Sometimes a Bottle of Water Isn’t Just a Bottle of Water

Author: Lee Ann Rush

It may have been unimaginable even 25 years ago, but today bottled water is an enormous industry both in the United States, where an estimated 50 billion bottles are sold annually, and around the world, including those areas where the contamination of natural water supplies makes bottled water a necessity. I distinctly remember wondering why anyone would pay good money for something that came out of the faucet for free (that was back when my family got water from a well on our property or, when the electricity went out, from a neighborhood well powered by a hand pump). About 20 years ago I developed an aversion to the taste of the tap water supplied, for a nominal fee, by my local water district. Recognizing that I should be drinking more water and far fewer sodas, I grudgingly discovered that I actually enjoyed drinking the bottled version. So much for my bias against spending money on something I’d always considered totally unnecessary!

There are numerous ethical and environmental issues related to the growth of the bottled water industry, including the murky territory entered when for-profit corporations like Nestle attempt to control the world’s water supply (see my earlier series entitled “Water, Water Everywhere but Not a Drop to Drink”). The small plastic bottles used to package the water are certainly an environmental scourge; I always recycle mine (after all, I’ve already paid a nickel deposit for each one!) but we all know that recycling is not practiced universally. Then there’s the issue of polycarbonate plastic water bottles leaching a chemical known as bisphenol A (BPA), a recognized hormone disruptor which can cause health problems ranging from breast cancer, miscarriages and birth defects to testosterone deficiencies and type-2 diabetes. Most baby bottles are no longer made from plastics containing BPA, but many single-use water bottles still are.

The subject here, however, is what’s actually in that bottle of water you buy at the supermarket or convenience store. Ever notice that the taste of bottled water varies significantly from one brand to another? There’s a reason for this, and it might surprise you. Bottled water should just contain one ingredient: water, right? No additives, no chemicals, no flavors (flavored and enhanced waters are an entirely separate topic). Well, some brands are just water, some aren’t, and others claim to be but aren’t being entirely honest about it. Recycler that I am, I’ve got bottles from six different brands of water here: Acadia, Dasani, Fiji, Nestle Pure Life, Nirvana and Poland Spring. Stay tuned for the ingredients list comparison!