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Our bodies are composed primarily of water, between 55 to 78 percent. This is why water is vital to us. Human beings can live on water alone. In fact, we can last for several weeks just by drinking water. Without it, we can only last for a few days due to dehydration, causing our vital organs to malfunction and eventually fail.

Now, there are basically two sources of drinking water: tap and bottled water. What is the difference between the two?

Tap water comes from our taps or faucets at home. Although these are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency, some water from taps are carried by lead pipes, which means that led can leach into the water you are drinking.

Bottled water is monitored by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It goes through sterilization and purification processes to rid tap water of any chemicals and substances that may be harmful to human beings. And because it’s also convenient to use and consume, many people prefer using it over tap water.

While there are proponents of the use and consumption of bottled water, there are those who oppose it, too. To better understand why, let us take a look at the pros and cons of bottled water.

List of Pros of Bottle Water

1. It is convenient to take with you.
Wherever you are, you’ll always find a store that sells bottled water. You can also carry it around with ease wherever you are, especially in places where there is no access to drinkable water or not guaranteed safe.

2. It helps prevent dehydration.
Because bottled water can be consumed wherever, whenever you get thirsty, you won’t get dehydrated. Bottled water can be resealed, ensuring that it will always be clean and safe to drink.

3. It is safer to drink.
Water placed in sealed bottles have been tested for all kinds of chemicals and bacteria. And because water in bottles are sealed, it has a lower risk for being contaminated with disease-causing germs.

The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) said bottled water goes through special treatments like distillation and ozonation to make water free from impurities. It also offers better and more consistent quality control.

4. It tastes better.
Aside from the fact that bottle water comes in several varieties, like fizzy, flavored and vitamin-enriched, it generally tastes better because of the purification process it goes through.

5. It is cleaner.
Because the production of bottled water is strictly regulated, you can be sure that water is clean and contaminant-free. This is especially useful in times of natural disasters. Since water lines can be damaged in the event of a calamity, it would be unsafe to drink tap water. Thankfully, there is water contained in clean and sealed bottles that everyone can consume.

Aside from that, lead levels are lower in bottled water. In fact, tap water is at 15 parts per billion (ppb) while bottled water is at 5ppb.

6. It is readily available.
You can find different brands of bottled water in grocery stores and supermarkets. What’s more, bottled water comes in different sizes and content per container, ensuring that all nutritional needs are met.

List of Cons of Bottled Water

1. It costs more.
There are countries where bottled water is sold at relatively high price. These include Singapore and the United States, to name a few. However, this can be justified by the processes and materials required to produce clean and contaminant-free bottled water.

2. It contains chemicals.
According to the Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC), plastic bottles used in containing water may contain high amounts of phthalates, which could leak into your drinking water. The NRDC also said that bottled water can also contain E.coli and arsenic, to name a few.

3. It can harm the environment.
This is because companies that process bottled waters use seventeen million barrels of oil to transport tons bottle water.

4. It removes can important benefit.
Due to the many processes bottled water has to go through, it has removed the benefits of fluoridation, which helps prevent tooth decay.

5. It increases the problem of waste management.
Although most plastic and glass bottles are recycle, a large number of these containers still end up in the trash, increasing the chances that they are going to be burned in landfills, which is one of the major causes of the decline of the ozone layer. In fact, the NRDC said that only 12 percent of the 40 million bottled water being produced every day is recycled.

6. Its source and processes are sometimes unknown.
The NRDC said that a lot of bottled water manufacturers do not list their water source, which could mean that it could be from one of the 170,000 municipal water suppliers. Aside from that, some companies also do not list how their water has been treated. This could mean that bottled water could undergo less testing than tap water.

7. Its sale is not well regulated.
According to a research company, the sale of bottled water is only regulated across state lines. This means that FDA regulations do not apply if a manufacturer sells their products in the same state as they are bottled. This could be abused by other manufacturers, which could put the people’s lives in danger.

