoncran]

Where is she and again what on earth were people been drinking for the longest time

ask her via pm, she has asked that i dont tell.

 

[PouringRain]

So what do you drink then? :bigfrown I've often wondered when we're told not to drink water abroad unless it's bottled, how people there managed to survive for thousands of years not drinking it.

Our water doesn't meet the minimum standards. The contaminants are too high. You technically can drink it, but it will make you ill and eventually can lead to cancer.

We do drink water, but only bottled.


People for thousands of years weren't always drinking the water that we now have some of the city water supplies. Many times people had more private water supplies (well water, rainwater collection methods) or they used more natural sources such as flowing streams. That is why many towns were founded alongside rivers. They didn't do strange things like pump stagnant lake water into old pipes and recycle wastewater. If a well went bad and people became ill or died, they'd close it up and not use it.


Personally, I am more bothered by the thought of the arsenic that is in my water than by the amount of flouride or cholrine that Lewis is concerned about above.

 

[jasoncran]

people golf on grass that is maintained by reuse water.

pourain rain dont visit the east of coast of florida as all the reuse is pumped into the ocean here.

 

[tooblessed]

Our water doesn't meet the minimum standards. The contaminants are too high. You technically can drink it, but it will make you ill and eventually can lead to cancer.

We do drink water, but only bottled.

Where would the bottled water come from?


People for thousands of years weren't always drinking the water that we now have some of the city water supplies. Many times people had more private water supplies (well water, rainwater collection methods) or they used more natural sources such as flowing streams. That is why many towns were founded alongside rivers. They didn't do strange things like pump stagnant lake water into old pipes and recycle wastewater. If a well went bad and people became ill or died, they'd close it up and not use it.

That's what I thought.

Same thing happened in Britain as the 'industrial revolution' took hold. Towns built up, higher population, more diseases. They're still calling it, 'progress'; actually, 'developing' lol.


Personally, I am more bothered by the thought of the arsenic that is in my water than by the amount of flouride or cholrine that Lewis is concerned about above.

Anybody would be I'm sure. The thing is as people ought to have known of other people's history and their disasters, it really should had been avoided.

Hmmm .... how did Australia manage? Wait, not everyone did did they

I'm totally suspicious ....

How could this happen where you are?