What Are The Impacts Of Bottled Water Environmental Sciences Essay

I believe that bottled water should be banned, because of the environmental impact & the health affects they cause. Bottled water is obviously not a healthier or cleaner option to normal tap water. Also, bottled water is despicably expensive when you compare it to the cost per gallon of tap water. Almost all bottled water sold in the United States is tap water, which is put in plastic bottles and sold at huge profits. So pretty much what you’re doing is buying the same water that you could drink at your house for FREE. Also, if a person is choosing between tap water and bottled water, tap water is clearly the more economical and the healthier option.  A high school would be the beginning, but after cities would be banning water bottles and maybe even countries. Keep on reading to find out more about the hazards of water bottles and why water bottles should be banned at

Firstly, I’d like to take about the environmental impact water bottles cause. Enormous amounts of greenhouse gases are produced from manufacturing the plastic bottles. According to a 2001 report of the World Wide Fund for Nature, approximately 1.5 million tons of plastic are used in the bottling of 89 billion litres of water each year. Other than the amount of plastic bottles produced each year, the energy essential to produce and transfer these bottles to the market uncontrollably drains limited fossil fuels. Did you know that each year the making of the plastic water bottles used in the U.S takes sufficient oil and energy to fuel a million cars? Millions of gallons of fuel are wasted daily transporting filtered tap water around the world and across countries. All the energy to make the bottle, even more to ship it around the planet and then we drink it in about two minutes? And do you know what happens when you’re finished with that bottle? Ninety percent of water bottles end up in landfills where they sit for thousands of years or in incinerators where they’re burned releasing toxic pollution. I don’t see this as being recycling; real recycling would be turning the bottles back into bottles, which happens to only ten percent of the water bottles. Pretty much what the government is doing, is wasting so much money and energy to pollute our earth. Bottled water companies have made a momentous strain on the environment, due to their tolerant use of precious resources and their manufacturing of billions of plastic bottles.

The second reason water bottles should be banned is because of the health affects they cause. The Environmental Working Group let out a shocking report exposing the truth behind bottled water. The EWG tested 10 brands of US bottled water and found a shocking display of contaminants, including:

· cancer-causing by products of chlorination

· fertilizer residue like nitrate and ammonia

· industrial solvents

· caffeine

· pharmaceuticals like Tylenol

· heavy metals and minerals including arsenic and radioactive isotopes

· a broad range of other, tentatively identified industrial chemicals

In general the bottled water tested contained 38 chemical toxins altogether, with a standard of eight contaminants in each brand. “In some cases, it appears bottled water is no less polluted than tap water and, at 1,900 times the cost, consumers should expect better,” said Jane Houlihan, co-author of the study. Also, according to a 1999 Natural Resources Defense Council study, at least one sample of bottled water had chemical contaminants at points above severe health limits, of the 22 percent brands that were tested. Some of the contaminants found could pose health hazards if consumed over an extended period of time. Goethe University at Frankfurt, Germany studies found out that a very big percentage of the bottled water in the plastic bottles was polluted with estrogenic substances. The researchers think that some of the contamination in the plastic containers came from the plastic containers themselves. Researchers suggest that water bottles should be washed and reused in order to reduce their harmful impact on the environment. Unfortunately, reusing plastic decreases quality of the water, because of the uncontrollable amount of phthalate that seep their way in the water as the bottle gets older. Most kinds of plastic bottles are safe to use again at least a few times if appropriately washed, but latest exposure about chemicals in plastic bottles are enough to scare even the most dedicated environmentalists from reusing them or even buying them in the first place. Research has pointed out that food and drinks put in plastic containers may carry a trace of Bisphenol A (PBA), an artificial compound that gets in the way with the body’s normal hormonal messaging system. According to the Environment California Research & Policy Center, which re-examined 130 studies on the matter report that, BPA has been linked to breast and uterine cancer, a raised chance of miscarriage, and declined testosterone levels. BPA can also inflict chaos on children’s developing systems. Also, parents should be aware that most baby bottles are made with plastics containing BPA. Most scientists and doctors agree that the quantity of BPA that could sneak into food and drinks is probably very small, but there are worries about the growing effect of small doses. Researchers also recommend not reusing bottles made from polyethylene terephthalate, including the majority of disposable water, soda and juice bottles. According to The Green Guide, that type of plastic are safe for one time use, but re-using them should be avoided because studies show they may leach DEHP, (another probable human carcinogen) when they are in less-than-perfect condition.

It seems there is no realistic or reasonable resolution to this crisis. The bottled water is a multibillion dollar industry that causes a harsh strain on the environment and many health problems. In conclusion, I believe that water bottles should be banned because of the environmental impacts and health affects they cause. Also, we should consider the expenses used into the making and the transferring of the water bottles from one place to another. In the United States, bottled water costs between $0.25 and $2 per bottle while tap water costs less than $0.01. Around the globe, a billion people don’t have access to clean water. However cities all over the world are spending millions of dollars to deal with all the plastic bottles thrown out. What if we spent that money improving our water systems or even better, developing better water systems in third world countries?

Just remember could be the beginning of this change, but after cities would be banning water bottles and maybe even countries.