That's the short answer to; what is the difference between bottled water and tap water. Not much. Let me explain why.
The majority of the companies use someone's tap-water. It might not be yours, but it's coming from somewhere.
In a small number of cases, the companies own their own wells. These are the ones that are allowed to use the term "spring-water" on their labels, even though, they are not technically springs, which is an area where groundwater comes to the surface.
So, in terms of quality, you can see that the answer to; what is the difference between bottled water and tap water is not much. But, there are other points to consider.
Most companies use some method to further purify the water that they put in the bottle. Reverse osmosis is the popular choice, but if chemicals are present in the supply, they are not removed through that process.
As a case in point, there was an incident were Dasani was recalled in the UK and never re-released. The government had found high levels of bromate in the tested bottles. They forced the recall, because bromate is a known human carcinogen that cannot be removed through reverse osmosis.
Europe can ill afford to allow the Coca-cola bottling company, makers of Dasani, to pull water out of their aquifers, anyway. Their groundwater is being used at a faster rate than it can be replenished. That brings up another question.
What is the difference between bottled water and tap water in terms of water-usage?
When you drink tap-water, you are only using what you consume. In order to produce a one liter bottle and the plastic it is composed of, the bottled-water industry uses between 3 and 6.74 liters of freshwater. The world cannot afford that kind of waste.
In terms of energy usage, you are not using oil or electricity when you drink tap-water, unless you have a reverse osmosis system in your home, which requires electricity to operate. In 2006, the bottled-water industry used more than 17 million barrels of oil and large amounts of electricity. But, getting back to quality for a moment, here's another question.
What is the difference between bottled water and tap water, when you have an energy efficient selective filtration device on your kitchen faucet?
When a selective filtration device is used, all of the chemical contaminants present in our supplies are removed. Things like lead and cysts are removed as well. The taste is enhanced, through the addition of potassium and sodium, as well as the removal of chlorine.
So, the quality of home filtered tap-water is actually better than bottled, in terms of taste and healthfulness. Of course, not all filters are the same. Some only remove chlorine, so you must shop carefully. The complete answer to; what is the difference between bottled water and tap water would fill a book. But, I think you get the idea.
Larry Fletcher is an avid proponent of water purification and a passionate researcher on its health benefits. To get the facts on how to choose the best water purification system, visit http://www.pure-and-safe-water.com now.
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