Tap into Bottled Water
Is bottled water just as contaminated as the tap water flowing from people’s kitchen sinks? There are numerous heated debates discussing the different types of water and their quality. A prolific argument is about the environmental issues and the health risks that bottled water and tap water bring to the table. Pollution creeping into clean water is a concern all over this world. However, new solutions often lead to other problems. It is difficult to consider every inch of a resolution. While bottling up water and shipping it may sound harmless to some, it also may have unintended consequences.
Worrying about the safety of water and its quality has been an issue for decades. Finding clean water is always a necessity and has not changed. This environmental issue of safe water is a topic that is always and will always be of relevance in this world. Bradford H. Sewell describes issues of clean water all the way back in 1986. Because of the dilemma of clean water, bottled water sales have risen, however, bottled water still seems to be contaminated as much as tap water causing debates over the health quality standards. In the text, “The Dark Cloud Over Bottled Water,” published in the “Business and Society Review” Sewell clarifies the findings that bottled water is not always safer than tap water and the difficulty in monitoring and enforcing specific standards for all drinking water. Monitoring all drinking water can be problematic because bottled water cannot be regulated after it’s sealed in its plastic bottle. The water can be tested before hand and if it’s clean than it will be closed and put on a shelf. Therefore, that fact that specific types of water will never be tested again even if the item sits on the shelf waiting to be sold is baffling. Sewell shares this information by displaying statistics of bottle sales over many different years and by quoting the opinions of important people and even the Department of Health Services on bottled water and contaminants. He writes about the concern of bottled water regulations in order to discuss the different sides on how to ensure clean water. However, Sewell voices his opinion that bottled water is not worth any bit of money. “If you buy bottled water because it is safer, you’re wasting your money (Sewell 48). He does not believe that bottled water is healthier than tap water; therefore, there being no greater use for its consumption.
Nevertheless, the same worries about finding clean water back in the 1980s are still issues today. An article written by Nick McDermott in 2013 titled, “Bottled Water Less Safe Than the Tap Variety,” was published in the Daily Mail (London) and explains that the bottled water people drink at home is often more harmful than most consumers believe. McDermott looks at the different factors that could cause bottled water to be less safe than tap water by naming some incidents of discovering contaminated bottled water. He describes these cases in order to explain a debate between the public, whether tap water or bottled water is safer. Still, McDermott voices his opinion that tap water is harmless. “Tap water is safe to drink, everything else is a personal lifestyle choice” (McDermott line 24). It is not always understood by the public that tap water is safe because it is so “cheap and plentiful.” Because of that, people believe that tap water should not be used even though it is so accessible. (McDermott lines 15-18).
In his article, “China’s Unsafe Water Is Nestles Opportunity,” published January 2013 in Bloomberg Businessweek, Dermot Doherty states that the drinking water in China is contaminated which gives the business, Nestle, an opportunity to take advantage of the demand for clean, bottled water. Doherty proves that Nestle’s sales have increased by giving percentages and statistics of how much bottled water has been sold over the years. He writes about this demand for bottled water in order to educate others about the unsafe water in China and show the way Nestle has been helping. Gilles Duc, the manager of Nestle, wants customers to buy their bottled water with full assurance that it is good quality. “Chinese consumers tend not to be very confident about some local products in terms of quality and safety. We want consumers to understand that for the same price they get European technology and Nestle quality, and if that’s something they value, they go for our brand” (Doherty para. 8). Therefore, Duc makes it clear that consumers purchase bottled water positive that they are receiving safe water.
According to the International Bottled Water Association, there are only slight differences between the regulations of drinking water from the tap and drinking water from a bottle. However, according to the Business and Society Newspaper regulations for bottled water are exactly the same standards the government has set for tap water. Because of this, when people buy bottled water they are not always buying cleaner and safer water. Especially because the “current tap water standards are widely considered inadequate and out-of-date.” In fact, contaminants that are found in tap water have also been found in bottled water. This is often a surprise to customers who buy bottled water hoping for uncontaminated, fresh water (Sewell, pg 46). Public water systems, which are known as tap water “provide quality water for human consumption.” They are given the right to provide tap water to the people of particular communities. However, public water systems are located in specific areas, making the citizens unable to include any input on which system their water may come from. Whereas, bottled water is packaged specifically for consumers to buy. There are many choices people can make when they are purchasing bottled water such as the bottle size, brand, and price. Thus, the biggest difference is that tap water quality is not a choice by the public while bottled water is since the costumer can determine which bottle they purchase.
