bottled water

[tigerlilly01]

Do you think bottled water is really better for you than tap water?  I have gotten use to drinking it and find it hard to drink tap water now.  It is too expensive so I bought a pur water filter pitcher but still find myself drinking the bottles.

[lray3152]

tap water is better, it is unlimited, you are saving the earth by not buying plastic bottles!  Also it has minerals etc that bottled water doesnt : )

[karenkpc]

tap water.  the filter is the best way to go, if one wants the taste difference or if you have really nasty tap water.  just because the bottles are recyclable doesn't mean the process by which they are made is good for the environment.  I'm fine with tap.

[dmalsbury]

i live in an area fed by underground artisian spring water. The water is very clean and good tasting, however, it does contain a lot of calcium carbonate dissolved in it an is "hard". A water softener is a must around here to lower the dissolved solids concentration. I believe a filter should do best to provide "drinkable" potable water unless you are in an area with dissolved iron or other maltasting minerals. 

[Simone251]

 :thumbsup:i drink both  bottled water as well as tap water .. I think bottled water tastes better

[abeyta87]

i too have a pur water pitcher that i love... The water taste great and is better for the environment. However I like Tap water the same as bottled water but i have to have ice in my water to drink it from the tap but that isn't really a big deal... But my husband picks bottled as best

[Mojoshog]

I use tap water through water softner and reverse osmosis filter then through a charcoal filter on fridge tap and icemaker. My cats actually seem to prefer to drink straight tap water.  I think there's chlorine and chloramine in the unfiltered that's sometimes at higher levels like after a heavy rain or a pipe break.

[jmtalboo]

Here is some info that sealed the deal on me drinking nothing but spring water...

*bleep*'s used Sodium Fluoride
By Roberto Jelash
4292 views

What if I told you the *bleep*'s used Sodium Fluoride in their camps?....would you doubt that?

Here is a German reporter talking about fluoride in *bleep* camps:

The first occurrence of fluoridated drinking water on Earth was found in Germany's *bleep* prison camps. The Gestapo had little concern about fluoride's supposed effect on children's teeth; their alleged reason for mass-medicating water with sodium fluoride was to sterilize humans and force the people in their concentration camps into calm submission. (Ref. book: "The Crime and Punishment of I.G. Farben" by Joseph Borkin.)

The following letter was received by the Lee Foundation for Nutritional Research, Milwaukee Wisconsin, on 2 October 1954, from Mr. Charles Perkins, a chemist:

"I have your letter of September 29 asking for further documentation regarding a statement made in my book, The Truth About Water Fluoridation, to the effect that the idea of water fluoridation was brought to England from Russia by the Russian Communist Kreminoff. "In the 1930's, Hitler and the German *bleep*'s envisioned a world to be dominated and controlled by a *bleep* philosophy of pan-Germanism. The German chemists worked out a very ingenious and far-reaching plan of mass-control which was submitted to and adopted by the German General Staff. This plan was to control the population in any given area through mass medication of drinking water supplies. By this method they could control the population in whole areas, reduce population by water medication that would produce sterility in women, and so on. In this scheme of mass-control, sodium fluoride occupied a prominent place. ...

"Repeated doses of infinitesimal amounts of fluoride will in time reduce an individual's power to resist domination, by slowly poisoning and narcotizing a certain area of the brain, thus making him submissive to the will of those who wish to govern him. [A convenient light lobotomy]

"The real reason behind water fluoridation is not to benefit children's teeth. If this were the real reason there are many ways in which it could be done that are much easier, cheaper, and far more effective. The real purpose behind water fluoridation is to reduce the resistance of the masses to domination and control and loss of liberty.

"When the Nazis under Hitler decided to go into Poland, both the German General Staff and the Russian General Staff exchanged scientific and military ideas, plans, and personnel, and the scheme of mass control through water medication was seized upon by the Russian Communists because it fitted ideally into their plan to communize the world. ...

"I was told of this entire scheme by a German chemist who was an official of the great IG Farben chemical industries and was also prominent in the *bleep* movement at the time. I say this with all the earnestness and sincerity of a scientist who has spent nearly 20 years' research into the chemistry, biochemistry, physiology and pathology of fluorine--any person who drinks artificially fluorinated water for a period of one year or more will never again be the same person mentally or physically."
CHARLES E. PERKINS, Chemist, 2 October 1954.

