Is Bottled Water Safe to Drink?

Many people like drinking bottled water. However, there is a question: is bottled water safe to drink? Some people believe that there are some problems with bottled water and the container. In my opinion, its safety remains questionable. If manufacturers adhere to the bottled water standards set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, bottled water is safe enough to drink. However, as consumers, we cannot know whether the bottled water sold on the market meets these standards. We also cannot know enough information on the labels. Maybe some brands meet stands, but who knows. Therefore, safety, quality and testing is questionable.

Maybe you think the best one which maybe only tap water filtered by active carbon filter, especially in the absence of convincing lab testing. If the tap water from a raw water source (like spring water), it may be non-potable. However, many manufacturers promote their water as distilled water or UV filtered water.

If you are keeping drinking bottled water, now, I will tell you why you cannot drink it.

First, you may not know exactly contaminants could be in the prepackaged bottled water. These contaminants are as follows : heavy metals, bacteria and virus and other vital contaminants. The container is always made of plastics which have BPA problems. This is another health risk.

Bottled water may cost you much over a year. What’s worse, it is not friendly to the environment. All the plastics bottles need to take a time to decompose in landfills. In order to protect the environment, many countries have imposed a bottled water ban. Therefore, if you don’t drink bottled water, you have done something good for the environment.

Instead, people are encouraged to drink potable water and manufacturers are encouraged to use other containers (not made of plastics) to carry and transport water. These containers must be BPA-free aluminum and stainless steel water bottles which are reusable. If you use plastic bottles, make sure they are BPA-free at the least. In the long run, a steel one is better because it may cut down the on-going cost, and it is much more durable, earth-friendly and reusable.

If you have a water cooler dispenser, you may need to disinfect your water bottle. You don’t need to buy water, but refill it with tap water or filtered water from your under sink water filter (a Reverse Osmosis system). Another way is to get carbon filtered dispenser bottles which are especially designed for water cooler dispensers. This type of bottles can help to get rid of the bad smell and taste from the chlorine in the tap water.

The bottom line: If you like drinking bottled water, make sure it has been treated properly and filtered to get rid of harmful contaminants, or it is not recommended to take the risk of drinking it. However, it is not easy to know whether the bottled water you drink is safe. You can purchase a reusable aluminum or stainless steel water bottle instead, which can help you practice green living. One thing you should remember is that you must disinfect them every month.