Even though bottled water is often bought, not only for its convenience, but also because people believe it is safer than tap water, this assumption may be mistaken. An environmental group stresses that the criteria for bottled water is not as important as tap water. “In fact, there are more standards regulating tap water in Europe and the United States than those applied to the bottled water industry” (Baumgartner para 4). Understandably, the bottled water industry disagrees with the environmental group that states that there is not much regulation for its bottled water. Stephen Kay from the International Bottled Water Association argues otherwise.
At least in the United States, bottled water is regulated as a packaged food product by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It meets specific standards of quality and safety from the source all the way through the finished product. (Baumgartner para 7)
Kay is making a point that bottled water is overseen and lives up to its standards. The U.S. FDA makes sure that the bottled water is up to par and authorized to be sold to the public.
Pete Daly’s October 2012 article, “Walker Company says: Recycle Your Empty Water Bottle,” published in the Grand Rapids Business Journal, examines debates about banning water bottles and discussions of ways that bottles could be environmentally friendly. By sharing views from Scott Jousma, a bottled water sales director, and some of his customers’ beliefs, Daly advertises that bottled water seems to arouse many opinions of why it’s a necessity. However, he concludes with the argument that water bottles should not be banned and instead recycling should be encouraged more. Jousma also mentioned that it would be impossible to halt the sales of bottled water because they are so essential to the lifestyle of the public. “The spike in consumption during hot weather is so pronounced that Great Lakes employment jumps from 20 or so most of the year to as many as 30 during the hot summer months” (Daly para. 10). The increase of employers at the Great Lakes Bottled Water Company in the summer displays the demand for bottled water by society.
In her article published in the Wall Street Journal, “Bottled Water Pits Nestle vs. Greens (2010),” Deborah Ball displays the plans that environmentalists have proposed in an attempt to conserve water while also sharing Nestle’s issue of losing business because of the decline in bottled water sales. Ball looks at these matters by discussing the ways that different environmentalists, businesses, and even consumers have contributed their opinions to the bottled water industry. Since environmentalists have made bottled water such a favorable, new issue, it has lead to more interest from the public. “Nestlé's water sales have been hit badly by the economic downturn, as shoppers began seeing bottled water as an unnecessary luxury, turning to cheaper tap water instead” (Ball para 11). In other words, tap water has become more common as people realize bottled water is not a necessity.
However, even though bottled water is not thought of as a necessity anymore, the American lifestyle often automatically turns to bottled water since it is frequently, as stated before, the most convenient option. “Consumers choose bottled water for several reasons: taste, quality, and convenience” (Bottled water para 7). In some people’s opinions, bottled water tastes the best and it is always easier to simply grab a bottle of water when in a rush. Therefore, in the American lifestyle today, bottled water should take priority.
Nevertheless, bottled water is not necessarily safer because it is more convenient. Plastic bottles still have matters for costumers to worry about. There are times when “chemicals in the bottles may leach into the water” (Fox para 4). If the plastic containing the water has chemicals that leach into the water, than the bottled water is not as safe as consumers believed. Therefore, causing yet again apprehension whether the bottled water is cleaner or the tap water is cleaner.
While the elite society is so caught up in whether their drinking water is clean enough, they forget to think about other communities. The selfishness of people worrying which water bottle is best or which county’s tap water is the safest and best tasting should be the least of people’s concerns. Many countries don’t even have running water. Often, women must travel far, simply to obtain a bucket of water in which they must carry all the way back for their family to use. The initial thoughts about water should be how could I help the less fortunate rather than which water bottle brand is best.
Bibliography
Baldrey, Garry. "Save the planet? Just ask us golden oldies!." Daily Mail 11 Aug. 2011: 56. Regional Business News. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.
Ball, Deborah. “Bottled Water Pits Nestle vs. Greens.” Wall Street Journal (2010): Dow Jones & Company Inc. Web. 25 May 2010.
Bauers, Sandy. "GreenSpace: A winning idea for a water bottle." The Philadelphia Inquirer. November 28, 2011. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.
Baumgartner, Mark. "Study: Bottled Water No Safer Than Tap Water." ABC News. ABC News Network, 3 May 2013. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.
"Bottled Water vs. Tap Water." Bottledwater.org. International Bottled Water Association, 2013. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.
Conis, Elena. "Bottled versus Tap: Which Is Safer?" Los Angeles Times. 13 Oct. 2008. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.
da Luz, José Maria Rodrigues, et al. "Degradation Of Oxo-Biodegradable Plastic By Pleurotus Ostreatus." 8.8 (2013) Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 Nov. 2013.
