Recourse and pollution

This week’s environmental controversy focuses on bottled water in terms of its health, safety, and financial issues. People disagree on whether government or private groups should be designated to promote healthier water. What is your position? Review the background information. Then using the references along with resources from your own research, write a 1-2 page response to the questions below. Remember to cite your sources using proper APA format.

Background Information

Critics of bottled water note that the products often contain dangerous bacteria and other contaminants. They argue that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) needs to better regulate the contents of bottled water. Others argue that media watchdog groups and competition within the private sector, rather than more regulations, are the best solutions for improving the quality of bottled water.

Based on what you have read, do you believe that pollution standards should be established for bottled water? What arguments most influenced your decision? How would you explain your position to someone who disagrees with you?

Bottled water: More than just a story about sales growth; Stringent federal, state and industry standards help ensure safety, quality and good taste. (2007, April 9). PR Newswire. Retrieved October 8, 2009, from ProQuest Newsstand. (Document ID: 1251895191).

Abstract

The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) is the authoritative source of information about all types of bottled waters. Founded in 1958, IBWA’s membership includes U.S. and international bottlers, distributors and suppliers. IBWA is committed to working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates bottled water as a packaged food product, and state governments to set stringent standards for safe, high quality bottled water products. Additionally, IBWA requires member bottlers to adhere to the IBWA Bottled Water Code of Practice, which mandates additional standards and practices, that in some cases, are more stringent than federal and state regulations. A key feature of the IBWA Model Code is an annual unannounced plant inspection by an independent, third party organization. For more information about IBWA, bottled water and a list of member’s brands, please contact IBWA Manager of Communications Tom Gardner at 703-647-4607 or tgardner@bottledwater.org.

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ALEXANDRIA, Va., April 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The InternationalBottled Water Association (IBWA), in conjunction with Beverage MarketingCorporation (BMC), today released bottled water statistics for the year 2006,compiled by BMC. These numbers show that U.S. bottled water sales andconsumption continue to rise, as consumers increasingly choose bottled waterover other beverages.

The latest upward trend was reflected in 2006 when total bottled water volume exceeded 8.25 billion gallons, a 9.5 percent increase over 2005, and the 2006 bottled water per capita consumption level of 27.6 gallons increased by over two gallons, from 25.4 gallons per capita the previous year. Additionally, the wholesale dollar sales for bottled water exceeded $10.8 billion in 2006, an 8.5 percent increase over the $10 billion in 2005. These statistics demonstrate continued consumer demand and appreciation for the convenience and good taste of bottled water brands consumed on-the-go, during exercise, at restaurants or meetings, and at home or the office. However, consumers should also know that bottled water safety and quality result from multiple layers of regulation and standards at the federal, state and industry levels.

Bottled water is comprehensively regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a packaged food product, and has issued stringent standards for safety, quality, production, labeling, and identity. Along with the FDA’s Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), which are required of all foods, bottled water must comply with several other applicable regulations, including Standards of Identity, Standards of Quality and additional, specific bottled water GMPs. Being a packaged food product, bottled water is also bound by the Nutrition Labeling Education Act (NLEA) and the full range of FDA protective measures designed to enforce product safety and protect consumers. States also regulate bottled water inspections, sampling, analyzing and approving bottled water sources. Testing laboratory certification is another area where states may regulate bottled water. As part of the IBWA Bottled Water Code of Practice, IBWA members voluntarily utilize the principles of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) for a science-based approach to bottled water production and safety. FDA recognizes HACCP as a key component of food safety and consumer protection.

“While all beverages have their role in a marketplace with an abundance of drink choices,” says Stephen R. Kay, IBWA Vice President of Communications, “consumers are choosing bottled water as a refreshing, hydrating beverage and as an alternative to others that may contain calories, caffeine, sugar, artificial colors, alcohol or other ingredients, which they wish to moderate or avoid. For instance, during 2006, individual servings of bottled water in sizes of 1.5 liters and smaller accounted for 57.1% of the volume of bottled water sold, indicating that consumers are choosing bottled water in lieu of other bottled drinks.”

