The Truth: Water Bottles

Discussion in 'Mid Atlantic' started by LFetts, Mar 14, 2011.

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  1. Mar 14, 2011 #1
    LFetts

    LFetts Member

    14
    Mar 14, 2011
    I thought after learning so much about the truth of bottle water in my student ocean advocates (SOA) group through the local Clean Ocean Action (COA) that i should share what I've learned and pass the initiative on to you, the people who the environment around us effects the most.

    The Facts:
    bottled water costs 1900x the cost of tap water
    22% of bottled water has chemical levels above state health limits for tap water
    40% of bottle water is from municipal sources ia. THE TAP!
    tap water is required annualy to report on its source and water quality...bottle water companies are not required to do so
    it takes 3x as much water to make the plastic bottle than to fill it
    92% of Americans have access to clean tap water
    the recycling rate for all recyclables in the US is only 2-3% WHAT!? thats why we have 3 BILLION pounds of plastic waste
    only ONE in FIVE water bottles are recycled properly
    plastics do not biodegrade but they photodegrade meanign that they never fully disappear. because of this, some animal's stomachs become filled with undigestable plastics which results in the death of 1.5 million marine animals every year

    What a Waste! Stop drinking this stuff! you dont know where it comes from or if its even healthy for you. 4 out of 5 water bottles are throw away and ALOT (from personal experience) end up in the ocean especially close to our beaches! To save some money and yourself, youre better off buying a stainless steel BPA free cantine and filling it with tap water. Bring back the tap! And if you really dont like the taste, filters are available in most grocery stores in the same section as bottle water. Another tip is add powder flavorings to it. you can cut down on buying bottles of iced tea and gatorade if you use the powder supplements. Please do the right thing and spread the word. Saving the planet one step at a time. Thanks!
     
    LFetts, Mar 14, 2011
    LFetts, Mar 14, 2011
  3. Mar 14, 2011 #2
    Bad Bug Surfing

    Bad Bug Surfing Well-Known Member

    152
    Dec 15, 2006
    92% of all statistics are made up
     
    Bad Bug Surfing, Mar 14, 2011
    Bad Bug Surfing, Mar 14, 2011

  5. Mar 14, 2011 #3
    staystoked

    staystoked Well-Known Member

    628
    Dec 27, 2009
    True

    " 22% of bottled water has chemical levels above state health limits for tap water "

    Do you have a source for this ?? and the brand of the bottle water ??
     
    Last edited: Mar 14, 2011
    staystoked, Mar 14, 2011
    staystoked, Mar 14, 2011
  6. Mar 14, 2011 #4
    RobG

    RobG Well-Known Member

    868
    Jun 17, 2010
    I never really got why people drink bottled water over tap water...In my opinion, it doesnt taste any different than tap water so its just a waste of money and a waste of plastic.

    Drink tap water or get a brita filter...
     
    RobG, Mar 14, 2011
    RobG, Mar 14, 2011
  7. Mar 14, 2011 #5
    wallysurfr

    wallysurfr Well-Known Member

    918
    Oct 23, 2007
    Brita hydration station banner here ----> Brilliant. Haha.
     
    wallysurfr, Mar 14, 2011
    wallysurfr, Mar 14, 2011
  8. Mar 14, 2011 #6
    MATT JOHNSON

    MATT JOHNSON Well-Known Member

    3,140
    Oct 11, 2009
    I think it more of a conveince that anything thats why bottled water has found its place in world culture. I know last summer Aquafina came out with a new bottle that uses 50% more plastic than the older bottle saving 75 millions pounds of plastic a year. When we got these new style bottles at the plant I work at I was happy to see the Pepsi is doing there part to make a greener foot print.

    But for me its britta and a metal reuseable bottle I got well water at my house (well for now) and I like that my water is ice cold in the summer to the point it almost frosts the tap on my sink
     
    MATT JOHNSON, Mar 14, 2011
    MATT JOHNSON, Mar 14, 2011
  9. Mar 14, 2011 #7
    aka pumpmaster

    aka pumpmaster Well-Known Member

    5,487
    Apr 30, 2008
    lol I just got back from shopping at Sam's. got 3 cases.
     
    aka pumpmaster, Mar 14, 2011
    aka pumpmaster, Mar 14, 2011
  10. Mar 14, 2011 #8
    LFetts

    LFetts Member

    14
    Mar 14, 2011
    "However, our investigation has found that potentially harmful chemical contaminants are indeed sometimes found in some brands of bottled water. (The box at the end of this chapter highlights a particularly troubling example.) NRDC’s testing of more than 1,000 bottles of water (for about half of FDA-regulated contaminants; see the Technical Report [print report only]), found that at least one sample of 26 of the 103 bottled water brands tested (25 percent) contained chemical contaminants at levels above the strict, health-protective limits of California, the bottled water industry code, or other states[3a] (23 waters, or 22 percent, had at least one sample that violated enforceable state limits). We found only two waters that violated the weaker federal bottled water standards for chemicals (in two repeat samples), and two waters that violated the federal standards for coliform bacteria in one test (though another batch of both of those waters tested clean for bacteria). The Technical Report (print report only) also discusses evidence provided by other investigators who in the past found that chemical contaminants were found in bottled water at levels violating the federal bottled water standards. [76]"

    this quote is from the 1999 NRDC official report found here http://www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/bw/chap3.asp

    you may also find this website which is of a more recent study interesting
    http://www.ewg.org/reports/BottledWater/Bottled-Water-Quality-Investigation
     
    LFetts, Mar 14, 2011
    LFetts, Mar 14, 2011
  11. Mar 14, 2011 #9
    LFetts

    LFetts Member

    14
    Mar 14, 2011
    it is ironic that your company began to use aquafina water bottles. Although they do have 50% less plastic, Aquafina under Pepsi is the largest company to openly state on their bottle "originates from public water sources" i.e. someones tap water.
     