Daly, Pete. "Walker Company Says: Recycle Your Empty Water Bottle." Grand
Rapids Business Journal 30.44 (2012): 6. Regional Business News. Web. 22 Sept. 2013.
Drewnowski, Adam, Colin D. Rehm, and Florence Constant. "Water And Beverage Consumption Among Children Age 4-13Y In The United States: Analyses Of 2005-2010 NHANES Data." Nutrition Journal 12.1 (2013): 1-9. Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 Nov. 2013.
Doherty, Dermot. "China's Unsafe Water Is Nestles Opportunity." Bloomberg Businessweek 4314 (2013): 19-20. Business Source Premier. Web. 25 Sept. 2013.
Edberg, Stephen C., and Joshua M. Sharfstein. “The Facts About Water.” Drinking Water Research Association, 2013. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.
Fox, Catherine Clarke. "Drinking Water: Bottled or From the Tap?" National Geographic. National Geographic Society, 2013. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
"Frequently Asked Questions What We Actually Know about Common Marine Debris Factoids." Marine Debris Program. USA.gov, 28 Aug. 2012. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
"Great Pacific Garbage Patch." National Geographic Education. National Geographic Society, 2013. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
"Louisiana emphasizes drinking water safe despite finding brain-eating amoeba." CBS News. (September 20, 2013)LexisNexis Academic. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.
McDermott, Nick. "Bottled Water Less Safe Than the Tap Variety.” Daily Mail (London). (January 2, 2013 Wednesday)LexisNexis Academic. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.
"Problems With Bottled Water." Riverkeeper RSS. Riverkeeper Inc, 2013. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
Robson, Michelle King. "Bottled Waters vs. Tap: Pick One to Stay Hydrated." Fox News. FOX News Network, 22 Oct. 2012. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.
Sewell, Bradford H. "The Dark Cloud Over Bottled Water." Business & Society Review 59 (1986): Business Source Premier. Web. 30 Sept. 2013.
Ward, Lorna A., et al. "Health Beliefs About Bottled Water: A Qualitative Study." BMC Public Health.(2009): 196-204. Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 Nov. 2013.
Is bottled water just as contaminated as the tap water flowing from people’s kitchen sinks? There are numerous heated debates discussing the different types of water and their quality. A prolific argument is about the environmental issues and the health risks that bottled water and tap water bring to the table. Pollution creeping into clean water is a concern all over this world. However, new solutions often lead to other problems. It is difficult to consider every inch of a resolution. While bottling up water and shipping it may sound harmless to some, it also may have unintended consequences.
Worrying about the safety of water and its quality has been an issue for decades. Finding clean water is always a necessity and has not changed. This environmental issue of safe water is a topic that is always and will always be of relevance in this world. Bradford H. Sewell describes issues of clean water all the way back in 1986. Because of the dilemma of clean water, bottled water sales have risen, however, bottled water still seems to be contaminated as much as tap water causing debates over the health quality standards. In the text, “The Dark Cloud Over Bottled Water,” published in the “Business and Society Review” Sewell clarifies the findings that bottled water is not always safer than tap water and the difficulty in monitoring and enforcing specific standards for all drinking water. Monitoring all drinking water can be problematic because bottled water cannot be regulated after it’s sealed in its plastic bottle. The water can be tested before hand and if it’s clean than it will be closed and put on a shelf. Therefore, that fact that specific types of water will never be tested again even if the item sits on the shelf waiting to be sold is baffling. Sewell shares this information by displaying statistics of bottle sales over many different years and by quoting the opinions of important people and even the Department of Health Services on bottled water and contaminants. He writes about the concern of bottled water regulations in order to discuss the different sides on how to ensure clean water. However, Sewell voices his opinion that bottled water is not worth any bit of money. “If you buy bottled water because it is safer, you’re wasting your money (Sewell 48). He does not believe that bottled water is healthier than tap water; therefore, there being no greater use for its consumption.
Nevertheless, the same worries about finding clean water back in the 1980s are still issues today. An article written by Nick McDermott in 2013 titled, “Bottled Water Less Safe Than the Tap Variety,” was published in the Daily Mail (London) and explains that the bottled water people drink at home is often more harmful than most consumers believe. McDermott looks at the different factors that could cause bottled water to be less safe than tap water by naming some incidents of discovering contaminated bottled water. He describes these cases in order to explain a debate between the public, whether tap water or bottled water is safer. Still, McDermott voices his opinion that tap water is harmless. “Tap water is safe to drink, everything else is a personal lifestyle choice” (McDermott line 24). It is not always understood by the public that tap water is safe because it is so “cheap and plentiful.” Because of that, people believe that tap water should not be used even though it is so accessible. (McDermott lines 15-18).
