Bottled and Distilled Water in America: Stats Reveal All

Later on, when health concerns of typhoid, cholera and other water-borne diseases became apparent, the popularity of bottled water surged. Instead of a rich-man’s treated water that purportedly had more benefits than drinking the formerly-pure tap water, it became a necessity for people to drink bottled water during times of contamination.

Not all bottled water types are created equal

Today, we still have therapeutic water and purified water, but the types of bottled water available reads like a menu for a “water connoisseur.” Take a look:

Thanks to marketing, though, the lines between these types can turn out blurred. What’s more, you have to understand where the water in your bottles are sourced. Knowing where the water is taken can give you a good idea on the real type of water you’re drinking.

Here’s how:

Check the bottom of your bottled water. If you can see a note that says, “From a municipal water source.” or, “Sourced from a community water system.” then your bottled water originated from the tap.

This doesn’t mean, however, that you’re drinking tap water. Call the manufacturer to ask how your bottled water’s been treated.

But how does the bottled water industry look like today? Let’s take a look.

Interesting Facts About the Bottled Water Industry

When it comes to consuming bottled water, the world has held on to this practice for hundreds of years.

Over $100 Billion is spent on the purchase of bottled water per year around the world. It’s a staggering number considering that most countries have access to water right at their kitchen sink.

Even with access to free tap water more than half of Americans still opt to buy bottled water and the rest of the world have caught on the trend. If you think this is staggering wait until you learn more about the bottled water industry.

The use of bottled water can be traced back as far as the 1760s in the United States, more specifically in Boston. The first companies marketed mineral water in bottles and claimed that the water had therapeutic properties and it has since caught the world by storm many decades later.

Asia, South American, and North America are the continents leading the world in bottled water consumption with North America consuming the most.

California is one of the states that consumes the most amount of bottled water each year. Surprisingly, tap water costs over 500 times less than bottled water which is staggering amount.

Major companies like Pepsi and Coca-Cola have started a war on the consumption of tap water for them to be able to dominate the market. The tactic has worked very well as people all around the world have decided to drop tap water and consume bottled water instead.

Most of the expensive bottled water we consume is actually just tap water that has been marketed as something else. Over 47.8% (2009 survey) of all bottled water comes from the tap but are priced ridiculously high.

It is the fear of tap water that has lead consumers into believing that bottled water is a better and safer solution. This is because not many know of other options like at home water distillers and filters.

Over 17 million barrels of oil is used in the production of water bottles which is very harmful to the environment.

Only 12% of all the water bottles used are recycled each year leaving the other 88% as added waste into our landfills.

The Statistics of Bottled Water

Now that we have learned a lot about the fact that goes into consuming and creating bottled water it’s time to learn about the statistics. Who uses them? How much money do companies make through them? Which brand is the most popular and expensive kind? And so much more:

How about the bottles?

How about them, indeed? We can’t talk about bottled water without looking at the bottles.

Keep in mind that environmentalists and plastic bottle manufacturers are at odds. It can’t be denied that manufacturing the bottles and transferring water to them costs more, but the safety of the general public can also never be discounted.

This is why bottled water isn’t just about plastic anymore. Some environment-friendly companies like Bottles Up have started using glass bottles to entice green-living customers to continue using bottled water. Let’s take a look at how the plastic and glass bottles are faring:

Is using so much plastic safe for our health?

Here’s an important fact:

This means one thing: Check when the bottled water was manufactured and decide for yourself.

A resource going down the drain

Most people not just in the US consider drinking bottled water as part of their healthy lifestyle which is not true.

One of the biggest reasons why consumers prefer to spend money and drink bottled water is because they are scared of the possible contamination in the water. Although 90% of all tap water across the United States is checked for contaminations like E. Coli people are still scared of drinking water straight out of the tap.

When there’s a chance that cocaine is present in our water, and you’ll know that drinking bottled water is still something we should always consider for our own health.

This is why the market for bottled water is such a huge one.

But you simply can’t discount its impact on the environment. So how do we find a balance between using the water we want to drink and how much waste we produce?

Why not consider using distilled water and a glass bottle?

Distilled water: facts and statistics

Distilled water is potable drinking water that is considered as one of the purest forms of treated water. What happens during distillation is that regular tap or filtered water is boiled and the steam is collected into a clean container.

The steam is then condensed and the water collected will be considered as distilled water and it is free of contaminants, minerals like calcium, and other toxins that may be harmful if consumed.

Since the basics of distilled water and how it is made has been widely understood it’s time to dig in deeper and examine the statistics and facts about the water we drink and use for a number of other things in our daily lives.

Why choose distilled water as drinking water at home?

There is much debate about what kind of water we should be consuming at home. Many people think that drinking water straight from the tap is acceptable. Although tap water goes through water treatments like filtration that process alone is not enough to rid the water of all of its contaminants.

In fact the most toxic of contaminants cannot be taken out just from filtration and microfiltration alone.

To make things easier to understand here are some important facts about water contaminants:

With so many potential chemicals that could harm you and your family contaminating the local water supply, it is better to avoid ingesting regular tap and opt for a cleaner and safer option like distilled water.

Why invest in a home distiller?

Since it has been established that there are many contaminants found in regular tap water and if it is possible, you should avoid consumption of untreated water. Since tap water should not be regularly consumed the next best option would be to have your very own water distiller at home.

There are many brands that have a compact distiller that will fit perfectly on your countertop. The average price range for a water distiller is around $350 – $600 depending on the brand and size of the machine. To compare prices and brands click on this link.

Before you go investing on your own distiller at home here are some facts and most importantly the benefits of having a water distiller at home:

There are more facts and benefits to drinking distilled water that you have distilled at home. Aside from keeping yourself safe from the toxicity of drinking regular tap water you also help save the environment from avoiding purchase of expensive bottled water that usually goes un-recycled.

For more details about bottled water facts visit this link.

To help people feel safer when they drink water from the tap there are other options aside from the continuous consumption for bottled water. There are at home water purifications systems like a countertop water distiller that can provide cleaner and safer water at the fraction of the cost.

Most Americans will not consider drinking from the tap because it seems like bottled water is still a safer and more convenient option. That is not true at all. By using your very own water purification system at home you can make your own potable drinking water that you know is always safe to drink.

There are many bottled water brands that are simply just tap water with added minerals. Some of these have not gone through any tests and will not meet the EPA standards for drinkable and water. Having the access to clean safe water can be possible through drinking distilled water.

Aside from saving on money you are also doing your part in saving the environment by lessening the amount of bottles in our landfills. Don’t let this precious resource go down the drain.

Keep in mind that there are places where drinking bottled water is a must–like when you’re going on trips abroad. The environment between countries changes so drastically that you need treated water to avoid getting sick.

So bear in mind that you have to balance your usage. Drinking bottled water is quite all right, as long as you know how to reuse bottles and maximize each PET bottle purchase.

This is a sponsored post from All About Water Filters