All Wet: The Truth About Bottled Water

Last Comment regarding TAP vs. Bottle

use these comments to go beyond the Tap vs. battle ... there is more to precious water supplies than just these two elements!

To Finish Up the debate I suggested a person learn of using Rain Barrels to catch a huge amount of wasted rain water, Grey Water is easy enough to understand and maybe even this tiny example will make sense for many.

Grey Water contains soaps, dishwashing cleansers, etc. however Grey Water contains zero harmful chemicals to plants and animals. Catching your shower water for instance is a quick and easy way to water the garden during draught.
Hey, you can flush a toilet with that water which normally goes down the drain too!

GET a WATER FILTER ... do your homework though. I use a Berkey, effective and simple. The Berkey uses no water pressure other than filling the top half with water from your choice of tap or even rain water. Use whatever you want and can afford. When sailing you may notice you are using a Reverse osmosis filter to drink saline water. Carbon filters are the norm and are relatively inexpensive. The point is to become more active in choosing how and where you interact with your most vital source of health and existence! You may even get into this stuff and read Dr. Batmanghelidjh Water Healing.

Looks like the comment for DRHall was cut short

AP contin'd ... It is not just waste water that is contaminated. The AP report says that watersheds, the natural source of most of the country's drinking water, are also affected. The AP investigators said tests were carried out in the watersheds of 35 of the 62 major water utilities they surveyed and drugs were found in 28 of them. Six of the 28, when contacted by the AP, said they did not test their drinking water, despite the watersheds being contaminated.

It would seem that no source of drinking water is entirely free of drugs. People who drink water from their own wells may not realize where the water comes from. It could come from a contaminated watershed, like one part of New York City's upstate watershed that tested positive for caffeine, often a marker of other drugs being present. One possible source of contamination for watersheds could be leaky septic tanks, according to one researcher interviewed by the AP team.

Bottled water and home filtration systems are also affected. According to the industry's main trade group, bottlers do not test or treat for pharmaceuticals (and some of these just repackage tap water said the AP).

Even aquifers, deep underground water systems that supply 40 per cent of the US water demand, are affected. The AP report mentions scientists examined aquifers located near landfill and other potential sources of contamination in in 24 states and found traces of hormones, antibiotics and other drugs.

As more and more people in the world take more and more drugs, and flush them, either unused or after metabolizing them, the concentrations entering the water system goes up. This problem is not confined to the US and the AP report cites evidence from other countries, including lakes in Switzerland and Canada. And it is not just human waste that puts drugs into the water system, but animal waste too, ranging from drugs used to treat domestic pets, to steroids

Bottle vs. Tap ... I have either read, seen or heard this debate before.

The quality of tap water in the USA is nothing short of deplorable.
Testing for only a few of the potential hazards does not excuse the wonderful delivery system nor the convenience factor. The UP did research over the major cities and it seems the water companies are required to test for darn few contaminants. Water companies do not or are not required to test for prescription drugs and a host of offensive and potentially dangerous chemicals.

Bottle water is a major marketing machine and has pulled off the coup of the century ... selling H2O was unthinkable in the late sixties and they finally started making billions of dollars. All based upon the conscience of the public attuned to the disaster which is the public water company product. Yet, the very salvation has revealed itself to be just as tricky and deceitful regarding water quality.

So, what's then answer? Actually, the answer involves some handywork. First confirm exactly what I said to be accurate and true. Take no prisoners!
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/100038.php
...he AP investigators discovered that drugs have been found in the drinking water of 24 major metropolitan areas across the country. Here are some of the key findings:

* Southern California: a portion of drinking water that supplies 18.5 million people contained traces of anti-epileptic and anti-anxiety drugs.

* Philadelphia: treated drinking water contained 56 drugs or byproducts, including pharmaceuticals for pain, infection, cholesterol control, heart conditions, asthma.

* San Francisco: a sex hormone was detected in the drinking water.

* Washington DC: six drugs were found in the drinking water supply of the capital and surrounding area.

* Tucson, Arizona: an antibiotic and two other medications were found in the drinking water.

* Northern New Jersey: drinking water for 850,000 residents was found t