Bottled Water

1
Bottled Water

• Students Promoting Environmental Awareness and
  Responsibility
• February 16, 2009

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The Bottled Water Craze Is Upon Us!

• Why do people ? bottled water?

3
Taste, Color, and Odor

• Varies based on minerals present
• Tap water varies greatly by region and season
• Bottled water flavor can be affected by type of
  plastic
• Temperature affects taste
• Taste is less noticeable in ice-cold water than
  warm water

4
Quality and Safety

• Regulated by FDA and EPA
• Specific guidelines for testing and maximum
  amounts of minerals/contaminants
• Tap water often has stricter standards than
  bottled water
• Taste, odor, and color dont always indicate if
  water is healthy or not
• Sulfur affects smell and taste but is safe
• Some harmful contaminants have no color, taste,
  or odor

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What Is Bottled Water, Anyway?
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Source of Bottled Water

• 25-30 of US bottled water are bottled tap
  water
• e.g. Dasani, Aquafina
• Labels must include from a municipal source or
  from a community water system if tap water is
  not further treated
• Some simple, ineffectual treatments eliminate the
  labeling requirement

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Economic Impact

• US bottled water consumption (2005)
• 30 gal / person / year
• 15 billion / year
• Prices 1 to 180 per gallon

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Environmental Impact

• Plastic water bottles are made from
• PET (polyethylene terephthalate ?)
• Derived from crude oil
• HDPE (high-density polyethylene ?)
• Milk containers
• Polycarbonate (part of ?)
• Nalgene bottles
• Eyeglasses

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PET ?

• 2,713,000 tons sold in 2006
• Less than 1/3 of 1 of total US waste (IBWA no
  references)
• About 76 is not recycled

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HDPE ?

• 1,755,000 tons sold in 2006
• About 73 is not recycled

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Sustainability Efforts

• US container deposit legislation (bottle bill)
• About 30 of US population affected (2004 Census)
• Campaigns
• UNICEFs Tap Project
• Think Outside the Bottle
• Inside the Bottle

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Sources

• Larson J. Bottled water boycotts back-to-the-tap
  movement gains momentum. Earth Policy Institute.
  2007. Available at http//www.earth-policy.org/Up
  dates/2007/Update68.htm Accessed February 14,
  2009. 
• Napier GL, Kodner CM. Health Risks and Benefits
  of Bottled Water. Primary Care Clinics in Office
  Practice. 200835(4)789-802. 
• Olsen E. Bottled water pure drink or pure hype?
  Natural Resources Defense Council. 1999.
  Available at http//www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/b
  w/chap2.asp Accessed February 14, 2009.
• Wikipedia contributors. Container-deposit
  legislation. In Wikipedia, The Free
  Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation 2009.
  Available at http//en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
  titleContainer-deposit_legislationoldid26769540
  7 Accessed February 16, 2009.