Bottled water is everywhere now – in offices, airplanes, stores, homes and restaurants all around the world, and the once ubiquitous drinking fountain seems like a distant memory. Bottled water is refreshing, calorie-free, convenient to carry around and a lot healthier than sugary sodas but the question is whether the water, and the package it comes in is safe, or at least safer than tap water. And more importantly, whether the convenience is worth the environmental impact.

What is in That Bottle?

Scenic labels of sparkling springs and alpine mountains have convinced us that the liquid is the purest drink around. It is true that some bottled water does in fact come from such pristine sources but more than 30 percent of it allegedly comes from a municipal supply. Most people would be surprised to learn that they’re in fact just drinking glorified tap water!

Labels can be misleading at best and deceptive at worst. In one notorious case in America, water coming from a well located near a hazardous waste site was sold to many bottlers. At least one of these companies labeled its product “spring water”

The Plastic Problem

Most bottled water comes in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, which are generally safe but scientists say when stored in hot or warm temperatures, the plastic may leach chemicals into the water. One such chemical is Antimony – a potentially toxic material used in making PET. Last year, scientists in Germany reportedly found that the longer a bottle of water sits around (in a store, in your home), the more antimony it develops. High concentrations of antimony can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.

The Environmental Toll

Bottled water not only poses potential health risks to us but also affects the health of the planet. While we struggle to cut down on our consumption of fossil fuels, bottled water increases them. Here’s why…

• Virgin petroleum is used to make PET, and the more bottled water we use; the more virgin petroleum will be needed to create new bottles. Fossil fuels are burned to fill the bottles and distribute them as well.
  
  
• Some brands of water come from islands and countries thousands of miles away, and shipping bottles can cause carbon pollution to spill into the water and spew into the air.
  
  
• Fresh water itself is wasted as it takes about 72 billion gallons of water a year, worldwide, just to make the empty bottles.
  
  
• Treating and filtering tap water for bottling creates even more waste. By some estimates, it takes two litres of water to make every litre you see on store shelves.
  
  
• Fewer than 20 percent of the plastic bottles ever make it to a second life, according to estimates by national environmental authorities worldwide.
  
  
• The plastic bottles add on to the non-biodegradable garbage that we are so desperately trying to reduce

1) Turn the faucet. Most countries across the world have relatively safe drinking water running from the taps; Singapore being in the forefront of it all with the safest drinking water in the world. However, in the event that one wants to take extra precaution, water-filtering devices that can be attached to your drinking supply are readily available in the market.

2) Get a canteen. Carry your plain or filtered tap water in a reusable stainless steel or lined drinking container, and clean it between uses for hygiene.

3) Think twice about the office water-dispenser. If it’s made of polycarbonate, it has the potential to leach BPA, a chemical that can cause neurological problems, among other things

4) Keep it Cool. Don’t drink from a bottle that’s been subjected to high temperatures, don’t store it anywhere it will be exposed to heat or chemicals, and don’t reuse plastic bottles.

5) Go with glass. Choose glass containers over plastic whenever possible. When you’re done, recycle!