When it comes to drinking water, most people immediately desire a crystal clear, ice cold bottle of water. What they might not know is that bottled water is dangerous; not only is it stored in a carcinogen-releasing container, but it has over 38 other chemicals and pollutants in it. Tap water, on the other hand, is straight from a source that is thoroughly regulated. Consumers should ban the bottle when it comes to drinking water and instead drink tap water. For one, drinking tap water decreases the astronomical amount of waste caused by bottled water.
Not only that, but by American consumers purchasing bottled water, they are paying companies to waste money and valuable natural resources, while tap water and it’s increased use is creating jobs. And while Americans have to take time to decide what brand of bottled water they want, millions of people in third-world countries are forced to either guzzle down clay water brimming with bacteria and parasites, or die of dehydration. Drinking tap water can save millions of dollars spent on bottled water and their manufacture to help these people who are without water, among other things.
When people hear tap water, they immediately think of contamination, bad taste, and chemicals. However, tap water is actually regularly checked, and in general has less chemicals than bottled water. Think of it this way; Bottled water is taken from a source unbeknownst to us and put in plastic bottles. These bottles are then transported up to hundreds of miles to their destination. They are then stored until they are shelved, shelved until they are bought, and then consumers drink it.
After the water has been inside a bottle for so long, especially in changing temperatures, it has had chemicals and carcinogens released from the plastic into that brand name drinking water. In case consumers and readers are wondering what carcinogens are, they are cancer causing substances and chemicals. Consumption of these chemicals is most dangerous if they are in water because water is transported to every single part of the body. Researchers at EWG actually state that,“Ten popular U. S. bottled water brands contain mixtures of 38 different pollutants, including bacteria, fertilizer, Tylenol and industrial chemicals… ccording to laboratory tests recently conducted by Environmental Working Group. ” (EWG)
If consumers are concerned about chemicals lurking in their beverages, they should take a closer look at the brand name bottle of water they’re holding. Most people have at one point walked along somewhere, whether it was on a beach or in the woods, and found trash. Many times, that trash is a water bottle. In fact, “38 million plastic bottles go to the dump per year in America from bottled water (not including soda)” (Gunzelmann) That’s nearly 4798 miles of water bottles stacked end to end, not including the bottles that make it to the dump.
The amount of waste caused by water bottles alone is astronomical. These water bottles don’t just disappear either. No, it takes almost 700 years for the beginning of significant water bottle deterioration. This means that the amount of plastic waste in the U. S annually increases by approximately 792 tons of plastic. This nearly indestructible contamination clogs our oceans, overflows from our streams, blocks airways of animals, and destroys ecosystems. A contaminant that, if more people were to drink tap water, would be manageable. The great thing about tap water is, it can be made just as portable as bottled water, without the waste.
Tap water is available most everywhere in the U. S; all Americans need to do is get a water container, fill it up, and a person has the equivalent of bottled water without the waste, cost, or carcinogens! In light of this information, it’s surprising that more people don’t care to do it. Thus far the focus of the bottled water vs. tap debate has been on American consumers. Consider the inhabitants of other countries; people who would give anything to have the luxury of drinking water, much less the leisure to argue about which type they prefer.
In his article, Tom Standage states that “More than 2. 6 billion people… lack basic sanitation, and more than one billion… lack reliable access to safe water” (Standage 25). That’s 2. 6 billion people who are living without sanitation for water. That’s over 1 billion who don’t have water that’s safe to drink. These people will die young from water borne diseases and dehydration. Americans have advanced sanitation and a reliable source of clean water, but instead of helping others less fortunate, the U. S spends billions of dollars and gallons of oil creating bottled water with little purpose other than to look better than tap.
While we are spending time deciding what brand of water we like best, our fellow humans must walk 8 hours in the desert to a mud pit, dig a hole in the clay, and retrieve what can hardly be called water from it. Even after this 8 hour walk and hour of collecting water, there is so little that boiling it for sanitation eradicates the entire water supply. Were the money from water bottle production saved, it could provide others with a safe source of water.
Tap water can not only save money, but it can save lives. Drinking tap water increases employment and employment options. An increased amount of tap water use increases the need for water and pipe testing, regulation and pipe construction. People who are plumbers, inspectors, or electricians can move towards city water maintenance or inspection and vice versa. This will create an influx of jobs and employed people in the country, improving the economy. This would also give people in a singular line of work multiple options for employment.
Bottled water companies receive money from sales, which are based on how appealing bottled water is to the consumers; so long as they buy, companies have no interest concerning the water’s quality. Tap water workers are paid based on whether the pipes, water, and the water’s transportation are safe. This establishes a higher incentive for tap workers to ensure clean water. Tap water saves resources that we can’t afford to lose for the sake of bottled water. For example; oil is a valuable resource that we are spending fortunes to get from foreign countries, yet “24 million gallons of oil are needed to produce a billion plastic bottles. (Gunzelmann).
According to Business Insider, 9 billion water bottles are consumed by Americans each year (Business Insider). The oil saved each year in America alone would add up to over hundreds of billions of dollars. Not only does drinking tap water save money and oil, it saves water itself. While millions of people are suffering from lack of sanitary water we use “… 1. 39 liters to make one liter of [bottled] water. ” (Gustafson) Many people don’t understand that Americans are rich in the fact that we have a source of clean water in almost every home.
Millions of people don’t have a source of clean water within five miles of their home. Despite this, Americans still feel the need to take what we have for granted, utilizing resources and money that hundreds of other countries can’t even comprehend, and produce something wasteful. Nevertheless, the opposition points out a few positives in the defense of bottled water. For instance, bottled water companies create jobs, including transportation, manufacture, and marketing. Conversely, tap water also creates jobs, without the waste of natural resources and plastic.
It has been stated that the sale of water aids the economy and promotes the marketing of other products, even further improving the economy. However, selling what is free is not the way to help the economy. A business cannot flourish by selling products to the employees. In this way, neither can a country flourish through the sale of bottled water within itself. For a truly better economy, the U. S must reach out to other countries. By abandoning bottled water and drinking tap, an overly sufficient amount of money will be saved to help other, less-fortunate countries.
The U. S contributing to the rest of the world in such a way would change other countries’ opinions of America for the better, thus improving world trade. In bottled water’s defense, majority of consumers claim that bottled water tastes infinitely better that tap. However, in a blind taste test conducted by Tom Standage, a mere 1 person correctly identified which of the various samples of water was tap. The apparent bad taste people claim tap water has is likely due to perceptual set, or predisposition. Since consumers think they ‘know’ tap water tastes bad, it tastes bad.
Therefore, once the knowledge of which cup holds the tap water is taken away, so is that predisposition, and the taste does not vary between the two different types of water. This proves the opposition’s statement null and invalidated. As is plainly shown by evidence and common sense, tap water is more beneficial than bottled water. It minimizes waste and is more thoroughly regulated. Tap water is not stored in carcinogen-releasing plastic and saves money and resources. An increase of people drinking tap water will help others. Tap is the better choice, for consumers, the deprived, the economy, and the environment.