For an overview of bottled water regulations and standards and other bottled water information, visit the IBWA web site at http://www.bottledwater.org.

Lisa Turner. (2001, December). Toxins on tap? Better Nutrition, 63(12), 48-50. Retrieved October 8, 2009, from Research Library. (Document ID: 90062665).

Abstract

Whether it is for health reasons, drinking those requisite eight glasses a day, or to avoid chemicals and pollutants from the public water supply, bottled water has come into its own as the beverage of choice. Although tap water quality and taste may be acceptable, its questionable variables make bottled and home-purified water look better.

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Headnote

earthwatch

Headnote

Why bottles and purifiers really hold water

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There was a time when we scoffed at the idea of bottled water. After all, why buy water when you can get it from the tap, seemingly for free? Times have changed, however. Today’s health-conscious consumers, even kids, are toting bottles of water. Whether it’s for health reasons, drinking those requisite eight glasses a day, or to avoid chemicals and pollutants from the public water supply, water has come into its own as the beverage of choice.

And it’s not only just plain ol’ spring water, either. The past few years have given us myriad waters to choose from-glacial, artesian, oxygen-enriched, purified and even functional water that’s been fortified with vitamins, minerals or herbs. Bottled is certainly popular-it’s a $5 billion dollar business in the U.S., alone.

In fact, its popularity is growing so rapidly that it’s poised, in this decade, to become the second largest beverage segment after soft drinks says Jonathan Hall, publisher of “The Hall Water Report.” But is bottled water really better?

WATER BUGS

Americans are definitely turning off the tap, partly in response to the quality-inconsistency of municipal water supplies. In 1993, a water-borne outbreak of Cryptosporidium in Milwaukee, Wisc., caused an estimated 400,000 residents to become ill with flulike symptoms, leading to several deaths among those who were immune-impaired. Cryptosporidium, a waterborne parasite that thrives in animals and is transferred through animal waste, has been found in rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs and in other types of surface water.

That’s not all. An August 29, 2001 report put out by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “Developing Strategy for Waterborne Microbial Disease,” says that the “consequences of microbial [bacterial and parasitic] contamination are severe.”

WHAT’S IN YOUR WATER?

Adequate chlorination kills much of the harmful bacteria in water, but this chemical process can produce trihalomethanes (THMs), which are cancer-causing compounds formed when chlorine interacts with organic matter. Meanwhile, toxic waste, agricultural pesticides and heavy metals continue to cloud our water supply. Even if your municipal water supply is safe, home water delivery systems are suspect: Water pipes can contain harmful amounts of lead, copper, radon and other contaminants that can leach into your water supply.

One such contaminant called Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE), is a chemical compound that is created through the chemical reaction of methanol and isobutylene and has been mainly used as a fuel additive oxygenate that raises the oxygen content of gasoline.

Unfortunately, the EPA has found that “a growing number of studies have detected MTBE in ground water throughout the country, and above 40 parts per billion (ppb) may cause cancer or other unknown adverse health effects.”

A CLEAR CHOICE

Is bottled better than what’s on tap in our faucets? According to an August 2000 study by the water-industry Internet portal, Bottled Water Web, Consumer Focus, “Sixty-one percent of Americans believe bottled water to be healthier than tap water, and out of that 61 percent, 53 percent believe that tap water has some contamination or chemicals that are not present in bottled water.”

Aside from consumer perception, the truth is that bottled water is strictly regulated at the federal level by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as well as at the state level. Tap water is also regulated as a utility by the EPA, while bottled water is regulated by the FDA as a pure food product and must satisfy all applicable food-packaging regulations.

The bottled-water industry is self-regulated. In fact, members of the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) -which oversees the production of about 85 percent of the bottled water sold in the U.S.-must meet strict IBWA standards more stringent than the FDA’s own regulations.