Conclusion

Bottled water has definitely become quite useful when it comes to keeping people hydrated, especially in times when there is no access to clean, potable water. Bottled water has also made hydration easier and convenient since you can easily take a bottle or two with you, whether you’re going to the gym, on your way to the office or just around the house.

As for the impact of plastic and glass bottles in the environment, you can help minimize this by recycling the containers. You should also encourage other people to recycle. If you are concerned about the safety of bottled water, you can contact the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) as well as read the EPA’s Water Health Series: Bottled Water Basics.

Author Bio
Natalie Regoli is a child of God, devoted wife, and mother of two boys. She has a Master's Degree in Law from The University of Texas. Natalie has been published in several national journals and has been practicing law for 18 years.

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13 Impressive Pros and Cons of Bottled Water

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Our bodies are composed primarily of water, between 55 to 78 percent. This is why water is vital to us. Human beings can live on water alone. In fact, we can last for several weeks

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Safe drinking water is something we Americans tend to take for granted, until a crisis like lead contamination in Flint, Michigan, makes us wonder what chemicals could be lurking in our own taps.

"Flint was a wake-up call for Americans, but it's not the only place in the United States with tap water problems," says Erik Olson, director of NRDC's Health program. "Thousands of other cities and small towns across the country are serving water with lead or other contamination problems to millions of people." The NRDC Health team has fought to protect drinking water-both locally and nationally-for decades. In fact, Lynn Thorp, national campaigns director for the nonprofit organization Clean Water Action, says NRDC has been the group's most valued partner in efforts to enforce the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. "Together we've been a watchdog for the public at every stage of implementation and for all the many parts of the law," she says.

While there have been victories over the years, you should still remain vigilant about the contaminants that might be in your pipes, faucets, or local water supply. Here's what you should know and how you can stay safe.

It's not just about lead

All public water suppliers in the United States are required to uphold certain levels of water quality. As long as these requirements are met, Olson says, most Americans can drink their local tap water without worry. Still, violations remain widespread, and some water systems have contaminants that aren't regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

According to a new NRDC report, nearly 77 million Americans got drinking water from systems that violated federal protections in 2015, and more than a third of this number relied on systems that did not comply with standards put in place to protect health. Millions of other Americans' water suppliers failed to test water safety properly or didn't report test results to health authorities or customers-potentially sweeping many more health risks under the rug.

These numbers likely understate the extent of the problem, given underreporting and the fact that many contaminants aren't even monitored or regulated. For instance, common contaminants such as perchlorate and PFOA/PFOS (chemical cousins of Teflon) occur in millions of Americans' tap water, but because they aren't regulated by the EPA, they don't show up in these already staggering figures.

Sensitive groups, like pregnant women and children, are at higher risk for health complications, especially from the following contaminants:

Lead: Likely the most famous bad guy, this heavy metal can leach from lead pipes and plumbing fixtures, especially when the water flowing through them is corrosive. It can cause neurological and behavioral problems in children and adverse health effects in adults. "It's a more common problem in cities with older water systems," NRDC Health team scientist Kristi Pullen Fedinick says, "but what a lot of people don't realize is that even relatively new brass fixtures and faucets can still contain significant amounts of lead. Just because your home is less than 20 years old doesn't necessarily mean you're lead-free."

Atrazine: This endocrine-disrupting chemical is one of the most commonly detected pesticides in U.S. waters. NRDC studies have found its contamination is most common in drinking water across the Midwest and the southern United States. The EPA currently monitors a sample of community water systems to determine if atrazine concentrations pose a risk to public health, but NRDC has called on the government to phase out the use of this chemical entirely.

Pathogens: Bacteria, viruses, and parasites that cause illness can find their way into water supplies that are inadequately treated to kill germs. Fortunately, these pathogens are much better controlled today than they once were. After a 1993 waterborne-disease outbreak in Milwaukee sickened more than 400,000 people, Olson says, "NRDC really led the charge in changing the EPA's rules and safeguards." But clearly much more remains to be done.

