A new study says bottled water is really not much better than the water we get at home, and can have a big negative impact on the environment.
Welcome to this week's edition of Something Wild. I'm Rosemary Conroy for the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests.
Everyone knows drinking lots of water is good for you. And many people think drinking bottled water is even better. While it is certainly better than the soft drinks available at your local convenience store, drinking bottled water isn't necessarily better for your health.
Besides costing up to one thousand times more money, much bottled water isn't any purer than tap water. In fact, according to a recent study by the Natural Resources Defense Council, 25 percent of the water packaged and sold is tap water!
How come you don't know that? Because no one has to tell you. One of the key findings in the study showed that most bottled water regulations are inadequate to ensure consumers of either purity or safety. Simply put, your local municipal water supply is tested much more often and way more thoroughly than any water you can buy.
So what if you have a private well? Well, unless you live downstream from a potential source of pollution, your own water is still probably healthier. And if your home is surrounded by forests or other protected land, your water is much more likely to be clean and pure.
Then there's all those containers. Every year, 1.5 million tons of plastic is used to bottle water. Besides the toxins released during their manufacture, and the amount of landfill space needed to dispose of them afterwards, tons of carbon dioxide is released into our atmosphere during their transportation.
So why pay for something that's no better than what you can have for almost nothing? Whenever possible, bring your own water bottle when you are out and about. You'll save money, your health, and most importantly, lessen your impact on the environment.
Now what could be more refreshing than that?
Something Wild is a joint production of New Hampshire Audubon, NHPR and the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests.
For Something Wild, I'm Rosemary Conroy.
