Troubled water

There's an increased thirst for bottled water due the tap water incidence that shakes the confidence in tap water. In 1993 cryptosporidium outbreak (cryptosporidium- a parasite from animal waste) entered Milwaukee's water supply and killed more than 50 people, sent 4,400 people to the hospital and sickened many hundreds of people." The U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has standards for some 80 contaminants in public drinking water and maintains that the U.S. enjoys some of the safest water in the world. Since 1999, Federal law has required local water utilities to send "consumer confidence reports" to their customers each year. The reports detail ongoing laboratory testing, name system trouble spots, and outline measures being taken to fix problems.

If you haven't received one, contact your local water department, call the Safe Drinking water Hot-line at (800) 426-4791, or visit .
The bottled-water industry falls under the jurisdiction of the FDA, which has borrowed from the EPA's standards for tap water. Other bodies use their own model code to inspects water includes The international Bottled Water Association, The industry's trade group and their standard is said to be stricter than the FDA's. 85% of companies that produce bottled water gets inspections at the processing plants annually by an independent nonprofit group.

some water contaminant:-
Arsenic is a poisonous element in the earth's crust, arsenic can enter water naturally or through factory runoff, animal - feed additives, herbicides, and refineries. Water systems that depend on underground sources are especially at risk for arsenic. The current standard allows 50 parts per billion (ppb) in tap water and bottled water dating as far back as 1940s. The EPA has proposed lowering arsenic limit to 5ppb but the final limit has not been decided. Whatever the outcome of the proposed limit becomes is what FDA will probably use to set a similar standard for bottled water. This meaning that there's still some amount of arsenic found in our water by the current standard, this is something troubling because Arsenic can affect our health. Long-term exposure to even low concentrations may cause lung, skin, and bladder cancer as well as diseases of the blood vessels, liver and other organs.

Trihalomethanes (THMS) are produced when chlorinated chemicals used for disinfection combines with organic matter in water supplies, some cities use chlorine a lot more in their water during warm whether therefore causing a fluctuating level from day to day or season to season. It is now 100ppb for tap water and bottled water. Chlorination is used to kill harmful germs in our water but it can also cause harm to our health.
THMS health effect:- If consumed over a long period of time, it could increase the risk of bladder and rectal cancers and miscarriage. Be careful drinking or jumping into highly chlorinated swimming pools.

Fluoride is a naturally occurring element that is often added to municipal water to prevent tooth decay, but i wonder why it goes on our toothpaste contains fluoride and fluoride can cause damage to our body and wear down our tooth enamels. The FDA allows 0.8 to 2.4 parts per million (ppm) in our water. The American Dental Association says the optimal level is 0.7 to 1.2ppm.
Health effect: Can discolor or mottle tooth enamel and cause damage to the tissues/organs in our body.

Plastic components:
Bisphenol-A (BPA) is the building block of polycarbonate and can leach into water or food. There no set limits for BPA . In a testing of eight to ten 5-gallon polycarbonate jugs, it was found that about 0.5ppb to 11ppb of Bisphenol-A leached into water. Bisphenol-A affects our health negatively, it a known carcinogen (cancer-causing chemical). Also BPA mimics the hormone estrogen in animal studies and judging from animal research it would most likely affect a developing fetuses.

Heterotrophic Plate (HPC) tallies a mix of bacteria in the water. HPC is counted as "colony-forming units per millimeter," or cfu/ml, however there are no official standard set. only a guideline of 500 cfu/ml or less
In a test, two brands of eight we checked had at least one bottle over the guideline. Those were waters that the National Resources Defense Council had found no problems with in its study. Two waters in which NRDC had found high HPC were free of it in the test; suggesting inconsistencies and this problem is sporadic.
Health effects: The germs counted are not necessarily harmful, but large numbers of them may point to poor sanitation practices.

Water- Bottled water

On daily basis in our work places, in the gym, classroom, almost everywhere you find people carrying bottled water with them at all times, it's now a thing of "status quo healthier meter" among women. Every minute of the day, Americans spend more than $10,000 on water, something they don't need to do. In 1976, Americans drank 1.5 gallons of bottled water per person; In 1999, they drank 15.5 gallons and today the number has greatly increased.
Some of us would like to believe that all bottled waters taste the same, and does not have contaminant like those found in tap water- this is a horrific lie, bottled waters are not free of contaminant that may be found in tap water. "In fact, a four-year study of 103 bottled waters released last year by the National Resources Defense Council, an environmental group showed concerns. Among them: several waters had levels of chlorine by-products or arsenic that were above the threshold set by California, through within limits set by the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In this report, multiple samples of 39 bottled waters was taken to the laboratory to analyze the waters for harmful substances that can occur naturally or stem from treatment procedures or bottling"
Finding- "The major differences in taste were due to the type of plastic in the water's bottle. In most cases, water in clear PET plastic (usually bottles of 1.5 liters or smaller) tasted better than those in cloudy, softer HDPE plastic (usually 1-gallon bottles).
None of the waters that was tested harbored contaminants above current standards. That said, some occasionally had a bit more than would like to seen of one or more substances that shouldn't be prevalent in drinking water.

Plastic Bottled waters

Good drinking water should taste like nothing. However, nothing can still taste a little like something, and water usually taste clean, fresh, lively, and a bit crisp. Bottled water in PET plastic generally taste better than bottled water in HDPE plastic, and this is true within the same brand.  For example, Arrowhead Mountain Spring Water, has a sweet, fruity plastic flavor when bottled in PET plastic( imagine the scent when blowing up a beach ball). Water in PET bottles cost more. When bottled in HDPE plastic, it tastes a bit like melted plastic (imagine the smell when you get a plastic container too close to the flame). Winn-Dixie's Prestige premium 100% spring water is the only bottled water in PVC plastic that generally has a good rating.
Different plastic water bottles impacts the taste of water because some plastics more easily can allow nearby odors into the water thereby affecting the taste. Also small amounts of plastic chemicals in plastic bottles could leach into the water especially it sitting in bottles for a long period of time. Even the process used in creating the plastic material used for making the bottles can affect the taste of bottled water.

Advantages and disadvantages of water bottled materials used:-
PET(also known as PETE)- short for polyethylene terephthalate, PET is a clear, strong plastic that leaves nothing more than a faint sweet or fruity plastic flavor. Labels for some brand packed in PET play up the "clear" taste of the water inside.

HDPE is  high-density polyethylene, the opaque, flexible material of milk containers. It's less expensive than PET but often imparts a slight melted-plastic taste to water. Taste may also be affected by excessive heat or flavors from foods stored nearby.

Glass:- Chemically glass is inert and has no effect on the taste of water in it, whatsoever. But it's heavy and breakable and is seldom used now days only for pricey mineral waters and water bottled for bars, restaurants, and hotels.

Polycarbonate is strong and rigid, it's used for compact discs as well as 5-gallon water cooler jugs. The three water cooler waters we sampled- Great Bear, Deer Park, and Poland spring did not have funny flavors. The water in polycarbonate bottles tasted better than same products in PET  or HDPE bottles. The Down side of polycarbonate bottles is that it sometimes leaches residue of worrisome chemical contaminant called bisphenol-A (Bisphenol-A (BPA) which is the building block of polycarbonate and can leach from there into water or food. BPA is a carcinogen and it mimics the hormone estrogen as seen in animal studies; in this study 8 out of 10 five-gallon polycarbonate jugs that were checked leached bisphenol-A into water-from 0.5 ppb to 11ppb. Judging from research, BPA can negatively affect pregnant women and their developing fetuses.
Some water bottle companies play up bottled water to be better than tap water - this is not an absolute truth.