Chlorine treatment by-products: Chemicals used in drinking water's disinfection process, such as trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids, may cause cancer and reproductive problems if present in high quantities.

Arsenic: The EPA estimated in 2000 that nearly 36 million Americans drank water containing arsenic at or above 3 parts per billion-the level NRDC had urged be established as a drinking water standard. "The EPA had delayed and delayed updating the arsenic standard that was originally issued in the 1960s, but we finally got them to relent and update the arsenic number based on modern science in the early 2000s," Olson says. Since then, arsenic levels across the country have declined as a result, he adds, but the contaminant is still worth looking out for.

Nitrates: Though nitrates occur naturally in plants and soil at low concentrations, they have become a widespread contaminant due in part to their use as fertilizer. Runoff from factory farms flows into surface and ground water and ends up in our drinking water. The EPA set a limit of 10 parts per million for nitrates, which can be harmful to pregnant women and infants. In rare cases, exposed infants can develop blue baby syndrome, a potentially fatal illness that prevents the blood from carrying oxygen.

Radioactive contaminants: Most radioactive elements found in drinking water occur naturally, but radioactive material from the production of nuclear weapons, energy, and medicines can also get into drinking supplies through leaks or improper waste storage. Exposure can cause cancer or kidney failure.

Vinyl chloride: Used to make PVC plastic products, such as some pipes, this cancer-causing contaminant can leach from older PVC piping and has been found in the drinking water of a small number of communities across the country.

Perchlorate: This widespread toxic chemical, used in rocket fuel, explosives, and road flares, can interfere with thyroid hormone production. Perchlorate has been detected in the water in at least 26 states, yet there is no federal standard for its presence in drinking water. In 2011, after more than a decade of pressure from environmental and health groups led by NRDC, the EPA announced that it would set such a standard-but it still hasn't even proposed a rule for the contaminant. After NRDC filed a lawsuit against the EPA for its failure to act in the time frame allotted by the Safe Drinking Water Act, the agency committed in a consent decree in late 2016 to get a proposed perchlorate standard out in 2018 and a final standard by 2019.

Pharmaceuticals: Prescription drugs enter our water supply when patients release traces in their urine or flat-out flush unused medication down the sink or toilet. NRDC has petitioned the FDA to pay more attention to medicines making their way into the environment, and a 2010 NRDC report provided recommendations for reducing the flow of these drugs into our waters.

Frequently Asked Questions

My water system has violated federal drinking water standards. What should I do?

If you get your drinking water from a public system, start by checking the annual water quality report (sometimes called a consumer confidence report) published by your water supplier. It's usually mailed once a year with your water bill and should also be available online. The report summarizes which contaminants have been found in your drinking water and whether any of them have reached potentially dangerous levels. Your supplier is also required to send out public notifications if any of these levels violate health and safety standards. You may also visit the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) search page to look up your water system's compliance history.

If you suspect you have lead pipes or fixtures, if you get your water from a private well, or if you notice a change in your water's taste, color, or clarity, Olson recommends having your water tested for contaminants. Your water supplier may do free in-home testing, or you can ask a certified lab to test your water. Call the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791 to find a state-certified lab in your area. You can also order a test for lead in your water from the nonprofit Healthy Babies Bright Futures, which lets you choose how much you can pay.

Then install an NSF-certified faucet filter or whole-house filter that is certified to remove the contaminants you're concerned about. To find the right filter, check off the contaminants you're concerned about under "Reduction Claims for Drinking Water Treatment Units―Health Effects."

If your water system seems to be having frequent or serious violations, call your elected representatives or state drinking water program to demand action, or report the problem to the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

My water was tested and it contains high lead levels. What should I do?

First and foremost, install filters that are NSF-certified to remove lead. Then follow these tips:

If the water hasn't been used for several hours, run it for at least five minutes on cold before you consume it.

