In an ideal world, we would like to believe that both tap and bottled water are safe to drink being that water is essential to human health and a natural resource provided by Mother Nature to keep us alive and well. Sadly, this is far from the truth.
Concentrations of contaminants such as chlorine, fluoride, aluminium, arsenic, bromide, bacteria and lead have been found in both tap and bottled water samples which pose alarming health risks to you and your family.
Now, more than ever, it is vital that we take our health into our own hands and stop depending on higher-powers to do the right thing by their people. Consumerism and capitalism have occupied the initiatives of governments for decades but with access to the internet we are now able to unlock insightful resources to take back our power and make informed, educated decisions for ourselves.
What's in Tap Water?
While the tap water you drink may look clean, it may contain harmful contaminants like lead, pesticides and industrial pollutants – to name a few. These and other harmful substances may be picked up on the journey from your water treatment plant through miles of pipes to your home.
Common pollutants found in tap water:
Chlorine and Chloramine (Chlorine + Ammonia) – added to tap water to literally kill harmful bacteria – there are a number of health concerns associated with the use of chlorine in the water supply. Firstly it acidifies the water (lowers pH) thereby increasing the leaching of heavy metals such as copper and lead. It kills bacteria in your gut which plays an important role in the health of your digestive and immune system. Lastly, it combines with organic matter (such as leaf litter in the rivers) to create cancer causing trihalomethanes. Studies have found a direct correlation between people who drink tap water with colon, kidney and bladder cancer
as well as infertility & miscarriage. This is why most European countries DO NOT chlori
nate their water supply, instead opting for safer alternatives such as ozone and ultraviolet light treatment.
Fluoride – 97% of countries around the world DO NOT fluoridate their water supply for two reasons: it is unethical to mass medicate an entire population with a drug that cannot be monitored by a doctor and secondly, it causes health problems such as dental fluorosis, an increased risk of osteoporosis and hip fractures (fluoride displaces calcium in the bone and makes it more brittle) and osteosarcoma (bone cancer). Its ability to reduce tooth decay is unfounded given that there were similar declines in tooth decay in every western country, most of whom did not fluoridate their water supplies. A list of tooth decay trends in fluoridated versus unfluoridated countries is available at www.fluoridealert.org.
Aluminium – there are unexplained links between human exposure to aluminium and the incidence, progression and aetiology of Alzheimer’s disease (Exley et al, 2006) especially in light of the fact that elevated concentrations of aluminium have been found in the autopsied brains of people who suffered from this disease (Perl and Brody, 1980). If your hot water is derived from a hot water tank, an aluminium anode rod will most likely be used to prolong the life of the tank. Aluminium ions may be present in your hot water which is why you should never DRINK or COOK with hot water from the tap. These levels are not regulated by any authority.
Lead – may arise from lead solder on metal pipe, brass taps, lead pipe (used prior to 1930), and PVC pipe. Lead poses a major risk to children’s physical and mental health with extensive research associating it with a reduced IQ, impaired hearing, anti-social behaviour, learning and behavioural disorders such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, as well as increased aggressive behaviour and criminal tendencies to name only a few! (The Lead Group, 2010). Lead contamination in household drinking water is likely to be grossly underestimated in Australia.
Copper – if your water comes out a bluey-green colour for the first few seconds, that’s a sure sign you have copper pipes. Another sign is a green/blue stain around the bath tub ring. Copper in low doses may cause fatigue, irritability, headache, as well as muscle twitches and joint pains and in high levels may cause stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea, as well as liver and kidney damage (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 2004).
Pesticides – despite the fact that there are thousands of pesticides currently registered for use in Australia, very few of these are tested in our waterways on a regular basis.
Is bottled water a safer option?
Many choose bottled water because they think their tap water is inferior and unhealthy. However, in most cases, bottled water is just the same as tap water with the addition of plastic contaminants, BPA and disinfectants. Beyond the health risks associated with consuming tap/bottled water – we also need to account for the impact of production and transportation that bottled water has on the planet. Further to this, with the privatisation of water – the cost of bottled water far exceeds any other commodity we consume, including fuel!
The dangers of bottled water:
The production, transportation and waste processes behind bottled water makes it a true ecological disaster. It takes 7 litres of water and 1 litre of oil to produce 1 litre of bottled water. The amount of oil used for the production of bottled water is equivalent to putting 1 million cars on the road every year.
Bottled water requires 2000 times more energy than tap water and the plastic bottles of water travel many miles before making it to you, burning millions of barrels of oil in the process. It is believed that masses of Australian spring water is sent to China to be bottled then shipped back onto our shores to be consumed!
Carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are emitted by the production, and contribute greatly to acid rain and global warming.
Bottled water is 240 to 10,000 times more expensive than tap water.
Only 13% of water bottles actually make it to the recycling centre with the remaining 87% left for hundreds of years to decompose in landfill or throughout our oceans and environment.
Plastic is non-biodegradable and has a devastating effect on both our marine and wildlife. Once plastic enters the system of a fish or mammal, it will ultimately lead to ruptured organs and starvation from malnutrition. To put things into perspective, a recent study estimated that over the next 10 years the volume of plastic in the ocean would equate to approximately 1kg of plastic to every 3kg of fish!
Source: One Bite at a Time By Tabitha McIntosh & Dr. Sarah Lantz
It is evident that our consumption of plastic needs to come to an end. Fortunately there is an abundance of biodegradable and sustainable products popping up on our shelves daily that eradicate the need for single use plastic – it is simply a matter of thinking ahead and ensuring you are always prepared – which gets easier as this becomes part of your routine.
Bottom line:
Both tap and bottled water are unregulated, unsafe and pose an alarming threat to the health & wellbeing of society, wildlife, marine life and the planet.
Invest in a home water filtration system that purifies heavy metals, pollutants and bacteria from your tap water. Opt for a reusable drink bottle and refill it with purified water.
Everyone of us has an obligation to think about what we use, consume and throw away. Don’t be part of the problem – be part of the solution.