How is our water cleaned?

Water is piped from Auckland's dams to the filter stations. The first stage of the treatment process is adding alum (aluminium sulphate) to the water. Any dirt in the water clings to the particles of alum.

The water is then piped to settling tanks. Here the alum and dirt form a layer called floc. The floc, also known as sludge, is drained off, thickened and squeezed through the filter press. It is then recycled as landfill.

The clean water is piped to the sand filters. The sand traps small bits of dirt as the water passes through it. When the sand gets too dirty, it is cleaned using air jets and clean water.

After the water has been filtered, it is treated with chlorine. This kills any of the remaining bacteria. Fluoride is added (except in Onehunga) to protect our teeth. Finally tiny amounts of lime are added. This helps prevent the water pipes from corroding.

Next the water is piped to the reservoirs (large holding tanks). Watercare has 51 reservoirs, including the holding reservoirs at the filter stations.

Watercare's large pipes transport the clean drinking water to Metrowater's smaller ones. We bring it to all the homes and businesses in Auckland City.

[Valerie1979]

  Pets certainly don't need all the "junk" added to tap water, I buy bottled spring water  (and I check the labels to make sure the source actually is a spring).  I had heard some people say distilled water was best and then many others that said distilled water has everything taken out of it and should only be used for a short time like if there's sickness or detox program going on.  So I did an experiment for 2 weeks, I had 3 similiar bowls and filled one with tap water, one with spring water and one with distilled water to see which one the pets preferred.  The spring water won, it was a favorite with both dogs AND the cat.  I also prefer the bottled spring water to the tap water or filtered water  (after seeing what the filter removed from the tap water, I can see why I never liked the tap water--yuck!)  The plastic containers the water comes in ARE RECYCLABLE.

Do you actually think that the words on the label are the ultimate truth? 
My parents well water in northern wisconsin comes from a "natural spring" as well and was the best water that i ever had--- and it's FREE.

Really -- bottled water is a HUGE market but likely not necessary for most individuals.  It actually also causes children to have more dental problems..... the teeth need flouride which is part of the 'junk' that you claim is added to tap water -- it has been added to public "city" water based on the government saying that dental caries (cavities) in children was a public health crisis years ago..... same reason that vitamin A and D are added to milk -- these are not naturally occurring in milk - they are added to help improve the health of the American population.

[amyrouse]

I have learned so much about tap water by having a baby, lol.  I didn't realize the different things that can be included in tap water, such as flouride, and how certain amounts can be harmful.  But I also have an addiction to news shows that have done expose's on bottled water, and you need to be careful because some of it is actually tap water disguised as purified.  My family doesn't have the extra money to spend on a water filter, but I don't really want to spend the extra time boiling all of my water before refrigerating it and drinking it, so I buy spring water in gallon jugs.

[vlsm23]

I have a filter water pitcher and a hiking water bottle that I fill everyday.  I cant drink tap water unless its filtered but bottle water bought at the store is not good to reuse because it can cause cancer.

[SherylsShado]

From Consumer Reports Website:  Here are some details on July 8, 2009, hearing on the regulation of bottled water that was missed in ConsumerReports.org's reporting.
                       "In general, FDA's oversight of bottled water can be described as successful. The Agency is aware of no major outbreaks of illness or serious safety concerns associated with bottled water over the past decade," said Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, principal deputy commissioner of food and drugs, FDA.

There has been no conclusive evidence that bottled water has caused illnesses in the past five years, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office's survey of 50 States and District of Columbia. According to the Centers for Disease Control, each year there are anywhere from 4 million to 33 million cases of gastrointestinal illness associated with public drinking water systems. Perhaps this government data prompts some consumers to prefer bottled water for their personal hydration and refreshment. Most often, consumer "preference" is stated as a matter of convenience and availability.

"Federal law requires FDA to set similar standards for bottled water as exist for municipal water, or explain why they should not apply," Dr. Sharfstein stated.

In accordance with the Safe Drinking Water Act, FDA regulations for bottled water are at least as stringent as those imposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for municipal drinking water.

"FDA has established standards for more than 90 contaminants. And in some cases, such as for lead or copper, FDA limits are stricter for bottled water than for municipal water," Dr. Sharfstein told Congress under oath.

