People will buy anything! Set up a stand near Central Park in New York and offer people bags of "fresh air from the Alps" and you are sure to find suckers willing to pay you a few bucks for it.
Somehow in the last few years our family has joined the national trend of people purchasing water. Last year sales of bottled water were in excess of 2.6 billion cases costing around $15 billion. I'm sure my parents would laugh at the idea, and future generations will probably also guffaw at the stupidity of it. But today we all seem convinced that bottled water is somehow better than tap water. Evian. Perrier. Pellegrino. How ravishing it seems to be drinking water not from the good old faucet but from some Elysian spring in the French mountains or the Italian countryside, untouched by technology and grubby human hands. Of course we never think of what happens to that water as it gets bottled and stored and transported over thousands of miles. We don't think of botled water as water that someone got from some unidentified rivulet several weeks ago.
Now Aquafina has exposed our illusion that bottled water comes from a more elevated source than tap water by revealing that its bottled water is, in fact, drawn from tap water. A spokesman for the company says Aquafina botles will in future "clarify" this fact for discerning bottle readers. Yet industry observers say that the new revelation shouldn't make much of a difference. "Consumers have an affection for bottled water," writers John Sicher of Beverage Digest. "It's not an issue of taste or health, it's about convenience." I find this to be a ridiculous statement. Why on earth would people buy bottled water at the airport, for example, when there are water fountains outside every restroom? I suspect that if people know they were getting pretty much the same thing in the bottle, they would start to feel very foolish.
As for me, no more Aquafina. I'm going back to Chardonnay.
Reader Comments ( Page 3 of 4)
31. Distilled water is dead water, not pure water. Pure water is high in oxygen content and has the chemical power to neutralize disease that is in all *municipally treated* and *groundwater* sources.
There is less oxygen available to us in today's atmosphere (no i don't believe in global warming)and consequently, treated water comes up short in helping to oxygenate our blood- as pure water does, and is, therefore, referred to as "healing water".
Clean does not equal pure. Cancer, diabetes, parkinson's....all are on the rise. Check it out.
Anthony at 1:10PM on Jul 28th 2007
32. As a construction worker, I drink out of sometimes, dirty water cans, coolers-filled from the tap-from Indonesia, Australia to Saudi Arabia, CT or FL.
Consider the cost of oil to make the plastic bottles,diesel fuel to transport them, and cost of land fills-plastic is forever!
I am 62 from drinking tap water world wide-call me when you idiots get there.
Thanks
Mike
Mike Young at 3:39AM on Jul 28th 2007
33. Poor poor Dinesh is left to rants on bottled water. After Hillary is elected maybe he can be the consumer reporter for channel 2 in Des Moines.
Bubba S. at 4:38AM on Jul 28th 2007
34. In Los Angeles, once a year the DWP sends out a letter telling people what additives and chemicals are in the tap water. For people with a compromised liver and other health issues, the DWP says "don't drink the water".
When I drink tap water, I get a pain in that damaged liver, and I get cumulatively more sick depending on how much water I drink. I can't buy fountain soft drinks or coffee from most coffee shops either (sbux uses filtered water so I can drink that) but good bottled water works for me. The more I drink properly filtered water, the more normal I feel.
Even FILTERED tap water is better than plain, but a plain old Brita doesn't remove the toxins from LA water enough so I can drink it without getting sick.
I can't eat water-logged foods like spaghetti in restaurants either, and I cook with bottled water at home.
So it is not all hogwash... there is a reason for bottled water - and yes, convenience too.
anna at 5:47AM on Jul 28th 2007
35. I was always under the impression that Aquafina was tap water that went through some process to remove excess chemicals. What process is that if it isn't distillation? Maybe it is called Filtering. I don't think this is news to anyone, except maybe Dinesh D'Souza. Now to the person who freezes those plastic bottles of water: I hope you don't drink that water. That plastic releases carcinogens when frozen or when it gets overheated by sitting in a hot car. Buyer beware!
EK at 7:06AM on Jul 28th 2007
36. I buy bottled water so I can have water where ever I go. That's it. I always try to buy electrolyte enhanced water or straight from the source (spring water)
The people here who are indicating bottled water is stupid and it's a rip off, they all need to wake up and take the soda out from their hand. Least there is water available for people to buy. I think all America should buy water instead of the Diet Cokes and Pepsi everyone seems to be addicted too. America is the fattest country in the world, everyone is overweight, having water for people to buy is the best thing we can have.
I don't understand what's the big deal. I like to have 1.5 liter of water by me at all times. You need water, at least it's filtered unlike High Fructose Corn Syrup which is probably not and all the other chemicals that go into the fizzy drinks.
Another thing, DO NOT REUSE PLASTIC BOTTLES, contanimants leech out of plastic and your basically drinking chemicals from the plastic. BUY A KLEEN KANTEEN, all stainless steel, DO NOT REUSE PLASTIC BOTTLES.
Drink more water!
NJ at 10:10AM on Jul 28th 2007
37. Hey Mike, #23,
So, everyone should drink dirty, filthy water out of dirty, filthy containers just because you aren't dead from it?
Eating worms won't kill you either, but most of us don't d it for a reason. It's called gross.