Therefore, most bottled-water companies use one or more the following practices and technologies:

1) Source protection and monitoring

2) Reverse osmosis

3) Distillation

4) Ozone treatment, known as ozonation

5) Disinfection, such as chlorination

Although tap water quality and taste may be acceptable, its questionable variables make bottled and home-purified water look better. In fact, while 75 percent of all bottled water comes from protected sources such as springs, tap water comes primarily from rivers and lakes, sources of unpredictable purity.

THE BOTTOM LINE?

Hydration. No matter what type of water you choose, or what source you get it from, be certain to drink at least eight glasses of water each day.

A recent study that was commissioned by the Nutrition Information Center at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center in New York City, found that only 20 percent of respondents meet the important “eight a day” recommendation. Barbara Levine, Ph.D., R.D., director of the Center, says, “The net result is that most Americans are probably only getting about a third of the valuable hydration benefits they need.

In fact, babies, toddlers and pregnant women are at a special risk for dehydration. Parents should monitor the fluid intake of infants and toddlers since they’re unable to express thirst.

Even older children will often not stop to take a drink and need to be reminded to take “water breaks” on a regular basis. Pregnant women need to accommodate the fluid needs of their developing babies; nursing mothers need to replace lost fluids, too.

The vast majority of Americans are not drinking enough water to begin with and, to make matters worse, many of them don’t realize that beverages containing alcohol and caffeine rob the body of water.”

Levine adds, “The consumption of water and other hydrating beverages is crucial for proper retention and use of the body’s water in complex and intricate biochemical processes.” In other words, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!

Brown, J. (2008, May). Water pressure. Vegetarian Times,(358), 29-31,6. Retrieved October 8, 2009, from Research Library. (Document ID: 1466274691).

Abstract

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates bottled water, whereas the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), along with state and local governments, oversees tap water quality. “There are specific food-manufacturing processes and standards required of bottled water plants,” says Adam Bloom, general manager of the Beverage Quality Program for NSF International, an independent not-for-profit company that develops standards and certifies food, water, and dietary supplements. Ling Li analyzed the environmental impact of the rise in bottled water consumption as a research fellow with Worldwatch Institute, an independent research organization dedicated to creating a sustainable and socially just society.

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Headnote

Bottled water choices have never been so varied-or so elite. But is the fancy stuff any better for you than H2O from the tap?

It’s a clever business move: Commodify something essential and market it as a symbol of health and status. In the past 30 years, that has happened with water. Americans spent over $10.8 billion on bottled water in 2000, as tap water’s reputation suffers and nonbiodegradable bottles clog landfills. So while water is a healthy choice, is bottled water better for us and the environment?

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Before we get down to the nifty-gritty, what are the differences between the various types of bottled water?

There are many different water varieties, generally labeled based on their source or mineral content. Here’s a cheat sheet for what those labels mean:

Artesian (e.g., Fiji, Voss): Thought to be purer than other water sources, artesian water comes from a confined aquifer (i.e., a solid layer of clay, rock, ice, or other natural element), which pressurizes the water to the point that it rises to the surface naturally.

Mineral (e.g., Calistoga, Evian): To be classified as mineral water, this variety contains at least 250 parts per million total dissolved solids originating from a geologically and physically protected underground water source. There must be constant levels and relative proportions of minerals and trace elements at the source. No minerals may be added.

Spring (e.g., Arrowhead, Crystal Geyser, Volvic): Spring water derives from an underground formation from which water flows naturally to the earths surface at a specific location.

Purified (e.g., Aquafina, Dasani): This is generally water from the “municipal supply” (aka tap water) that has been purified by one of a variety of techniques: distillation, deionization, reverse osmosis, or other suitable process.

Is bottled water safer than tap water?

Not necessarily. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates bottled water, whereas the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), along with state and local governments, oversees tap water quality. In theory, this setup makes sense: The FDA already monitors food safety at manufacturing plants. “There are specific food-manufacturing processes and standards required of bottled water plants,” says Adam Bloom, general manager of the Beverage Quality Program for NSF International, an independent not-for-profit company that develops standards and certifies food, water, and dietary supplements. As far as the chemical composition of safe drinking water goes, the FDA simply adopts most of its requirements directly from EPA tap water standards.

