Bottled Water
Due to numerous articles that have been written on the dangers of dehydration, we now know how important it is to keep ourselves hydrated. Symptoms such as dizziness, muscle spasms, hunger pangs, constipation, dry wrinkly skin, headaches and loss of balance are all indicators that our bodies are lacking water. In his book, The pH Miracle of Weight Loss, Dr. Robert Young quotes,
"In the earliest stages, dehydration can lead to muddled thinking, shortterm memory problems, trouble with basic math and expressing yourself verbally, and difficulty focusing on a computer screen or printed page. Light-headedness and cold hands and feet can also result. The list goes on: anxiety, irritability, depression, sugar cravings, and cramps."
Knowing how important good, clean water is to our health, we generally ‘go with the flow ’ and follow what we believe to be accurate or accepted truths. With the hype and successful marketing techniques from bottled water companies regarding their pure, fresh drinking water, we have ‘jumped on the bandwagon’ and doled out our hard-earned dollars in our quest for ‘pure water’. In fact, in 2005, we spent $652 million dollars according to the Canadian Bottled Water Association.
In providing research for this article, I was not aware, nor I suspect are many others, as to the regulations regarding bottled water.
"Approximately 80 percent of bottled water brands are processed waters – municipal or tap water than has been run through a filtration system for impurities and chemicals. More than half of bottled waters around the world are exempt from governmental standards; they don’t have to live up to even the minimal standards tap water is regulated by," states Dr. Robert Young. In fact, two of largest bottled water sellers use municipal water.
An excerpt from the Canadian Environmental Law Association’s website reads,
"Federal law requires that all bottled water offered for sale must be safe to drink. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency periodically samples and analyses both imported and domestic bottled waters. This monitoring focuses primarily on testing bottled waters for bacterial contamination. Yet it is not known how frequently or how thoroughly the Agency tests. There is no requirement that the bottled water companies themselves do comprehensive or regular sampling of their sources or of their products. Nor is there any information readily available to the public about the quality of particular bottled water products.” According to Erin Kobayashi of the Toronto Star “The Canadian Food Inspection Agency only checks the bottling water plants every 12 to 18 months."
Laying aside our concerns about the source of our bottled water, just how fresh is the water we are drinking? We see expiration dates on the bottles, generally 2 years in the future, however they provide us no clue as to when they actually bottled the water. Are their warehouses air-conditioned during the hot summer months, and are those longhaul trucks travelling across our country refrigerated?
What about the plastic bottles themselves? An CBC news article in December /06 says,
"The longer water is stored in plastic bottles, the higher the concentration of a potentially harmful chemical. " The research, by a Canadian scientist now working in Germany, involved 132 brands of bottled water from 28 countries produced in containers made from polyethylene terephthalate, or PET. About 20 brands came from Canada. In a paper to be published early next year, William Shotyk of the University of Heidelberg found that the concentration of certain chemicals, such as antimony, increases the longer the water sits in the plastic bottle. Shotyk’s study measured concentrations for a period of up to six months."It’s increasing over time because [the plastic] is leaching chemicals," said Shotyk. Shotyk was cautious about the implications for human health, saying more research is needed."Antimony is a white metallic element that in small doses can cause nausea, dizziness and depression. In large doses, it can be fatal."
What impact do these plastic water bottles have on the environment? More than 1 BILLION water bottles are winding up in the trash in California each year. That translates into nearly 3 million empty water bottles going to the trash EVERY day. Only 16% of the water bottles sold in California are being recycled. What this means to our environment is more air pollution, larger landfills, and depletion of our ozone layer.
Now let’s factor in the cost itself for purchasing this so-called ‘pure water’. Based on the cost of three top brand name sellers in bottled water, the average price was 37 cents for 1 cup (8 oz) of water. Multiply that by 8 cups per person (the minimum recommended) per day times 4 people and a typical family of four would be paying $331.52 per month, or $3978.24 per year for questionable water, potentially hazardous plastic packaging and unknown packaging dates. Makes us question the reality of buying water, doesn’t it?
Perhaps a less expensive, environmentally friendly, far healthier solution would be more appealing. There are many water systems available today, however the quality and features can vary drastically. To have a healthy body we need to have healthy internal pH. Disease cannot live in an alkaline body. Today there are water machines that can produce fresh, alkaline, ionic water that changes the body’s pH, detoxifies, neutralizes free radicals and gives us more energy. This superhydrating anti-oxidant water works by balancing the pH levels in our body thereby creating an environment free from bacteria, fungus and inflammation where all disease begins. Additionally, some models allow you to choose between alkaline, purified and acidic water. Alkaline water hydrates the body and keeps our plants healthy and free of disease, while acidic water is ideal for restoring hair and skin to its beautiful, lustrous appearance.
By purchasing a water machine that costs less than bottled water for a year, we nourish our bodies while protecting our most precious resource, Mother Earth.