HEALTH ISSUES CLOUD BOTTLED WATER’S IMAGE

Nothing seems as crystal clear and clean as a plastic bottle of water. Indeed, most bottled water brands are tout as being treated with “reverse osmosis,” “UV sterilization” and “ozone purification.”

And most bottled water manufacturers advertise the healthy, “natural” minerals found in their product. While some brands bottled from deep underground springs do contain dissolved minerals, the purification process that removes bacteria and other contaminants also removes most of the minerals—which are replaced by dumping in Epson salts (magnesium sulfate) and sodium chloride, or table salt.

The Problems
Here’s an even more serious issue: Disposable water bottles can contain bisphenol A (BPA), a potentially toxic material that animal research has shown to affect the body’s hormones. Some scientists caution that BPA may aggravate obesity, trigger behavioral changes and even increase the risk of asthma, cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer.

Even worse, studies have shown that re-using plastic bottles increases the chance that chemicals like BPA will leach out over time into the liquid inside the bottle.

Facing the Facts
Unlike EPA-regulated municipal (tap water) systems, about 70% of U.S. bottled water is exempt from regulation by the Food and Drug Administration, since shipments never cross state lines.

Some 78% of the water in plastic bottles contains high amounts of “endocrine disrupters,” chemicals that can produce adverse developmental, reproductive, neurological and immunological effects.
Even “pure” spring water can contain such chemicals because discarded birth control pills, hormone medications and other contaminants are present in such water supplies.
If plastic bottles aren’t recycled, they’re incinerated, which releases more toxic chemicals into the air we all breathe.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

If you must use a plastic water bottle, don’t re-use it. Toss it into a recycling bin instead. And don’t expose a throwaway plastic bottle to heat from intense sunlight or hot water—that causes the release of even more bisphenol A. Ultimately, the fastest, healthiest choice is to get your drinking water from a faucet or water fountain.

See our Resources page for more information and sources for reusable plastic beverage containers.