Does that raise your impression of tap water? In reality, it should lower your appreciation of botded water. According to an exhaustive 1999 study conducted by the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), botded water sold in the United States was not necessarily safer or cleaner than tap water. The NRDC tested more than 1,000 botdes of 103 brands and found that, while much of the botded water was within safe guidelines for contaminants, about a quarter of brands in one sample “violated strict applicable state [California] limits for botded water.” Furthermore, while a recent investigation by the Associated Press found traces of pharmaceuticals in tap water in 24 metropolitan areas, the fact remains that many bottled waters contain filtered tap water, and the filtering process hasn’t necessarily removed the drugs.

What accounts for the quality gap?

The problem is multilayered, and, according to consumer advocacy group Food & Water Watch, it comes down to regulation. Whereas the hierarchy of regulatory groups ensures that tap water undergoes what Food & Water Watch calls “rigorous testing,” including 100 or more tests per month for certain types of bacteria, most bottling plants are considered low risk and are inspected less than once a year. Furthermore, tap water is required by law to be filtered and disinfected, but no such laws apply to bottled water on the federal level. Lastly, the FDA regulates only bottled water sold across state lines, but since up to 70 percent of bottled water is produced in the same state in which its sold, it is exempt from regulation.

This is not to say, however, that bottled water is particularly unsafe. In fact, about 200 bottled water manufacturers around the globe signed up for NSF’s independent certification program, which fills many of the holes in the PDA’s regulatory process. “The process involves a thorough review of food safety procedures and practices as well as the equipment used. Food safely professionals and quality assurance people conduct these audits-from the source all the way to the point where it’s bottled, and then into the warehouse,” says Bloom. “The water itself goes through exhaustive tests for everything from heavy metals to pesticides to other minerals.” Companies that meet the NSF’s standards feature the NSF logo on their packaging, so look for that in grocery store aisles or go to nsf.org to find a list of approved brands.

What about the environmental impact of drinking bottled water?

Bottom line: Bottled water isn’t doing the environment any favors. There are three angles to consider.

The landfill effect: Ling Li analyzed the environmental impact of the rise in bottled water consumption as a research fellow with Worldwatch Institute, an independent research organization dedicated to creating a sustainable and socially just society. According to Li, although bottlers are now making bottles with polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a plastic that recycles cleaner and requires less energy to recycle or remanufacture than glass or aluminum, most of those bottles don’t get recycled. In fact, recycling practices are declining, with only 23 percent of all bottles being recycled. About 2 million tons of PET bottles are dumped in landfills annually.

Greenhouse gases: “The production of bottled water, the bottling, and the packaging all require energy, so basically they use gas and oil,” says Li. “And then when you ship bottled water, you consume a lot of gas and create carbon dioxide emissions.” Drinking locally sourced water is better, and tap is as local as you can get.

Overtaxed natural aquifers: “Excessive withdrawal of natural mineral water or spring water to produce bottled water has threatened local streams and groundwater aquifers,” writes Li. In some instances, the water is taken from areas whose residents need it. This scenario threatens to have the worst outcome in developing countries, where residents can’t afford bottled water and could lose their own local water sources.

But what if I don’t like the taste of tap water?

Simple-filter it. The NSF also certifies filters of all types, so look for its logo on the box, and do a little research. The EPA requires public water suppliers to send out an annual consumer confidence report. This report offers information on the source and quality of and potential contaminants in the water that comes out of your tap. The contaminants will be within legal limits, but a filter can remove impurities found in your water. Be sure to maintain the filter as directed by the manufacturer.

