The Natural Resources Defense Council, or the NRDC, have made a four-year study on the bottled water industry and the safety of their products. It turned out that there is no safety assurance in drinking from your bottled water, and there is no clear proof that it is cleaner than tap water. Studies have shown that an estimated 25% of commercially-produced bottled water is simply - your tap water in a plastic bottle.
People have been lured by the convenience of these plastic bottles, which is truly handy when it comes to traveling to work, to school, or even to the outback. Research has found that the majority of people loves drinking from plastic bottles out of the need for better-tasting water and a belief that it is healthier than tap.
Fact: Water is NOT toxic, but the materials used on your plastic bottles ARE!
Bottled water looks harmless and pure, especially in clear plastic. The very image of it can evoke the feelings of drinking from a mountain stream after a day of walking in the midst of a desert heat. There is still an ongoing debate on the health risk posed by drinking from plastics, and it has something to do with chemical leaks. Those who have a weak immune system like infants, elderly people, and patients suffering critical conditions are at higher risks. For this reason, a campaign against chemical leach is being waged and proposed for the FDA to reconsider.
Bisphenol A: The Unseen and Controversial Plastic Danger
Many health specialists in the public sector have growing concerns over the use of Bisphenol A or BPA in hard, clear, polycarbonate plastics. There is a call to make plastic products BPA-free, especially when they made up everything that we see in our homes - from baby bottles, food containers, to that over-hyped bottle where we drink our waters.
What's very alarming with BPA is its tendency to mimic the body's estrogen, disrupting your healthy hormones and cells. These endocrine disrupters have been known to expose people to breast and prostate cancers, not to mention a decrease in sperm count among males. Infants, toddlers, and kids are at greater risk of exposure. In fact, the more you reuse these harmful plastics, the more you unleash those harmful chemicals. When mothers boil their children's baby bottles, they unknowingly help the release of toxins with heat.
A recent research made by the Harvard School of Public Health have found that those who have drank water from these clear plastic bottles have a high amount of Bisphenol A in their urine - up to 69%. BPA has been invented to replace canned products that are easily corroded, giving consumers a better way of storing their food and drink. There is just a few options that people have right now when it comes to food storage.
Bisphenol A is first approved by the FDA in the early 60s. This chemical is what makes most plastics hard and clear. It was in August 2008 when a draft is released stating that these chemicals are safe to use in food storage. Canada have already banned this chemical and many other countries in the EU. Due to rising numbers of concern and a recent testimony made on June 3, 2009 by FDA commissioner Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg, the questions about BPA has been raised and a team of scientists will be having a new look on the case of Bisphenol A. There are still gaping holes in the regulations of tap and bottled water, and all we can do is to stay vigilant on matters that concerns our very health.
The question is always a tricky one to answer, especially when many bottled water labels are misleading. Here's the truth behind your labels (source: NRDC ) :
- Spring water with all those mountain and lake photos are made by industrial warehouse facilities, which can contain hazardous solvents that are above what EPA and FDA considered as standard.
- Be wary of bottled waters with false therapeutic claims that are not regulated or approved by the FDA. Imported bottled waters are beyond local safety inspection, so double your precaution.
- Bottled water and tap water are both inconsistent in quality. Whereas, tap water is inspected by certified government labs, bottled water is less monitored.
- There are documented lists and reports of contaminants found in bottled water, which means that they're not as safe as you believe them to be. In fact, an outbreak of cholera in 1994 that happened in Saipan, a U.S. territory, has been linked to bottled water consumption.
- Smart people will tell you that you are what you drink and eat. Yet, smarter folks will question the quality of what the food and water they take. Pure water comes with a pH level of 6.8-7.2. Lower than that means putting yourself at risk for diseases caused by acidity.
( Source: Beverage Test, July 2008 in California, using a calibrated pinpoint combo ORP meter )
- Coke = 2.8 pH Level ( Acidic )
- Pepsi = 3.2 pH Level
- Vitamin-Enriched Water = 3.34 pH Level
- Propel Fitness Water = 3.6 pH Level
- Distilled Water = 5.8-6.5 pH Level
- Reverse Osmosis Water = 5.5-6.3 pH Level
- Ionized Water = 8.5-9.5 pH Level ( Healthiest )
Over 45 million plastic water bottles a year end up in the trash and 90% end up in landfills. 250 million barrels of oil per year are used to produce plastic bottles. These bottles can leach dioxin, a known carcinogen, into the water, adding to toxic environmental waste.
Water is Life - the saying goes, and if you do not have access to clean, pure water, then, you are maimed for life. The saying health is wealth is an old cliche and it means having a healthy body to live life to the max. Would you drink poison if you know it's toxic for you? The same principle goes with your water.
Love Water... Without Plastic Bottles!
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