Bottled waters come from carefully selected sources, use state-of-the-art filtration and quality control processes, and are bottled in hygienically-sealed containers. One of the major bottled water companies I represent tests approximately 2,000 samples a day of its bottled water. Gallon for gallon, studies show some bottled water companies test their water nearly 68 times more frequently than most municipal water suppliers.

If they are a member of IBWA, bottling plants also undergo vigorous independent annual inspection by certified third-party experts. These facilities are also subject to both state and federal regulations.

At present, members of the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA), the bottled water industry trade group, are encouraged to release information about the contents of their water. People can go to the IBWA Web site, www.bottledwater.org, to obtain contact information or water quality information for all IBWA member brands. IBWA has petitioned the FDA to require all bottled water labels to include a telephone number that will allow consumers to contact manufacturers for information not already on the labels. Of we're willing to work with FDA to find and improve ways make it easier for consumers to get water quality information. Cooperation between industry and government regulators is always the preferred course of action.

As for DEHP, it is not used by bottled water companies in any size container, period. Of course, we have no objection to FDA issuing a standard of identity for when its use is appropriate.

[SherylsShado]

Water & Pets - What Could Be In The Water You & Your Pets Are Drinking...

All public water systems contain some level of one or more unhealthful chemicals. Regulations only require periodic testing of about 86 toxic
chemicals. There are now more than 75,000 chemicals used in our society with more than 1,000 new ones being developed each year.  So far,
more than 2,100 toxic chemicals of the more than 75,000 patented chemical compounds in use today have been detected in America's water
systems.  Some of the most common toxins in tap water from the condensed EPA's safe water guidelines are listed below:

Toxin                     Source                                Potential Damage to Pets                                                                                           
Alachlor                  Herbicide                             Cancer, Kidney, Liver, Spleen, Nose, Eyes
Asbestos                  Many Concrete Pipes                   Cancers, Lung
Atrazine                  Herbicide                    Congestion Ð Heart, Lungs, Kidneys, Adrenal Glands
Benzene                   Synthetic Hydrocarbons                 Cancer, Chromosome Aberrations
Cadmium                   Corroded Galvanized Pipes    Kidney, Liver, Bone, Blood Damage and Failure
Carbofuran                Insecticide                            Nervous System, Reproductive System
Carbon Tetrachloride      Aerosols, refrigerant                  Kidney, Liver, Nervous System Cancers
Chlordane                 Insecticide                            Liver, Kidney, Heart, Lungs, Spleen, Adrenal Glands
Chlorine                   Water Treatment                       Stomach, Kidney, Bladder Damage
Chlorobezene               Plastic Solvent                       Nervous System, Liver, Kidney
Copper                     Corroded Piping                       Anemia
Cryptosporidium            Chlorine-resistant Parasite           Diarrhea, Cramping
Cysts                      Chlorine-resistant capsules           Diarrhea, Cramping, Anemia
Endrin                     Insecticide                           Convulsions, Liver damage
Ethylbenzene               Plastic Solvent                       Kidney, Liver, Nervous System Damage
Giardia                    Chlorine-resistant Parasite           Diarrhea, Cramping
Heptachlor Epoxide         Pesticide chlordane                   Liver, Central Nervous System damage
Lead                       Corroded Piping                       Cancer, Kidney Damage, Stroke
Lindane                    Insecticide                           Liver, Kidney Damage
Mercury                    Corroded Piping                       Kidney Damage
Methoxychlor               Insecticide                     Nervous System, Liver, Kidney, Heart Damage
Ortho-Dichlorobenzene      Herbicide                     Nervous System, Liver, Kidney, Blood Cell Damage
Simazine                   Herbicide                             Cancer, Kidney, Liver, Nervous System Damage
Tetrachloroethylene        Dry-Cleaning Fluid                    Liver, Kidney, Central Nervous System Damage
Toluene                    Petroleum, Paint, Solvent             Liver, Kidney, Central Nervous System Damage
Toxaphene                  Insecticide                  Cancer, Immune System Depression,Liver, Kidney
Trichloroethylene          Solvent                                Cancer, Liver Damage
Xylenes                    Solvent, Gasoline                    Liver, Kidney, Central Nervous System

[cloudsoup]

bottled water tastes better to me, and i pay $4
for a 24-pack which lasts a little less than a month,
so its really not that expensive for me...  but its not
exactly a 'staple' item, either.

i like to save the bottles, fill them with tap water,
and put them back in the fridge. eventually i can't tell
the difference which is which