We know how bad plastic water bottles are for the environment. Facebook is flooded with pictures of dying oceans and stories of cities in Europe that have banned single-use water bottles.
The average American purchases 167 of these bottles in a year and only recycles 38.
But, there are three more facts about bottled water you should be aware of:
BPA and BPS Leach From the Bottles into Your Water
The plastic in these water bottles is not just bad for the environment - it's bad for you.
Compounds called BPA (or BPS) which are found in plastic can disrupt your endocrine system and in scientific studies have been linked to hypertension, pre-term births, diabetes and even structural changes to your brain.
These chemicals leach out of the plastic into the water, then we all drink it.
It Might Be Nothing But Expensive Tap Water
While it may say "bottled at source" or "fresh" or "natural" on the bottle, there is still no way to be certain of where the water in your bottle is coming from. Even if the company name is "Glacier" or "Mountain Spring."
There are no verifications for bottled water sources.
In 2009, a study found that 50% of bottled water is simply filtered tap water. In 2016, PepsiCo, the maker of Aquafina was compelled to add the words "public water source" to indicate that their water came from the same place as the water from coming from your tap.
What ELSE Is In That Bottle?
Besides the questionable water in your bottle, and the leached chemicals from the plastic, there's one more thing I to watch out for in your bottled water.
Additives!
As you can imagine, tap water with leached plastic in it isn't super tasty, so companies add ingredients like sodium (salt), sweeteners and even artificial flavors to improve the taste.
And then there's fluoride. Many consumers buy bottled water to escape the toxic fluoride in their tap water. But fluoride or sodium fluoride is still found many brands of bottled water.
The cost of bottled water can be very high. For the environment, for your health, and for your wallet. Some families spend upwards of $20,000 per year on the highly questionable benefits of this product.