Bottled Water--Is It the Answer?
Maybe you have decided not to drink tap water, like many other Americans. To you, it may taste or smell odd. You don't know what might be in it.
You have probably chosen bottled water instead. It's become more and more popular in America, and seems a great solution to the problem. But let's take a few moments now and look at a couple of the drawbacks of bottled water. For one thing, it may not be what you think it is. Much of the bottled water sold actually is filtered tap water. And because the FDA regulates the bottled water with less stringent rules than the EPA which regulates tap water, the bottled water may have more microbes in it than the tap water.
One of the undesirable aspects of drinking bottled water is the waste problem. 60 million bottles of water per day are used in America, and a lot of them are winding up in the landfills. Since we all need to drink gallons of water each day, if we choose bottled water, we will go through a lot of bottles.
There's a health issue with the bottles too. Water bottles made of clear plastic (normally with a recycling symbol #1 on them) contain BPA, a chemical that our bodies treat as mock estrogen. Traces of it end up in the water, just because it is stored in the plastic bottle. By the way, plastics labeled with recycling symbols #3 and 7 also contain BPA.
According to The Green Guide, an online magazine, a growing number of scientists are uncovering evidence of harm from BPA. They are finding links to diabetes, infertility, cancer, and childhood hyperactivity, for a total of 104 independent studies showing bad effects from BPA. At the same time, there are 11 studies, paid for by the indiustry, which show no harmful effects. The FDA is choosing to side with the industry on the controversial issue and is allowing use of BPA.
BPA isnt just in the clear plastic bottles. Its also in canned food containers, baby bottles and toys, and vats used for processing wine. In fact, 95 percent of Americans tested in 2004 had some level of BPA in their urine, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as quoted by Zandonella.
It seems clear we should avoid contaminants if possible. In fact, avoiding contaminants is the whole reason we were buying bottled water, isnt it? Lets drink water out of glass, stainless steel, or BPA-free plastic (with a recycling number 2, 4, or 5 on the bottom).
Heres how to drink pure water and also control what container I am using: I can get a home water filter , one that triple-filters the water coming out of my kitchen tap or icemaker. I can bottle this water myself using glass or stainless steel containers, -- or BPA-free plastic bottles with recycling symbol #2, 4, or 5. And here's the best part: it costs a lot less! I purify my own water for about eight cents per gallon. - 17269
You have probably chosen bottled water instead. It's become more and more popular in America, and seems a great solution to the problem. But let's take a few moments now and look at a couple of the drawbacks of bottled water. For one thing, it may not be what you think it is. Much of the bottled water sold actually is filtered tap water. And because the FDA regulates the bottled water with less stringent rules than the EPA which regulates tap water, the bottled water may have more microbes in it than the tap water.
One of the undesirable aspects of drinking bottled water is the waste problem. 60 million bottles of water per day are used in America, and a lot of them are winding up in the landfills. Since we all need to drink gallons of water each day, if we choose bottled water, we will go through a lot of bottles.
There's a health issue with the bottles too. Water bottles made of clear plastic (normally with a recycling symbol #1 on them) contain BPA, a chemical that our bodies treat as mock estrogen. Traces of it end up in the water, just because it is stored in the plastic bottle. By the way, plastics labeled with recycling symbols #3 and 7 also contain BPA.
According to The Green Guide, an online magazine, a growing number of scientists are uncovering evidence of harm from BPA. They are finding links to diabetes, infertility, cancer, and childhood hyperactivity, for a total of 104 independent studies showing bad effects from BPA. At the same time, there are 11 studies, paid for by the indiustry, which show no harmful effects. The FDA is choosing to side with the industry on the controversial issue and is allowing use of BPA.
BPA isnt just in the clear plastic bottles. Its also in canned food containers, baby bottles and toys, and vats used for processing wine. In fact, 95 percent of Americans tested in 2004 had some level of BPA in their urine, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as quoted by Zandonella.
It seems clear we should avoid contaminants if possible. In fact, avoiding contaminants is the whole reason we were buying bottled water, isnt it? Lets drink water out of glass, stainless steel, or BPA-free plastic (with a recycling number 2, 4, or 5 on the bottom).
Heres how to drink pure water and also control what container I am using: I can get a home water filter , one that triple-filters the water coming out of my kitchen tap or icemaker. I can bottle this water myself using glass or stainless steel containers, -- or BPA-free plastic bottles with recycling symbol #2, 4, or 5. And here's the best part: it costs a lot less! I purify my own water for about eight cents per gallon. - 17269
About the Author:
A home water filter can provide you with exactly the plentiful, clean water you need, in BPA-free containers of your choosing. Save money too! Clean, pure water from your home water filter costs exactly 8 cents per gallon. Find out about filter options, including shower-head filters, at http://www.home-water-filter.info .
posted by X - Men at
3:54 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home