Because we are lucky enough to enjoy water from Lake Michigan, most people don’t stop to think about our water supply. Even so, water contamination is enough of a concern that many people still choose to consume other sources. Many say that bottled water is the cleaner alternative. So I decided to find out, and put the claims to the test.
So, is my tap water clean? After testing I was able to confirm that it did not contain any harmful materials. None of the tests left the green category.
(Ved Ghelani )
And the special thing about these tests were that it was done without a built-in water filter on the tap. But why is my water safe to drink? Water treatment plants do a lot of tests. Some plants reach 500+ tests each day. Either way, plants test the water hundreds of times each day. In most places in the U.S. tap water is the cleanest water available, most times cleaner and more environmentally friendly than tap water. The entire Schaumburg area has tap water that is safe to drink.
To really put tap water and bottled water to the test, let’s put them both in perspective. Bottled water takes 10-90 times more energy than the water you get from tap. Artisan water, like famous Fiji water, is 2,000 times more energy than tap water. If you want to be environmentally friendly, then tap water is the best option.
Additionally, bottled water is way more expensive than tap water. Bottled water is 3,000 times more expensive than tap water.
But that’s not the only concern with bottled water. The plastic material that the bottles are made from, paired with long transportation journeys to stores, means bottled water often contains microbes and microplastics.
Some bottled water brands promote themselves as alkaline, claiming that they neutralize harmful acids in your body. If bottled water says that it’s alkaline, does it make a difference? No. For most people, alkalinity makes no difference, so don’t buy into it.
What about electrolytes? Well, there is some truth to this. Electrolytes are a good way to replenish your energy when you are sweating. But there is a catch. You need to be sweating a lot. Even if you go on an hour-long run, electrolyte-infused water does not replenish you enough to make a difference; it simply hydrates you.
Purified water bottled, such as Smart Water, Aquafina, and Dasani, is often just repacked tap water with extra purification and is not worth the price increase. 60% to 70% of bottled water is sourced from the tap.
So why do people buy bottled water? It’s just about convenience. If bottled water is the best option for convenience, then go for it, but be mindful of how much you use.