Use only cold water from taps for drinking and cooking, as warmer water is more likely to contain higher levels of lead (and boiling water can actually increase lead levels).

Remove and rinse out the aerator, the little screen on the end of your faucet, every week or so.

I have contaminated water and a vulnerable immune system. What should I do?

For people whose immune systems have a lessened ability to defend against illness-such as pregnant women, the very young, the elderly, those on cancer chemotherapy, and those living with AIDS- the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the following:

Boil water for drinking, cooking, or making infant formula (unless your water contains elevated levels of lead or arsenic); or

Drink bottled water that has been treated by reverse osmosis, distillation, or filtration with an absolute 1 micron (or smaller) filter.

Should I just buy bottled water?

Bottled water may be a useful short-term source of drinking water in emergencies, but it shouldn't be a permanent solution because it is not necessarily cleaner or safer than tap water. As mentioned above, if you do buy bottled, look for brands that have been treated with reverse osmosis, distillation, or filtration with an absolute 1 micron (or smaller) filter.

My water system is not listed as having violated any health-related drinking water standards. Does that mean I'm safe?

For many systems-especially large systems that serve more than 100,000 people-you may be safe. However, there are weaknesses in the rules themselves. For example, many fairly common contaminants (such as perchlorate, PFOA, and algal toxins) are not federally regulated, so there would be no violation of EPA rules if they are found in your water. Also, the rules about how often to monitor water may mean that spikes in contaminants between tests go undetected. Additionally, local officials could try to avoid submitting health-based violations to the state or the EPA, might not report samples showing violations, or might not take samples in the first place. For peace of mind, have your water tested.

Who can I talk to about my concerns regarding the quality of my drinking water?

Contact your water utility, your city council members, and your mayor. Express your concerns. Urge them to fix the problems and keep you informed about their progress. Contact your state and federal legislators and ask them to support funding for water infrastructure improvement projects.

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Safe drinking water is something we Americans tend to take for granted, until a crisis like lead contamination in Flint, Michigan, makes us wonder what chemicals could be lurking in our own taps. "Flint was a wake-up call for Americans, but it's not the only place in the United States with tap water problems," says Erik Olson, director of NRDC's Health program.

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www.globalcitizen.org
Bottled water sales are greater than soda sales.
The energy we waste on bottling water can power up to 190,000 homes.
The consumption of bottled water increases by 10% each year in North America

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There are 26 gallons of bottled water are drunk daily. Bottled water is convent and safe. The sales of bottled water increased by 9 percent from 2015 to 2016.

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Plastic water bottles contain a chemical called Bisphenol A.              It is used to make the plastic harder and clearer.  BPA is considered "hazardous to human heath". It is linked to some types of cancer.

An experiment done in 2013 showed that 95% of girls had BPA just in the US.

About 1,500 water bottle are consumed every minute.

Plastic bottles also contain phthalates, and PVC that make the plastic more flexible.

www.onegreenplanet.org

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Bottles are made from polyethylene terephthalate which is rich in chemicals that leaches in to the water contained inside of the bottle which is unhealthy. Its very bad.
http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/20180131/bottled-water-bad-for-health-and-environment

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- Some bottled water is glorified tap water at 10,000 times the cost.
-More than 24,500 chemicals found in bottle water.
- Some chemicals inside the bottle water is Coliform, Arsenic, Manganese, Phenols, ZInc could be bad if there is to much, copper,
https://www.banthebottle.net/articles/the-true-ingredients-of-bottled-water/
-http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/01/13/more-than-24500-chemicals-found-in-bottled-water.html

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Buying bottled water is like pouring money down the drain. Bottled water costs from $0.89 per gallon to $8.26 per gallon, compared to fractions of a penny for water from your tap. That makes bottled water thousands of times more expensive than tap water. Bottled water garbage is a major source of pollution. If tap water has an odd taste, that doesn't mean that it is unhealthy or contaminated. The taste may result of chlorination, or the mineral content in the water.                                                 (https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/about/live-healthy/tap-water-vs-bottled-water)

