Why Encourage People To Buy Bottled Water?

The human body is more than 66 percent water by weight and it requires an adequate amount of the fluid to function well. Drinking at least 48 ounces of water each day helps your body complete various essential processes, such as maintaining an appropriate temperature and protecting organs and cells. Water in the human body comes from many sources, including metabolism and consumed food, and bottled water is simply another method of obtaining the indispensable component.

Significance of Bottled Water

One of the most common beverages in the United States, bottled water is the basis of a multi-billion-dollar industry. Stores carry numerous kinds, typically labeled with descriptive terms indicating the source of the water and how the bottler treated the water to improve its quality. Well-known types of commercial bottled water include artesian, distilled, drinking, mineral, purified and spring, and widespread treatment procedures include distillation, micron filtration, reverse osmosis and ultraviolet light. Contrary to what their packaging and main ingredient might suggest, beverages such as seltzer, sparkling water and tonic water are regulated as soft drinks rather than bottled water. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration ensures bottled water meets various standards for safe consumption.

Health Factors

Although the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency notes that bottled water is not always safer than tap water, people with certain medical conditions can help preserve their health by drinking bottled water instead of tap water. For instance, individuals with a weakened immune system due to diseases such as AIDS or medical procedures such as transplant surgery or chemotherapy must avoid contaminants and parasites capable of making them sicker or even killing them. Bottled water treated through distillation, reverse osmosis or ultraviolet light can protect such people from cryptosporidium, a particularly dangerous parasite found primarily in surface water such as lakes and rivers, the main source of tap water.

Emergency Factors

Buying and storing bottled water are forms of advance preparation for possible emergencies that affect water availability or safety. Examples of relevant crises range from large-scale natural disasters like floods and hurricanes to small-scale situations like contaminated local water or a damaged sink pipe. Treating tap water yourself with methods such as adding chlorine bleach or boiling is an option during many emergencies. Yet, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest bottled water as an equally effective alternative for having sufficient clean water for cooking and drinking at all times.

Personal Factors

Bottled water helps some people avoid unpleasant-tasting tap water, while other people appreciate the convenience of purchasing water on the go or the health benefits of substituting prepackaged water for beverages such as soda. The properties of both bottled and tap water vary, the EPA notes. But bottled water usually comes from ground water, which has a more consistent quality than surface water, the usual source of tap water, partly because it does not move through pipes to exit faucets. Some methods used to disinfect bottled water --- ozone technology and ultraviolet light, for example --- also lead to a more uniform and agreeable or nonexistent taste.