While no one will argue with the wisdom of grabbing a bottle of water at the airport or keeping a supply on hand in case of emergencies, it’s clear that what’s best for the environment-and fine for your health-is to drink filtered tap water. Need one last push? The NRDC estimates that drinking bottled water costs between 240 and 10,000 times as much as tap. Think about that the next time you feel thirsty.

Krogstad, A. (2009, January). Purifying the business of selling water. E : the Environmental Magazine, 20(1), 10-11. Retrieved October 8, 2009, from Research Library. (Document ID: 1626604811).

Abstract

The point is to alleviate the environmental burden of bottled water, while placing control of fresh water sources into the hands of consumers.

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Headnote

INNOVATION

In 2004, Jonathan Ritchey and Rick Howard joined forces to address the loss of one of the world’s most precious resources: water. The majority of the planet is covered with water (326 million cubic miles), yet only 3% is fresh water and even less is accessible to humans. Element Four is Ritchey and Howard’s answer – a company devoted to easing the global fresh-water shortage. Their product, the WaterMill, converts air into potable water through condensation followed by antimicrobial processes. The water then travels to various “points-of-use systems” such as home faucets and refrigerators. Ideally, the WaterMill will produce 3.2 gallons of water per day – enough to meet the needs of a family of six. And at an average operating cost of 35 cents per day, it far surpasses in cost-effectiveness the price of bottled water. The point is to alleviate the environmental burden of bottled water, while placing control of fresh water sources into the hands of consumers.

The WaterMill is at the intersection of technology, environmentalism and philanthropy. Though the company’s target demographic will initially consist of suburbanites, Howard and Ritchey envision adapting the product for worldwide use. “With a minimum relative humidity, die WaterMill can be of benefit to any consumer in almost any environment, and this is where Element Four can have a global impact on the water crisis,” says Howard.

Available in February, it is die first in an upcoming line of products that will include a solar-powered version of the WaterMill as well as the WaterWall, a large-scale adaptation for use on an industrial scale.

Knopper, M. (2008, May). Bottled water backlash. E : the Environmental Magazine, 19(3), 36-39. Retrieved October 8, 2009, from Research Library. (Document ID: 1475949361).

Abstract

[…] after big client meetings, she Jl collected all the empty mm plastic water bottles, took them home and added them to her own curbside recycling bin. High school activists are raising questions about why their school board members are locking them into a contract with Coke or Pepsi (makers of Aquafina and Dasani bottled water) when they have access to drinking fountains for free.

Now that more people are trying get out of the bottled water habit, groups like Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and EWG wonder if this new awareness will translate into more support for public water supplies, and for water conservation in general.

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Jennifer Phillips always felt guilty that her large Nashville law firm didn’t recycle. So after big client meetings, she Jl collected all the empty mm plastic water bottles, took them home and added them to her own curbside recycling bin. Now, she is proud to report that her firm, Bass, Berry & Sims, serves an icy pitcher of tap water during meetings. “We even have glasses with the company logo on them,” she says. Phillips estimates switching to tap keeps 3,000 plastic water bottles per week out of the landfill.

It’s a trend that is taking hold in the s U.S., Europe and Canada: more people are switching from bottled water to tap. Call it reverse snob appeal. Bottled water once carried a certain European mystique. But these days, it’s the tap water enthusiasts, concerned about the environment, who get to act self-righteous. Just like it has become cool to bring your own cloth bags to the grocery store and your own mug to the coffee shop, the reusable water bottle is the hip, new eco accessory.

It’s because people like Phillips and David WiIk, a Connecticut book publisher and tap water activist, have started to connect the dots. For WiIk, it happened on the soccer field. After his sons finished their games, he noticed the grass was littered with bottled water and Gatorade empties. Pretty soon, WiIk started showing up with a huge container of tap water. Now all the kids bring their own bottles and fill up when thirsty.

“We have such a consumption mentality, which leads to our throw-away society,” says WiIk, who started the website Turntotap.com to build more support for public water supplies and to cut down on the amount of plastic going into landfills. “I think the cost of our behavior should be built into the. products,” WiIk says.

