At one time tap water was all that was available. It ran freely out of the tap and every home and office had access to it. Within the last decade bottled water has started showing up on store shelves and in homes more frequently. Each year, more and more bottles of water are being purchased and the tap water vs. bottled water debate has begun to stir. People are starting to ask the question, “What is better, bottled water or tap water?” Where does the water come from, what’s in it and what the overall cost is are the questions people consider when taking a side.
Tap Water
Many companies started producing bottled water when information started to come out that tap water may contain harmful elements, despite the fact that most places in the United States clean their water before running it through the tap. Cities use a process called chlorination to try and clean the public water, but this process doesn’t kill off every bad bacteria and parasite that can be found in nearby rivers and lakes. Some germs can remain in your home’s tap water even after chlorination.
Chemicals from area fertilizers, pesticides and more have also been found in tap water in many different locations across our country. None of this is safe for anyone to drink, not even for your pets. Additional filtration could potentially remove these harmful items from the water, but this filtration isn’t something that comes standard in homes these days. However, additional filtration is something you can invest in and end the bottled water vs. tap water debate.
Bottled Water
For many, bottled water seems like the obvious winner in the tap water vs. bottled water debate. Unfortunately it isn’t that simple. Different bottled water manufacturers use water from different locations and sources. Some manufacturers are even selling tap water themselves and labeling it as “fresh” or “spring water”. They typically don’t advertise safer water, but rather they provide a product that is more convenient for people to take on the go – to work or the gym. While there are some good bottled water companies that provide healthier spring water options, many brands are unsafe.
You also need to consider the plastic bottle that the water comes in. Plastic can leak harmful chemicals into the water over time, which you consume once you drink the water. Recently, products such as BPA have been removed from the United States plastics because of how unsafe they are.
Not only are plastic bottles of water unsafe for us as humans, but they affect the environment, too. The plastic bottles need to be disposed of when the water is gone, so they get thrown into garbage dumps and landfills, which contaminate our earth. Essentially, having your own glass or stainless steel bottle to refill with filtered water is ideal.
Drinking Water Systems
Within the past decade, drinking water systems have become an affordable way to produce safe drinking water in your home. The process your local water treatment facility uses to filter your home’s water simply won’t filter out everything that is harmful to you and your family. Because of this, you may want to consider having a drinking water system installed in your home. These drinking water systems have filters that remove leftover particles and chemicals that shouldn’t be consumed.
Ideally using a drinking water system outweighs either of the options in the tap water vs. bottled water debate. Not only will you be protecting the health of your family, but you will also help protect the planet by reducing the amount of plastic put into the earth. A filtration system is also cost effective if you consider the amount you pay for bottled water.