In his article, “China’s Unsafe Water Is Nestles Opportunity,” published January 2013 in Bloomberg Businessweek, Dermot Doherty states that the drinking water in China is contaminated which gives the business, Nestle, an opportunity to take advantage of the demand for clean, bottled water. Doherty proves that Nestle’s sales have increased by giving percentages and statistics of how much bottled water has been sold over the years. He writes about this demand for bottled water in order to educate others about the unsafe water in China and show the way Nestle has been helping. Gilles Duc, the manager of Nestle, wants customers to buy their bottled water with full assurance that it is good quality. “Chinese consumers tend not to be very confident about some local products in terms of quality and safety. We want consumers to understand that for the same price they get European technology and Nestle quality, and if that’s something they value, they go for our brand” (Doherty para. 8). Therefore, Duc makes it clear that consumers purchase bottled water positive that they are receiving safe water.
According to the International Bottled Water Association, there are only slight differences between the regulations of drinking water from the tap and drinking water from a bottle. However, according to the Business and Society Newspaper regulations for bottled water are exactly the same standards the government has set for tap water. Because of this, when people buy bottled water they are not always buying cleaner and safer water. Especially because the “current tap water standards are widely considered inadequate and out-of-date.” In fact, contaminants that are found in tap water have also been found in bottled water. This is often a surprise to customers who buy bottled water hoping for uncontaminated, fresh water (Sewell, pg 46). Public water systems, which are known as tap water “provide quality water for human consumption.” They are given the right to provide tap water to the people of particular communities. However, public water systems are located in specific areas, making the citizens unable to include any input on which system their water may come from. Whereas, bottled water is packaged specifically for consumers to buy. There are many choices people can make when they are purchasing bottled water such as the bottle size, brand, and price. Thus, the biggest difference is that tap water quality is not a choice by the public while bottled water is since the costumer can determine which bottle they purchase.
Even though bottled water is often bought, not only for its convenience, but also because people believe it is safer than tap water, this assumption may be mistaken. An environmental group stresses that the criteria for bottled water is not as important as tap water. “In fact, there are more standards regulating tap water in Europe and the United States than those applied to the bottled water industry” (Baumgartner para 4). Understandably, the bottled water industry disagrees with the environmental group that states that there is not much regulation for its bottled water. Stephen Kay from the International Bottled Water Association argues otherwise.
At least in the United States, bottled water is regulated as a packaged food product by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It meets specific standards of quality and safety from the source all the way through the finished product. (Baumgartner para 7)
Kay is making a point that bottled water is overseen and lives up to its standards. The U.S. FDA makes sure that the bottled water is up to par and authorized to be sold to the public.
Pete Daly’s October 2012 article, “Walker Company says: Recycle Your Empty Water Bottle,” published in the Grand Rapids Business Journal, examines debates about banning water bottles and discussions of ways that bottles could be environmentally friendly. By sharing views from Scott Jousma, a bottled water sales director, and some of his customers’ beliefs, Daly advertises that bottled water seems to arouse many opinions of why it’s a necessity. However, he concludes with the argument that water bottles should not be banned and instead recycling should be encouraged more. Jousma also mentioned that it would be impossible to halt the sales of bottled water because they are so essential to the lifestyle of the public. “The spike in consumption during hot weather is so pronounced that Great Lakes employment jumps from 20 or so most of the year to as many as 30 during the hot summer months” (Daly para. 10). The increase of employers at the Great Lakes Bottled Water Company in the summer displays the demand for bottled water by society.
In her article published in the Wall Street Journal, “Bottled Water Pits Nestle vs. Greens (2010),” Deborah Ball displays the plans that environmentalists have proposed in an attempt to conserve water while also sharing Nestle’s issue of losing business because of the decline in bottled water sales. Ball looks at these matters by discussing the ways that different environmentalists, businesses, and even consumers have contributed their opinions to the bottled water industry. Since environmentalists have made bottled water such a favorable, new issue, it has lead to more interest from the public. “Nestlé's water sales have been hit badly by the economic downturn, as shoppers began seeing bottled water as an unnecessary luxury, turning to cheaper tap water instead” (Ball para 11). In other words, tap water has become more common as people realize bottled water is not a necessity.