A Gathering Revolt

In Canada, the bottled water issue has become, as WiIk says, an “uprising.” College students are staging protests-declaring “bottled water-free zones” on campus. High school activists are raising questions about why their school board members are locking them into a contract with Coke or Pepsi (makers of Aquafina and Dasani bottled water) when they have access to drinking fountains for free. Some students have jokingly started to sell bottled air for $1.

In an even bolder move, the United Church of Canada asked its three million members to consider banning bottled water during meetings and events. “We just had a lot of concerns about governance and accountability,” says Julie Graham, who leads the anti-bottled water campaign for a Toronto ecumenical activist group called Kairos. “Why is it people in Canada are willing to pay twice as much for bottled water as for gasoline? We started challenging that and raising questions about billions of empty bottles going into landfills.”

Others, like Richard Girard, a corporate researcher for the Ottowa-based Polaris Institute, don’t like the hypocrisy I they perceive in the bottled water marketing. “This movement is gaining momentum because the general public is starting to figure out bottled water is a scam,” says Girard. More than half of all bottled water is simply filtered tap anyway, he argues. And some of it is actually worse in quality because bottled water companies aren’t subject to the same strict oversight as public water supplies.

“We want the bottled water corporations to be held accountable for their actions,” Girard says. “These companies are essentially commodifying water. We hope we can force them to change and be more environmentally responsible.”

The trend away from bottled water also ties in with the Slow Food movement-as the restaurant industry tries to support local agriculture and cut down on extravagant energy used to ship imported foods from around the world. At Berkeley’s Chez Panisse, general manager Mike Kossa-Rienzi had his “a-ha” moment when he sat down and calculated how far the 25,000 bottles of sparkling Italian spring water he ordered had to travel through the air. “It really does not make sense to ship from all around the world when you have such good water in your backyard,” he says. “You have to think about the carbon imprint you’re making there.”

Another big push for the bottled water backlash came during World Water Day 2007, when San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom declared a ban on bottled water contracts for all city departments. Instead of bottled water vending machines, he installed large dispensers in city buildings that poured out pure tap water from the Sierra mountains. Other cities, from Chicago to Salt Lake, followed suit.

Just think about a bottled water brand like Fiji, says WiIk. On the company’s website, it says, “When it comes to drinking water, remote is very, very good.” If you think about it, WiIk says, it’s pretty arrogant to ask that Fiji water be flown 8,000 miles across the world just so North American yuppies can enjoy a slightly better taste.

Responding to rising criticism, the company launched the “Fiji Green” campaign. It partnered with Conservation International to go carbon negative, reduced packaging, committed to 100 percent recycled materials and has pledged money to protect the Sovi Basin rainforest in Fiji. A cynic would say the company is doing this because it can afford to-marketing Fiji water is an enormously profitable enterprise.

Bottled Waste

It takes 15 million barrels of oil per year to make all of the plastic water bottles in America, according to the Container Recycling Institute. Sending those bottles by air and truck uses even more fossil fuel.

Once people drain the bottles, they rarely recycle them because they’re often purchased at big concert venues or airports with no recycling bins. CRI says eight out of 10 water bottles end up in the landfill. The bottles that drift from landfills and litter streams are washing out to sea to form a huge raft of plastic debris in the center of the Pacfic that is twice the size of Texas.

It takes 1,000 years for plastic bottles to break down, CRI estimates. But when they do, they disintegrate into tiny bits. The green and blue bottles, especially, look like tasty food to fish and shorebirds. Scientists are finding these dead animals on the beach, with bellies full of plastic pellets.

If more states added deposits on bottled water bottles, it might spur recycling. Congressman Ed Markey (D-MA) has even proposed a national beverage bottle bill. But PET water bottles (short for polyethylene terephthalate) can only be recycled a few times. What about going back to refillable glass bordes? For one thing, they are heavy to ship. And Zero Waste expert Neil Seldman of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance doesn’t imagine anyone could persuade the beverage industry to go that route.

