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 http://thephantomwriters.com/free_content/db/s/bottled-purified-tap-water.shtml The Real Truth About Bottled Water, Purified Water and Tap Water Copyright © 2008 Jon M. Stout There has been substantial information and misinformation about bottled water and its value and beneficial effecst. Many people and organizations have joined the argument and the pros and cons have been widely discussed. As a result there has been a significant amount of disinformation distributed and discussed. In any event, bottled water is a multibillion dollar business and is hugely popular. And, the demand for bottled water keeps increasing as the population at large adopts a healthier life style. It is best to begin with a technical definition of “Purity”. Purity is often represented numerically by “Total Dissolved Solids”, or “TDS”, which measures the concentration of soluble impurities in pure water. TDS is measured in terms of parts per million (ppm) or milligrams per liter (mg/l). The EPA stipulates that tap water should have no more than 500 ppm of impurities (of all kinds) in the water. Why is this level not 0 ppm? Types of Water There are two types of water consumed in the United States today: Municipal Water (also know as tap water) and bottled water (including spring water, filtered water and purified water. The conclusion of tgis article is this: ALL TAP WATER AND MOST BOTTLED WATER IS UNHEALTHY. Purified water is the only water that is truly safe to drink. Here is the proof: Tap Water - Tap water is water provided by municipalities to a large portion of the population and most people are familiar with tap water. In the Northern Virginia - Washington Region, almost all tap water comes from surface sources like the Potomac and the Occoquan Reservoir, which is fed by the Occoquan River, both of which are polluted. The water is processed using basic filtration techniques like sand filtration (filters out large chucks of waste and other organic materials floating in the water), flocculation (chemicals added to the water to get smaller particles to coagulate and float so they can be removed) and finally, chlorine is added to kill bacteria and micro-organisms. In most cases, this tap water is considered potable (drinkable) according to EPA standards. The use of chlorine is tap water is widespread and most people object to the smell and taste of the water when chlorine is present. Just Exactly What Are EPA Standards? The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the regulatory body responsible for setting standards for tap water. The EPA does not ensure purity of tap water, only that the water meets standards (meaning pollutants and harmful substances are allowed in water). Most municipalities issue yearly glowing reports about meeting EPA Standards but these standards are arbitrary, not supported by scientific testing and actually are an easy way for municipalities to produce unhealthy drinking water. An example of the fallacy of EPA Standards is reflected in recent legislation proposed by Senator Hillary Clinton (D. NY) and others that would force the EPA to revise standards to protect New Yorkers against TCE, a carcinogenic chemical blamed for pollution of Long Island water. Senator Clinton concluded that regarding the EPA: “It is unacceptable that the EPA has failed to protect the public from TCE in the face of stronger scientific evidence that it causes cancer, and growing exposure problems in New York and across the country...As a result of EPA delays, communities across New York continue to be exposed to potentially toxic levels of TCE.” The conclusion that one can draw from this legislation is that EPA protection of our drinking water is doubtful at best. Standards allow certain “minimums” of harmful chemicals and contaminants in tap water. What is the difference between a little poison absorbed in your body continuously or a lot of poison absorbed in a short time? It can be argued that both are detrimental to your health. Many other questions arise about tap water as well. How much poison can the human body take and how did the EPA determine how much contamination is allowable and safe? What test protocols did the EPA use and how was testing conducted? What about people with challenged immune systems? These questions and many more remain unanswered. Is Municipal (Tap) Water Really Safe? Glowing municipal water reports notwithstanding, tap water can be harmful to your health for a number of reasons: The TDS of Washington , DC tap water ranges from 200 ppm to 400+ ppm and the range depends on many factors including the temperature of the river, the flow of the river, runoff, time of year (fertilizing lawns, etc.) and many others. So, the tap water is constantly changing in quality - a fact that most people never know and municipal tap water suppliers never reveal. In terms of health, tap water add little value besides low cost. Bottled Water Most bottled water is no safer than tap water and a good deal more expensive. Types of Bottled water are Spring water, filtered water and purified water with purified water being the highest quality. Spring Water Spring water