    LFetts, Mar 14, 2011
    LFetts, Mar 14, 2011
  12. Mar 14, 2011 #10
    epidemicepic

    epidemicepic Well-Known Member

    502
    Feb 21, 2008
    just drink beer
     
    epidemicepic, Mar 14, 2011
    epidemicepic, Mar 14, 2011
  13. Mar 14, 2011 #11
    mongoloid

    mongoloid Well-Known Member

    320
    Nov 5, 2010
    I grew up in toms river where a number of people got cancer from the tap water. Ive been skeeved out ever since
     
    mongoloid, Mar 14, 2011
    mongoloid, Mar 14, 2011
  14. Mar 14, 2011 #12
    MATT JOHNSON

    MATT JOHNSON Well-Known Member

    3,140
    Oct 11, 2009
    thats whats happening in my town kinda.

    I am being forced to Hook-up the City water cause the north end of my town had a closed Gas Station torn down but the tanks were left in the ground with 15,000 gallon for fuel left in them . Well over the past 10-20 years the tanks started leaking and all the fuel seaped into the ground contaminating everyones wells for a cpl mile radius. Well the epa got involved and said the water in everyones wells is not even fit to bath with and u can smell gas faintly in the water depending on how close u live to the gas station.

    The towship got funding to switch everyone affected by the fuel spill. All other people who were not affected by the spill ( south side of town ) are being forced to hook up since the mail line runs threw that part of town to the north side.

    So I gotta pay 1600 to the township cause my well is fine and I gotta pay a plumber approved by the township to switch my well over to irrigation (garden hose) and to the hook up under the hose.

    So basicly it took my DR trip money i was saving
     
    MATT JOHNSON, Mar 14, 2011
    MATT JOHNSON, Mar 14, 2011
  15. Mar 15, 2011 #13
    live aloha

    live aloha Well-Known Member

    508
    Oct 4, 2009
    food for thought

    Chew on this for a while. The more you research, the more you'll learn that tap water isn't necessarily safe either. This isn't some $h!t I just googled; I've been following this case for a while now, and it makes my blood boil knowing that big oil is polluting the heck out of our water supply, one town at a time. I agree that bottled water isn't necessarily the answer. I will say that people in the affected Jacksonville area have been advised by doctors that even SHOWERING in the well water (they're not connected to city water up there, it's all wells straight to the aquifer) poses big health risks. A lot of them are throwing out big money for (they hope!) clean water since their local supply is polluted.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MTBE_controversy
     
    live aloha, Mar 15, 2011
    live aloha, Mar 15, 2011
  16. Mar 15, 2011 #14
    MATT JOHNSON

    MATT JOHNSON Well-Known Member

    3,140
    Oct 11, 2009
    Yeah it does but it goes threw some filtering system to purify it even more.

    Its bottled water so it obvious it comes from a public source. Now if it was labled Spring Water but really coming from a city water suppy then that a differnt story
     
    MATT JOHNSON, Mar 15, 2011
    MATT JOHNSON, Mar 15, 2011
  17. Mar 15, 2011 #15
    wallysurfr

    wallysurfr Well-Known Member

    918
    Oct 23, 2007
    That's ridiculous. I would say no and vote out whoever initiated this. Don't these towns take enough in taxes already?
     
    wallysurfr, Mar 15, 2011
    wallysurfr, Mar 15, 2011
  18. Mar 15, 2011 #16
    Scobeyville

    Scobeyville Well-Known Member

    1,310
    May 11, 2009
    Scobeyville, Mar 15, 2011
    Scobeyville, Mar 15, 2011
  19. Mar 15, 2011 #17
    aka pumpmaster

    aka pumpmaster Well-Known Member

    5,487
    Apr 30, 2008
    aka pumpmaster, Mar 15, 2011
    aka pumpmaster, Mar 15, 2011
  20. Mar 15, 2011 #18
    LFetts

    LFetts Member

    14
    Mar 14, 2011
    i am not suggesting well water. well water is not tap water. tap water is regualted by the state and does come from a main line that yes you do pay for. But the cost of this water is 1/1900 the cost of bottled water. If the well water is not safe in your area, then contact the epa and they will do the same thing that happeend to MATT JOHNSON. yes this may be a costly initial investment but the cost would greatly outweigh the costof water bottles and would stop the continued pollution of the ocean that we all are on this site for!
     
    LFetts, Mar 15, 2011
    LFetts, Mar 15, 2011
  21. Mar 15, 2011 #19
    Swellinfo

    Swellinfo Administrator

    5,504
    May 19, 2006
    a lot of the bottled water is more or less gymics, making you think its clean. "Spring water" doesn't necessarily mean the quality is good. There are clean brands, but more expensive of course.

    I just drink tap water, and put it through a britta filter. I know there is better options for filtering out the bad stuff tho.
     
    Swellinfo, Mar 15, 2011
    Swellinfo, Mar 15, 2011
  22. Mar 15, 2011 #20
    mOtion732

    mOtion732 Well-Known Member

    1,386
    Sep 18, 2008
    mOtion732, Mar 15, 2011
    mOtion732, Mar 15, 2011
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