“They have always lobbied against it,” Seldman says. “The industry does not want to deal with it after people buy their productthey want to wash their hands of the containers.” That’s why it makes the most sense to avoid creating the waste in the first place by drinking tap from your own container, Seldman says.

Meanwhile, as drought spreads to North Carolina and Atlanta, residents are casting a suspicious eye on beverage companies like Coca Cola, which tap into local aquifers to rill their bottles. Nestle has been seeking environmental approval for what would be the largest water bottling plant in the U.S.- one million square feet in McCloud, California-against community protests. The company has had to significantly increase the amount it’s paying for the water (from $26 an acre-foot to $183) and limit its draw to 520 million gallons annually. It’s still battling opposition from residents concerned about the mega-plant’s effects on quality of life and outdoor recreation.

Bottled water industry groups, such as the International Bottled Water Association, say they are being unfairly targeted. They argue bottled water is a healthy alternative to sugary soda. And it can also be a lifesaver when disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina, strike. “It’s not really a bottled water vs. tap water world,” says IBWA spokesman Steven Kay. “Most people drink both. We think bottled water provides a good healthy choice.”

But industry marketing firms have had to do an about-face. “What’s interesting about the backlash,” says CRI Executive Director Betty McLaughlin, “is that the companies say ‘drink our water, not tap water.’ Now people are going back to tap and they’ve got to reposition themselves.” Companies are trying every angle, from claims of superior filtration to adding antioxidants (Snapple) and fruity flavors (Dasani and others).

Don’t Refill that Bottle!

The IBWA argues that bottled water companies are responding to environmental concerns by making lighter bottles that require less plastic in the manufacturing process. Kay says the industry does invest significant money to improve access to recycling at large public venues, such as airports and concert halls. Companies like Nalgene, Sigg and Brita are aggressively marketing their refillable bottles and home filters as a more responsible option.

When it comes to reusable bottles, however, consumers still need to do their homework. Research shows that clear bottles made of polycarbonate plastic (such as the original 32-ounce Nalgene) can leach bisphenol-A (BPA). This is an endocrine-disrupting chemical that acts like estrogen in the body. BPA essentially tricks your body into thinking it’s estrogen, says Washington State University Researcher Patricia Hunt. She discovered the dangers of BPA when some of her polycarbonate mouse cages started to leach BPA, causing infertility in female mice.

Since BPA has been linked to low sperm counts and an increased risk of breast and prostate cancer, scientists like vomSaal and Hunt suggest avoiding reusable bottles made from plastic. They also raise serious concerns about the potential for other plastic chemicals to leach out of typical PET water bottles-especially if they sit in the hot sun.

Hunt uses a stainless bottle brand called Klean Kantene, and Wilk’s website sells stainless guaranteed-not-to-leach SIGG bottles made in Switzerland. The trend away from bottled water may also boost sales of home filters. Water-quality experts say most tap water is fine to drink straight from the faucet-especially in cities like San Francisco, Seattle, New York City and Denver, where water comes from pristine mountain reservoirs. But in places that draw drinking water from lakes and rivers with sewer outfalls, it might make sense to install a filter. Sometimes rusty pipes or naturally occurring iron can also affect the taste.

It makes sense for anyone turning back to tap to become educated about the local public water supply. And since the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires frequent water quality reports, the data is easy to find. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) makes it easy with its Tap Water Database. You can plug in your zip code and find out whether your local water system is up to par.

Once you kick the bottle, they say, the next step is to get educated and get involved-find out what your water system needs and start pushing your elected officials to bring more funds to bear on the problem. According to NRDC, the EPA has asked for billions of dollars for a public water supply needs assessment. But the Bush Administration has allocated only a small portion of that request, says NRDC attorney Mae Wu.

“People are very concerned about what’s in their water because we drink so much of it,” says Jane Houlihan, EWG’s vice president for research. “We’re advocating for more protection for the waters that are the source of what comes out of kitchen faucets.”

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