Bottled Water, just how bad is it?

Online, April 25, 2010 (Newswire.com) - in Canada, the per capita consumption of bottled water has skyrocketed. In 1999, we consumed an average of 19.4 litres per person, climbing to more than 60 litres per person by 2008. Considering the Metro Vancouver region now houses more than 2.1 million residents, at that rate the number of plastic bottles we go through could entirely fill Okanagen Lake every two years.

So why, when we have the purest water in the world, do we continue to reach for the bottled stuff?

Myth: Bottled water is safer.

Fact: Bottled water can be from any source and treated in any manner. The two largest brands of bottled water in Canada, Coca-Cola's Dasani and Pepsi's Aquafina brands use filtered municipal tap water from Brampton, Ontario, and Calgary, Alberta. The NRDC found plenty of bacteria and chemicals in bottled water, including arsenic and methylene chloride. The new water filtration system at the Capilano-Seymour reservoir uses UV light to disinfect potential pathogens and nasty parasites cryptosporidium and giardia.
Myth: Bottled water is strictly monitored and tested.

Fact: Metro Vancouver tests tap water everyday from hundreds of sources, up to 25,000 times per year. Bottled water plants are inspected only once every three years.
Myth: Plastic bottles do not waste water.

Fact: According to Metro Vancouver it takes 3 litres of water to produce 1 litre of bottled water, and the equivalent of ½ litre of oil in embedded energy cost, including the toxic manufacturing process to produce plastic. Bottled water consumes significant amounts of non-renewable fossil fuels to extract, package and transport products to market, creating pollution, including CO2, decreasing overall air quality.