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Are you – like many of us – a buyer of bottled water? Collectively we are dumping tens of millions of plastic water bottles a year! But, besides the dire impact plastic bottles have on the environment, is bottled water healthier?
Advertising sells
40 percent of bottled water starts out as tap water. Large beverage companies take the water, run it through filters, and pour it into a bottle with a fancy name and sell it back to you at a price many times more than tap water!
Clever marketing leads us to believe that bottled water is healthier and purer than tap water, but studies have found plenty of bacteria and chemicals in bottled water. Check the label on your water – you may be buying plain tap water. You’d do better to carry filtered water from home with you.
The healthiest option for water “bottles”
Save money and reduce your carbon footprint – buy a stainless steel bottle.
If you still want to use plastic, some plastics are safer than others. Check the bottom of your plastic bottle for a triangle with a number in the middle. This number tells you what type of plastic was used to make the bottle. Certain numbers are safer – as safe as plastic can be – than others.
Quick reference:
SAFE Numbers: 2, 4, 5
UNSAFE Numbers: 1, 3, 6, 7
Tips for bottled water
- If your water smells like plastic, don’t drink it.
- Keep your bottled water away from heat or sunlight. Hot plastic is more likely to leech chemicals into the water.
- Don’t buy water that has been on the shelf longer than six months.
- Don’t reuse bottles made for single use as they are breeding grounds for bacteria.
- Use stainless steel or glass whenever possible.
- Drink tap water. If you’re worried about the quality of your water, fit a water filter, and start carrying tap water in your stainless steel bottle.
Save money…and be kind to the planet!
The Phantom Forest Team