But, go ahead and enjoy your disgusting life, getting all upset because others have the nerve to want something cleaner and better tasting. I'm sure the life you live is exactly what you deserve to have.
Dawn at 10:18AM on Jul 28th 2007
38. The fact that this story exists demonstrates how lazy and ignorant people will strive to be when given the chance. The information linked here http://www.nsf.org/consumer/bottled_water/bw_faq.asp?program=BottledWat has been available for years. Bottled water is regulated in the US by the FDA. Additionally if bottled water is advertised to be spring water they are required to name the source of the spring on the label. Arsenic metals and PAH's are monitored contrary to claims made by other commenters.
The bottom line is that if you expected Aquafina, Daisani et. al. to be something other then filtered tap water then you are a fool and deserving of ridicule.
jdkchem at 11:13AM on Jul 28th 2007
39. Dan from Orlando makes one relavant comment. Orlando's water doesn't taste very good. The fact is that very few poeple in the US do not have government certified safe drinking water coming out of a tap in their home. As for drinking fountains they are becoming less common. If we don't wake up soon, the fountain may go the way of the pay phone. I don't need a $100 invoice every month from a wireless company but due to the lack of pay phones it has literally become a necessity.
I wonder if generation Y will be pi@@ed to find out that the last three generations of their ancesters squandered their inheritance on a comodity that comes out of the same tap that was the modern convenience of their great great grandparents day?
But beside money. The US is also burning through 125 million barrels of oil each year recycling the plastic bottles. We also have a labor shortage in the US according to the fruit growers in Washington, Oregon and California. Those growers had to leave thier less popular fruit varieties unpicked in 2006 and most likely will again this year because there are not enough laborers to pick the fruits before they rot in the vineyard and/or orchard. We can free up labor if we are not making bottles and labels, filling them with water, storing and shipping and then recycling.
Think about it. We could literally enjoy the fruits of our labor, reduce our reliance on foreign oil and afford to put the wood and auto shops, sports, and arts back in our schools if we just Get Off the Bottle as the Mayor's of US Cities has asked us to do. Someone, please correct help me with the correct name of that organization.
It's a beautiful day in Berkeley, California. Have a good one.
David F. at 7:13PM on Aug 1st 2007
40. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that all bottled water be labeled for magnesium content. See:
http://dietary-supplements.info.nih.gov/pubs/WHO_cardiofullreport.pdf
Magnesium helps prevent heart attacks and strokes, and is natural in all ground water.
Hundreds of Medical Journal articles about magnesium in water are at: www.MgWater.com
Average magnesium content in bottled water outside the US is about 25 mg per liter, but inside the US the average bottled water contains about 3 mg per liter. The Adobe Springs
contain 110 mg of magnesium per liter, and Tastes Great! Adobe Springs water can supply all the magnesium lacking in the average consumers' diet.
The Adobe Springs flow at over 72 Million gallons per annum, and has FREE SPIGOTS open 24/7 (closed for maintenance on Saturdays 10-4).
Come visit the Adobe Springs at 19,000 Del Puerto Canyon Road, Patterson, CA 95363 ---- and bring water jugs for all the FREE spring water you can carry.
Paul Mason, spring manager (408) 897-3023
Paul Mason at 10:32AM on Jul 29th 2007
41. All of you are missing the one fundamental problem here - you've all been duped by this "drink 8 glasses of water a day" hoax from the 1980's. Since when did people suddenly need to be so hydrated? It has since been proven that urban dwelling humans need not consume that much water on a daily basis. In fact one can medically "overdose" on water. If you are consuming coffee, tea, soft drinks and eating fruits like apples, grapes in your daily diet, you are getting additional fluid into your body from them. Granted things like soda can be dehydrating because of the caffeine, but they are mostly made of water folks.
Kevin at 1:59PM on Jul 28th 2007
42. I'm fortunate to be in New York City where we have some of the best-tasting tap water around.
I completely agree that this bottled water non-sense is foolish. Buy a few bottles, refill them at home, done.
I must point out though, that joking about Perrier and Pellegrino in your opening argument does little to help your case, since both of these are carbonated water, and that's not coming out of anyone's tap (I hope!).
Randy at 3:26PM on Jul 28th 2007
43. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that all bottled water be labeled for magnesium content. See:
http://dietary-supplements.info.nih.gov/pubs/WHO_cardiofullreport.pdf
Magnesium helps prevent heart attacks and strokes, and is natural in all ground water.
Hundreds of Medical Journal articles about magnesium in water are at: www.MgWater.com
Average magnesium content in bottled water outside the US is about 25 mg per liter, but inside the US the average bottled water contains about 3 mg per liter.
Paul Mason, Mg Librarian (408) 897-3023
www.MgWater.com
paul mason at 5:49PM on Jul 28th 2007
44. Aew we certain that tap bottled waters like aquafina are distilled?
george d magum at 9:39PM on Jul 28th 2007
45. i never had a porn star yet and i never had a bottle of water either.i thought cds to invest money was a shame then,time sharing made me laugh,water from a bottle,10 years ago they got caught tapping it from some cellar and i forgot the name of it but it has green writing on the bottle.people are suckers,i just wish i could come up with the next moronic money maker,remeber yogurt stands?lol lol lol
bill at 11:03PM on Jul 28th 2007