Arsenic is a poisonous element known to be extremely carcinogenic. The Natural Resources Defense Council estimates as many as 56 million Americans drink water containing unsafe levels of arsenic. http://www.liveinthenow.com/article/the-dirty-truth-about-tap-water

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Bottled Water Verses Tap Water Research 

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Bottled Water Verses Tap Water Research 

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Bisphenol A is 1 chemical used in plastic water bottles.  . BPA is an industrial chemical that has been used to make certain plastics and resins since the 1960s.
(https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080130092108.
htm)
Here is a list of just a few of the chemicals routinely added to the Cincinatti water supply:

Liquified chlorine

Fluorosilicic acid

Aluminium sulphate

Calcium hydroxide

Sodium silicofluoride

It is almost impossible for the water not to become contaminated by something else undesirable while traveling through the underground pipes. Copper, lead, and mercury are just a few metals found in pipes. You can assess the quality of your water by testing for Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) with a TDS meter which reads the TDS instantly and gives a read-out in parts per million (ppm) TDS.

(http://freshlysqueezedwater.org.uk/waterarticle_watercontent.php)

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I learned that bottled water companies are trying to find ways to reduce the environmental footprint on www.bottledwater.org. I also found that in 2016 16 billion whole sale dollars were spent on bottled water.

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https://www.alternet.org/environment/tap-water-clearly-better-bottled-water-heres-why
Some new information I learned was: the chemicals that leak into plastic water bottles increase over time, and one specifically, called  antimony, can lead to dizziness, nausea, and even depression.
Plastic water bottles are made from either petroleum, or natural gas,and the extraction of these can result in the release of air pollutants, greenhouse gases and known carcinogens.
Bottled water is also a waste of water. According to a International Bottled Water Association study done in 2013, North American water bottling firms use 1.39 liters to make 1 liter of water; but that doesn't even include all the water use across the full supply chain.

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~From 1990 to 2007, 100 bottles were recalled because they had mold, microbes, and even crickets.
Source~ Reader's Digest https://www.rd.com/health/diet-weight-loss/rethink-what-you-drink/
~Bottled water poses many health risks for users who may have left it in a hot car etc.
Source~https://greengarageblog.org/15-principal-pros-and-cons-of-bottled-water
~The sale of bottled water is only regulated across state lines, which means, that the FDA regulations don't apply to manufacturers who sell their their product in their own state. They could be putting things into the water and we will have no clue, which is dangerous. Source~https://connectusfund.org/13-impressive-pros-and-cons-of-bottled-water
~About 22,000 tons of plastic ends up in Oceans, daily.
Source~https://www.waterbenefitshealth.com/bottled-water-or-tap-water.html
~The plastic from the bottles, ends up in oceans, and fish are eating it, therefore, we are eating fish.
~And even the fibers from the plastic, end up in tap water all over the world, so basically you are consuming plastic from drinking tap water.
Source~https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/sep/06/plastic-fibres-found-tap-water-around-world-study-reveals
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On the the shelves of stores in many stores there are bottled water and sugary drinks on the shelves. These bottles of water are a healthy alternative to the sodas and soft drinks in the market. Bottled water is good to have in stores. Also battled water doesn't have as high a chance as tap water getting contaminated with rust and lead from pipes. Also Tap water is prone to have chlorine and other chemicals such as mercury or manganese. Fluoride is also in some tap water. Fluoride is good in moderation but if a lot is consumed it may lead to brittle teeth and arthitis.

https://healthwyze.org/reports/69-the-dangers-of-tap-water

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Even with recycling efforts 6 out of 7 water bottles are down cycled or thrown away.

there are more that 24,000 chemicals found in bottled water

chemicals in bottled water negatively affect the hormones inside your body
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/01/13/more-than-24500-chemicals-found-in-bottled-water.html