So on this lovely Saturday evening, I decided to stay home and keep it easy and pick out one of the many awesome documentaries on Netflix.
I went along with the documentary entitled, “Tapped.” It was about the bottled water industry in America. Sounded entertaining and insightful- so I pressed play.
Here are some important facts that I learned that I think is vital for everyone to know and understand.
- Bottled Water Industry is worth an estimated 800 billion dollars (which is why big corporations want a part of it)
- Nestle, Pepsi, and Coke-Cola are the three top bottled water companies in America
- Pepsi’s “Aquafina” and Coke’s “Dasani” bottled water are actually made from normal TAP water- you’re paying for tap water when you could get it for FREE at home! Think twice before purchasing these two..or just don’t do it at all.
- In the USA- only 20% of beverage containers getting recycled – and it’s been declining over the years
- Bottled water is packaged in PET or PETE- the primary ingredient in PET is a clear liquid derived from crude oil- 80% of PET created in the USA is found in Nestle ,Pepsi, or Coke beverage containers
- PET water bottles contains Benzene- which causes cancer – bottled water is not a healthy product!
- Plastic water bottle manufacturing uses 714 MILLION gallons of oil – That is enough to fuel 100,000 CARS
- People living near oil refineries who produce PET- have a higher rate of cancer, birth defects and other health risks from the pollutant exposure in their neighborhood from the refinery
- Tap water is highly regulated / Bottled water is virtually unregulated
- Municipal tap water has to be tested constantly every day: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates tap water testing- Water is tested 300 times a month with a city over 1 million residents
- You really don’t know what you are getting in bottled water…arsenic? Yes-it’s been found. Toluene as well- this chemical is found in gasoline and paint thinner and is obviously very harmful for your health
- Styrene- a chemical found in bottled water tested after being in trunk of a car for a week-causes serious reproductive complications
- BPA– a chemical found in plastic water bottles and 5 gallon jugs – linked to more human diseases increased in over the past 30 years
- 80 million single-use bottles of water are consumed daily in America- 30 million end up in landfills (a lot ends up in the Pacific Ocean..and ends up deposited on some distant shore)
Photography + Science = Chanel 
good to see this – good details – thanks
Your welcome Dean! Feel free to help spread the knowledge.
-Chanel
Good article, because people generally drink bottled water out of concerns for health, when in fact, as your article indicates, the bottle itself presents health risk, which I did not know. With that being said, thank you. Oh, and by the way, thank your posse for me too. 🙂
Will do! Glad you learned something new. As I mentioned too, the testing of the actual water in bottled water is virtually not regulated… those large corporations sure can do whatever they want to us just to earn the big bucks!
This is great.
I’ve had so many campers and students over the years who want bottled water or will only drink water out of the dining hall at mealtimes and its all I can do to try and convince them the water out of the tap in their cabins is the exact same water as in the dining hall and better than bottled. The worst is when its their school teachers and parent chaperons who are perpetuating the idea that bottled water is better.
I know the message really needs to get out to EVERYONE. Big corporations have so much control of what we think is “pure” or “better for us” or is the “right” thing to do on so many levels. It’s up to us to put our foot down. What kind of camps do you work for?
-Chanel
It is ridiculous what people are led to believe. During the Swine Flu epidemic a couple years ago we had a visiting teacher make everyone rub Germ-X on their hands before every meal. We didn’t know how to tell her it wouldn’t ward off the virus without exasperating the situation.
I work for a seasonal outdoor education program in New England during the school year (minus the wintery months). We’re a field trip for middle schoolers. And I’m actually trying to get a counselor job with a Mass Audubon summer camp as well.
Thanks for posting this! Movies like Tapped and FLOW: or Love of Water are getting the word out. No bottled water! It doesn’t take a lot of effort to carry an aluminum bottle. Corporations are buying up water RIGHTS. It’s our water. Let’s take it back through stewardship and insisting that it be held for the common good, not for profit by a few.
Glad you like this post! I’ll have to watch FLOW and Love of Water next 🙂 I know it’s really easy to carry around your own bottle. I know I’m so upset that Pepsi, Nestle, and Coke just pick little towns with lots of underground water and suck it up without the permission of the town people- especially when a town goes into a drought and the corporations are still pumping away. It’s not fair. I totally agree with you!
-Chanel
You can watch it online here:
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/flow-for-love-of-water/
Free 🙂
Yep, they suck up our own water and sell it back to us as if it wasn’t ours to begin with. Jeesh.
Awesome! Thanks for the link 🙂
I only drink rain water. I’ll probably die soon though. http://rawfulnews.com/
Yeah there’s some nasty stuff in rain water Kenny..be careful. Or just counter act it with flaming margaritas!
That’s an eye opener… I’ve always drunk Deer Park because it’s spring water (not the refined tap water you mention) but I wasn’t aware of all the other side-effects. I’ll be getting my water elsewhere now.
If you can always get a Brita filter for your fridge for your tap water if you want it more “pure”- then fill up your reusable water bottle! That’s what I do. Glad this post helped open your eyes to reality. Just steer clear from plastics in general..it’s not good for your body or the environment.
I’m sure the conditions are very similar in Europe and it’s about time someone speaks up before it’s too late!
Well done Chanel
Thank you- I have no idea about Europe but I’m sure there are some similarities. It’ll be all downhill if we don’t speak up and take action!