Recently my family and I went on a scout camping trip. So we packed

up our gear, planned our meals and got the food we needed for the

weekend. Oh and of course our water bottles. It was interesting to see

how many campers had purchased bottled water instead of bringing

tap water. I wondered if it was for the convenience, safety or taste,

and how it impacted our environment.

Water has always been essential to our body’s system

and our survival, and lately it has become part of the

recent fitness craze as people all over try and gain

the “certified” health benefits of drinking water.

With this, the bottled water industry has grown to

huge proportions. In 2003, Americans alone spent

more than $7 billion on bottle water that cost more

than $1 a bottle. But is it worth it? Is it better/safer

water than what you can get from the tap?

Recently there have been many exposés about bottled

water. In fact, the National Resources Defense

Council (NRDC) published the results of a four-year

study in which researchers tested more than 1,000

samples of 103 brands of bottled water. These

researchers found that an estimated 25% or more

of bottled water is really just tap water in a bottle –

sometimes treated and sometimes not. While noting that most bottled

water is safe, the organization also found that at least one sample of

a third of the brands contained bacterial or chemical contaminants,

including carcinogens, in levels exceeding state or industry standards.

Bottled water is regulated for safety, but it's a tricky thing. The EPA

regulates tap water, while the FDA oversees bottled. Yet FDA oversight

doesn't apply to water packaged and sold within the same state, leaving

some 60 to 70 percent of bottled water, including the

contents of water cooler jugs, free of FDA regulation,

according to the NRDC's report. In this case, testing

depends on the states, but the NRDC found that

they often don't have adequate resources to oversee

bottled water, in some cases lacking even one fulltime

person for an entire state.

Another issue with bottled water is the bottle itself.

Most bottled water comes in polyethylene terephthalate

bottles, indicated by a number 1, PET or PETE

on the bottle's bottom. (No, it's not the same phthalate

mentioned earlier.) The bottles are generally

safe, says Ken Smith, PhD, immediate past chair of

the American Chemical Society's division of environmental

chemistry. But scientists say when stored

in hot or warm temperatures, the plastic may leach

chemicals into the water.

But high temperatures in your storage space aren't

the only potential risk; so are the other things you

keep there. Experts advise against storing water in the garage, near gas

fumes, pesticides and other chemicals that could, at the very least,

affect the smell and taste of the H2O. It's not just where you store your

water, but what you do with it as you carry it with you. Many people

sip from a bottle that's been sitting in a hot car, a potentially dangerous

move. Leaving bottled water out in the car changes the chemical

equilibrium so that the materials from the plastic could go into the

water faster.

Ever opened a bottle of water and taste a little plastic flavor? If so, that

could be the chemicals of the bottle leaching into the water. One of the

chemicals that most experts are concerned about is bisphenol (BPA).

It may cause neurological and behavioral problems. So when looking

at bottle water or water containers make sure they are BPA free.

So, water from a bottle doesn’t seem better for you –

in some cases it can be the opposite – than tap

water. But let’s say you are able to get bottle water

from a distributer that you trust and know is safety

conscious. What about the environment?

As the business of bottle water increases so does the

production of the bottle containers. Virgin petroleum

is used to make PET (one of the chemical for

making plastic bottles), and the more bottles we

use, the more virgin petroleum will be needed to

create new bottles. Fossil fuels are burned to make,

fill the bottles and distribute them all of which contributes

to carbon emissions. Treating and filtering

tap water for bottling creates even more waste. By

some estimates, it takes about two liters of water to

make every liter you see on store shelves.

I understand that one of the big parts of the appeal

of bottled water is those convenient single-serving

bottles. Yet fewer than 20 percent of them ever make it to a second life,

according to estimates by the Container Recycling Institute. The rest

are tossed onto beaches and roadsides and into landfills, where they

could be around for a thousand years. Nestlé Waters, Dasani and other

bottlers are trying to be greener, by introducing lighter-weight bottles

that use up to 30 percent less plastic. All great efforts but more needs

to be done – by them and by us.

Try the tap again. First, check it out. If your water

comes from a public source (rather than a well),

you should get a water-quality or consumerconfidence

report from the water company once

a year. It's also available at any time from the local

water utility. Read the report carefully, making sure

not only that your water has received a passing grade

overall but also that contaminants haven't exceeded

the maximum allowable levels, even for a short

while. If you have well water, get it tested every year.

For more information, call the EPA's toll-free Safe

Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791, or visit

the website for the Campaign for Safe and

Affordable Drinking Water.

Get a canteen or reusable container. Carry your

plain or filtered tap water in a reusable stainless

steel or lined drinking container, and clean it

between uses. Some come with an easy-to-tote strap. Think twice

about the office water cooler. If it's made of polycarbonate, it has the

potential to leach BPA, a chemical that can cause neurological problems,

among other things. And have you ever seen anyone actually

clean the water cooler? I bet not.

Shop smart. When you must have bottled water, look for brands

that have NSF certification or belong to IBWA. Check out the lists