Is Bottled Water Better?
I have always been concerned about the quality of our tap water. I believe I have good reasons to be concerned too; our city has had numerous water quality issues over the past few decades.
Everything appears to be safe now, but I often think of that law suit a decade or so ago. After a rash of miscarriages, the city was sued by a group of women who claimed that water quality caused them to miscarry. Apparently, there was some validity to the suit because a judge awarded them compensation. Or maybe, there was no validity to the claim?I really don’t know, but I’m not taking chances.
Because I have a history of miscarriages (even prior to moving here), I was super careful during my last pregnancy. Why take any unnecessary risks? I would only drink and cook with bottled water in order to protect my unborn baby from the contaminants that could possibly be lurking in the tap water. I naively assumed that bottled water was purer and safer than tap water.
I was wrong.
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) studied 10 brands of bottled water recently and found that many were full of chemicals and bacterial contaminants. It turns out that there is very little regulation by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) on the quality of bottled water. Public water companies on the other hand are required to follow regulations and to disclose information regarding their water supply to consumers.
After I read this information, I was confused. Ok, so bottled water quality can be the same or actually worse than water quality from my kitchen faucet. What is a concerned parent to do? The EWG advises drinking filtered tap water. For additional safety, they recommend installing a whole house carbon filter to remove contaminants in all the water you use, not just your kitchen water supply.
There is some good news, at least for your pocket book and the environment. By using tap water, there’s less waste that will go into landfills. Buying a filter, in the long run, is actually cheaper than buying bottled water. So, be safe, thrifty, and environmentally responsible: use filtered tap water.
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Lis Garrett says...
We have a well. Even though the water is safe to drink, we’ve always used a small Brita pitcher as an extra precaution. Plus, it removes any sulphur odors and odd tastes.
VaMomma says...
We used to have a well when I lived in a rural area several years ago.
If you have a well, find a reputable company and have your water tested at least yearly.
The first firm we had told us that our water was fine. They went out of business after falsifying water reports. We had our water tested again and found out that our water had been contaminated by the runoff from the farming fields next to our home.
HollyTriedIt says...
VaMomma,
You approached this the right way. If you want to find out if your drinking water is safe to drink, you should check with your drinking water supplier and ask for their Annual Water Quality Report. Many water utilities now post them online, for example, look at http://www.vbgov.com/dpu. Your water quality report will tell you if your drinking water met Federal and State guidelines. If you find the report confusing, simply call and talk to the utility. And you can always ask to speak with the water quality lab at the utility.
If you are ever concerned with the quality of your water (it tastes funny or smells funny, etc.) call the utility immediately. They can check it out. And they want to hear from you. It helps them make sure the water is clean and safe to drink.
And you are right about bottled water, it is often tap water, or public drinking water in a bottle with fewer regulations. So, check on the quality of your local water supply. If it is good, drink it. If you use a filter, be sure you change it on schedule. If you don’t, you’ll just be adding contaminants and bacteria to your previously good tap water.
Want more info? Go to http://www.drinktap.org.
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Kari says...
You don’t drink the water here in Oxnard, Ca.. even with a filter and water softern…