Bottled Water: The Illusion of Purity Through Privatization

Posted on August 16, 2004 in Consuming

I have friends who fear what comes out of the tap and then pay good money to buy tap water in bottles at a higher rent. Maybe you are one of these people.

If heavy metal contamination is a concern for you (ask your local water board for a copy of their latest lab test — they must supply it to you on demand), you are best off buying a filter for your tap. Doctors and consumer awareness activists now strive to set the record straight on bottled water which has sometimes turned out to be nothing more than repackaged tap water. Where tap water must be disinfected and tested hundreds of times each month for bacteria, bottled water can be sold “as is” and tested only once a week! Tests for heavy metals in tap water must be performed every quarter; bottled water tests need only be conducted once a year.

Like many privatization schemes, the bottled water fixation ends up providing an inferior product to what public utilities offer and at an exorbitant price. For details on what studies show and what water scams exist out there, visit this site.

For Canadians.