is the subject of marketing spin and many popular misconceptions. Many of those misconceptions are promoted through less than accurate advertising pitches. Many people for example believe that spring water is actually “pure” water. On the contrary, spring waters contain many of the same impurities found in drilled wells or even tap water. A fact about spring water is that it is highly affected by ground water pollution from animals and industrial waste runoff. But is spring water “100% pure” as many spring water companies advertise? The fact is that the “100% pure” refers not to the absence of impurities in the water, but to the source of the water itself. That is, 100% of the water in the bottle came from an underground source (i.e. a spring), rather than from a surface water. These cleverly worded phrases may be legally permissible, but many people find them to be misleading and unethical. And contamination of springs that furnish the water is more common than not. Ground water contamination from animal waste can affect spring water and industrial pollutants like benzene, perchlorinate and MTBE are commonly found in Spring Water. Benzene is a carcinogen by product of oil refining, perchlorinate is used in rocket fuel and is highly toxic even in small amounts and MTBE is used in gasoline to improve performance and leaches into the water supply form abandoned underground fuel tanks. In 2004 The E.I. DuPont Co, was assessed over $300 million in fines and penalties for the release of Teflon related chemicals in the Ohio River thus causing pollution of nearby springs and wells. The penalty included a requirement for the supply of large amounts of bottled drinking water. Spring water advertising is all about images - images of the mountains, streams and wildlife. Reality is quite different. Spring water is usually not bottled at the source but is usually chlorinated and trucked to the bottling plant. At this point it is basically the same as chlorinated tap water and contaminants remain because the filtration process only filters and doesn’t purify. Filtered Water This is a type of water that is mass marketed at retail outlets. Typically, the source of the water is municipal tap water. That water is then run through carbon filters to remove the chlorine odor and taste before being bottled. It’s basically tap water without the chlorine. In terms of quality, it’s really not much different than many spring waters. It comes from a “natural” source, goes through minimal filtration, and is then bottled and shipped to market. Purified Water Purified water represents the fastest growing segment of the bottled water industry mainly because it’s purer than other types of waters. There is a definite health trend today toward healthy living and many health conscious consumers buy because they want something that’s of a higher quality and purity than other options like tap water. To meet the legal definition of “purified water”, water impurities must be removed to meet the U.S. Pharmacopeia definition (99.9% pure) adopted by the Food and Drug Administration. Purified water must be tested and the results made available to the public. Any reputable purified bottled water supplier will produce testing reports upon request. The most effective process for purification of water is a steam distillation/ozonation process that creates pure, good tasting water. Purified water is often confused with filtered water. While both types of water are subject to some sort of filtration (as is almost every spring water), purified water is purified through additional purification processes, typically, distillation. The resultant product, “purified” water, is of significantly higher purity than either spring water, tap water or filtered water. Consider the Product not the Source Purified water may originate from either a spring or surface or groundwater source or directly from the tap. The source of the water doesn’t matter-it is the purification process that counts. Since, the purification process is designed to remove virtually all types of impurities; the quality of the source water has little or no impact on the quality of the final purified product. The steam distillation process of purification will consistently produce extremely high purity water, regardless of fluctuations in the source water’s quality. This is not true of spring water, tap water or filtered water. For this reason, purified water is viewed as the standard against which the purity of other waters is judged. If you’re buying water for higher quality and higher purity reasons, then purified water is your best choice. Tap water and most bottled water are the products of hype and spinning of the facts. Investigate before you drink the water. About The Author:
*** Digital Reprint Rights *** *** Author Notification *** We ask that you notify the author of publication of his or her work. Jon M. Stout can be reached at: jon.stout@elementh2o.com *** Print Publication Reprint Rights *** If you desire to publish this article in a PRINT publication, you must contact the author directly for Print Permission at: jon.stout@elementh2o.com
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