However, even though bottled water is not thought of as a necessity anymore, the American lifestyle often automatically turns to bottled water since it is frequently, as stated before, the most convenient option. “Consumers choose bottled water for several reasons: taste, quality, and convenience” (Bottled water para 7). In some people’s opinions, bottled water tastes the best and it is always easier to simply grab a bottle of water when in a rush. Therefore, in the American lifestyle today, bottled water should take priority.
Nevertheless, bottled water is not necessarily safer because it is more convenient. Plastic bottles still have matters for costumers to worry about. There are times when “chemicals in the bottles may leach into the water” (Fox para 4). If the plastic containing the water has chemicals that leach into the water, than the bottled water is not as safe as consumers believed. Therefore, causing yet again apprehension whether the bottled water is cleaner or the tap water is cleaner.
While the elite society is so caught up in whether their drinking water is clean enough, they forget to think about other communities. The selfishness of people worrying which water bottle is best or which county’s tap water is the safest and best tasting should be the least of people’s concerns. Many countries don’t even have running water. Often, women must travel far, simply to obtain a bucket of water in which they must carry all the way back for their family to use. The initial thoughts about water should be how could I help the less fortunate rather than which water bottle brand is best.
Bibliography
Baldrey, Garry. "Save the planet? Just ask us golden oldies!." Daily Mail 11 Aug. 2011: 56. Regional Business News. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.
Ball, Deborah. “Bottled Water Pits Nestle vs. Greens.” Wall Street Journal (2010): Dow Jones & Company Inc. Web. 25 May 2010.
Bauers, Sandy. "GreenSpace: A winning idea for a water bottle." The Philadelphia Inquirer. November 28, 2011. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.
Baumgartner, Mark. "Study: Bottled Water No Safer Than Tap Water." ABC News. ABC News Network, 3 May 2013. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.
"Bottled Water vs. Tap Water." Bottledwater.org. International Bottled Water Association, 2013. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.
Conis, Elena. "Bottled versus Tap: Which Is Safer?" Los Angeles Times. 13 Oct. 2008. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.
da Luz, José Maria Rodrigues, et al. "Degradation Of Oxo-Biodegradable Plastic By Pleurotus Ostreatus." 8.8 (2013) Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 Nov. 2013.
Daly, Pete. "Walker Company Says: Recycle Your Empty Water Bottle." Grand
Rapids Business Journal 30.44 (2012): 6. Regional Business News. Web. 22 Sept. 2013.
Drewnowski, Adam, Colin D. Rehm, and Florence Constant. "Water And Beverage Consumption Among Children Age 4-13Y In The United States: Analyses Of 2005-2010 NHANES Data." Nutrition Journal 12.1 (2013): 1-9. Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 Nov. 2013.
Doherty, Dermot. "China's Unsafe Water Is Nestles Opportunity." Bloomberg Businessweek 4314 (2013): 19-20. Business Source Premier. Web. 25 Sept. 2013.
Edberg, Stephen C., and Joshua M. Sharfstein. “The Facts About Water.” Drinking Water Research Association, 2013. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.
Fox, Catherine Clarke. "Drinking Water: Bottled or From the Tap?" National Geographic. National Geographic Society, 2013. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
"Frequently Asked Questions What We Actually Know about Common Marine Debris Factoids." Marine Debris Program. USA.gov, 28 Aug. 2012. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
"Great Pacific Garbage Patch." National Geographic Education. National Geographic Society, 2013. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
"Louisiana emphasizes drinking water safe despite finding brain-eating amoeba." CBS News. (September 20, 2013)LexisNexis Academic. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.
McDermott, Nick. "Bottled Water Less Safe Than the Tap Variety.” Daily Mail (London). (January 2, 2013 Wednesday)LexisNexis Academic. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.
"Problems With Bottled Water." Riverkeeper RSS. Riverkeeper Inc, 2013. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
Robson, Michelle King. "Bottled Waters vs. Tap: Pick One to Stay Hydrated." Fox News. FOX News Network, 22 Oct. 2012. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.
Sewell, Bradford H. "The Dark Cloud Over Bottled Water." Business & Society Review 59 (1986): Business Source Premier. Web. 30 Sept. 2013.
Ward, Lorna A., et al. "Health Beliefs About Bottled Water: A Qualitative Study." BMC Public Health.(2009): 196-204. Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 Nov. 2013.