Bottled vs. Tap vs. Filtered Water
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Posted On :
Aug-16-2011
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Article Word Count :
641
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Water: it’s the one thing that we absolutely need to survive. Without water, dehydration quickly sets in, and all of the major organs begin shutting down one by one. Fortunately, for those of us living in the U.S. or Canada, plenty of drinking water is readily available. The issue is not so much “is there enough drinking water?” but rather “which drinking water is the safest?”.
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Water: it’s the one thing that we absolutely need to survive. Without water, dehydration quickly sets in, and all of the major organs begin shutting down one by one. Fortunately, for those of us living in the U.S. or Canada, plenty of drinking water is readily available. The issue is not so much “is there enough drinking water?” but rather “which drinking water is the safest?”.
After all, water is essential for good health. There isn’t a single organ or biological function in your body that doesn’t benefit from the hydrating effects of water.
There are a lot of good things that can be said about tap water. Tap water is regulated under the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which has pretty strict standards.4 Tap water is routinely tested several times a day for harmful microbiological content. Water-treatment plants must keep detailed accounts of tap water’s sources and the results of any testing.
Many advocates for tap water also consider the fact that fluoride is added to the water a bonus. Adding fluoride to drinking water promotes strong teeth and could help prevent tooth decay.
What else does tap water have going for it? It’s cheap, it doesn’t create any waste and the supply is more or less unlimited.
But what about the taste? Many dislike the taste of chlorine, which is added to most tap waters. Sometimes the water coming out of your taps may look or taste different. This doesn’t mean that the water is unsafe. It just has a slightly altered composition because of treatment at a water filtration plant.
Pros & Cons of Bottled Water
Unlike tap water, bottled water is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Standards for bottled water are not as strict as those for tap water are. Bottled-water companies are required to test for microbes only once a week, and because the FDA doesn’t require the same standards for water that is bottled and sold in the same state, a significant number of bottles haven’t undergone any testing at all!
In an effort to clarify the quality of bottled water, the FDA has classified bottled water according to its origin. “Artesian well water” comes from a well that taps into an aquifer-layer of porous rock, sand and earth. Water from artesian aquifers is considered more pure by the EPA because the layers of rock and clay prevent contamination.
“Mineral water” is water from an underground source that contains at least 250 parts per million of total dissolved solids — or, in other words, minerals and trace elements.
“Spring water” comes from an underground formation from which water flows naturally to Earth’s surface. Spring water has to be collected only at the spring or through a borehole tapping the underground source.
Some bottled water is also tap water that has been treated by a particular filtering process. One big brand name of bottled water has been investigated for misleading consumers about the true nature of its bottled water. Advertised as “pure, still water,” the company was insinuating that it was selling spring water when, in fact, it was selling purified tap water.
The National Resources Defense Council estimates that more than 25% of bottled water is really just tap water that has been treated — or sometimes not even treated at all.
If you spend money on bottled water, make sure that you check the label carefully. It is possible to buy pure spring water that doesn’t have that chlorinated, treated taste of tap water.
On the other hand, industrial chemicals and chemicals that are used in manufacturing plastic (such as “phthalate”) could leach into bottled water from its plastic container. You might also want to consider the fact that the bottled-water industry produces over 1.5 million tons of plastic each year that may or may not make it into recycling programs.
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Article Source :
http://www.articleseen.com/Article_Bottled vs. Tap vs. Filtered Water_73924.aspx
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Author Resource :
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Keywords :
water, Bottled Water , Health Benefits, health advice, doctor's advice, health problems,
Category :
Health and Fitness
:
Health and Fitness
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