The Disadvantages of Bottled Water

Some drink bottled water because they believe it tastes better than tap water; others think bottled water is the cleaner of the two. However, many of the reasons people drink bottled water are myths, and the production, distribution, and disposal of bottled water take a toll on the environment. In fact, the disadvantages of bottled water outweigh of its benefits--some of which are mythical.

Environment

• Producing bottled water and disposing of the bottles harms the environment. According to Food and Water Watch, making the plastic for the bottles requires over 17 million barrels of oil a year, and that figure rises as you factor in transportation. In addition, over 85 percent of water bottles in the United States end up in trash cans rather than recycling bins, resulting in approximately two million tons of annual waste.

Health

• Dr. Stephen Edberg at Yale University School of Medicine says that bottled water is not necessarily healthier than tap water. Contrary to popular belief, tap water is not dangerous; the Environmental Protection Agency inspects city water hundreds of times a month to ensure it is free of toxins and bacteria. After studying samples of five different bottled waters and water from a New York City drinking fountain, microbiologist Aaron Margolin at the University of New Hampshire found no difference between them, and the tap water contained no threatening bacteria such as e. coli. So bottled water may not be bad for your health, but there is no justification for its expense.

Expense

• Bottled water is far more expensive than tap water or a reusable water filter. Global bottled water sales rake in tens of billions of dollars a year. Bottled water costs 500 times more than tap water, and as John Stossel at ABC News writes in a 2005 article on bottled water, "Why do people pay so much for something they can get virtually free?" And for those who think the superior taste of bottled water justifies the expense, in a blind taste test on "20/20," tap water was the third best-tasting water, before several popular bottled waters--even to regular bottled-water drinkers.