By: Joann Bally CSCS
There seems to be some outrage recently about the revelation that Dasani bottled water is really tap water. I’m not used to standing up for Coca-Cola, Dasani’s owner, but they never said it wasn’t tap water. The same is true for Pepsi, Aquafina’s owner. These products are purified water, as it says on their labels. Purified means the water is filtered to remove impurities. They start with water from municipal water supplies, as explained on their websites. Why bother to use spring water for this purpose?
Spring water has to come from an underground aquifer. This can be called artesian, spring, or less likely, ground or well water. The labels for such water can say mountain spring, like Arrowhead or natural spring, like Evian. Crystal Geyser calls theirs Alpine spring, although it doesn’t come from the Alps. Many people think spring water tastes better, but it may not be any more healthful than tap water.
Besides requiring that it really does come from springs, the FDA requires spring water to have no more than 250 ppm total dissolved solids. The requirement for purified water is less than 10 ppm total dissolved solids. (I got that from the FDA website.) Distilled water is boiled to destroy bacteria, which also removes minerals, and the taste. Distilled water is seldom sold as drinking water, though it is safe. All of this drinking water is considered to be safe for human consumption.
But then, your tap water is probably also safe. You should know if it isn’t, and continue to drink bottled water or boil your tap water. (I am ignoring the controversy about whether fluoridation is good or bad.) Many of us, especially those of us who work out and want to have water handy, use bottled water for convenience.
Here’s the problem: it’s wasteful. One estimate says 60 million plastic water bottles are discarded each day in the U.S. alone with estimates of less than 25% of those bottles being recycled. You can find reusable plastic water bottles of a similar size and fill them with tap water or bottled water from a larger container. If you do use plastic bottles, recycle them—always. If there is a deposit, you can make some money for yourself or your group by collecting bottles and cashing them in. If not, throw them in the recycle bin. No recycle bins? Lobby your community or your company to furnish them. Shame them into it. Recycle those bottles.
Related using the H&F.com Search:
WATER FILTERS FAIL
HEALTHandFITNESS.com 
