The Environmental and Health Hazards of Bottled Water

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The Environmental and Health Hazards of Bottled
Water

• A Presentation for Neumann Association
• By
• Ken Vick
• MPH Student
• Walden University
• PUBH 6165-3
• Dr Raymond Thron
• Spring 2009

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In this Presentation You will

• Understand the ecological effect that discarded
  plastic bottles have on the environment
• Understand the possible health consequences of
  reusing plastic bottles
• Understand the economic considerations of using
  bottled water
• Understand the environmental benefits of reducing
  plastic bottle use

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Why Cut down on Using Bottled Water?

• The Natural Resources Defense Council
• The Sierra Club
• World Wildlife Fund
• Have all urged their supporters to consume less
  bottled water due to the environmental impact of
  plastic bottles

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Bottled Water is the Second Most Consumed
Beverage in the U.S. Today After Soft Drinks

• In 2007 U.S. consumption reached 8.8 billion
  gallons or 29 gallons per person
• The U.S is the largest consumer market for
  bottled water in the world
• Many people cite the convenience, taste, and
  safety of bottled water as reasons for increasing
  their consumption but few have considered the
  environmental and health impact that bottled
  water could have
• Statistics taken from Banerjee (2008)

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About 25 of the U.S. bottled water is actually
purified municipal water (tap water)

• Both Aquafina (PepsiCo) and Dasani (Coca-Cola)
  originate from municipal water systems
• About 75 of bottled water does come from other
  sources including underground water systems,
  rivers, lakes, springs, and artesian wells but
  their purity can be disputed according to the
  NRDC
• From the NRDC

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Primary Concern is the Environmental Impact of
Plastic

• In the U.S. alone about 1.5 million barrels of
  oil are consumed in making the bottles
• Most bottles end up in landfills (80)
• The plastic making process releases toxins such
  as nickel, ethylbenzene, ethylene oxide, and
  benzene into the environment
• World-wide, 2.7 million tons of plastic is made
  for the bottled water industry every year
• It is projected to take 1000 years for a plastic
  bottle to biodegrade in a landfill
• While buried in a landfill it may leak toxic
  additives into groundwater
• From NRDC

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Regulation is Minimal

• In the U.S. bottled water is regulated by the FDA
  but according to the NRDC
• Exact sources are often difficult to ascertain
  from the label
• Allowable amounts of contaminants are not
  published
• Some harsh chemicals are used in the cleaning of
  filtration equipment by many companies
• In 1999 a Natural Resources Defense Council study
  reported that the purity of some bottled water
  can be disputed
• From http//www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/bw/exesum
  .asp

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1999 Study by the Natural Resources Defense
Council (NRDC)

• This report states that there are major gaps in
  bottled water regulation
• Bottled water is not necessarily safer than tap
  water
• Some bottled water contained bacterial
  contaminants
• Several brands contained synthetic organic
  chemicals (solvents, chemicals from plastics,
  trihalomethanes)
• Some contained inorganic contaminants such as
  arsenic
• Filtration equipment is often cleaned with
  propylalcohol which is highly toxic and cannot be
  completely filtered out of water

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Concerns around Shipping and Storage

• Bottled water often gets heated during shipping
  or storage which may cause chemicals to leach
  from the plastic container into the water
• Most bottled water is shipped from other parts of
  the country and may contain herbicides,
  pesticides, lead, and PCBs
• Bottled water should not be directly exposed to
  sunlight due to the possible break down of the
  plastic
• From http//www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/bw/exesum
  .asp

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Plastics Also Pollute the Oceans

• Plastics travel through sewer systems and end up
  in oceans where they break up into smaller and
  lighter particles which kill more than 1 million
  seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals every year
• Moeller (2005)

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Reusing Plastic Bottles can Pose a health Hazard

• Risk of bacterial infection if the interior is
  not washed with warm soapy water and completely
  dried in between uses
• Possibility of chemicals leaching from the bottle
  into the water
• Clear Nalgene water bottles shown to contain
  trace amounts of BPA
• A plastic bottle should only be reused a few
  times (if at all)
• From Bottled Water Basics (retrieved from
  http//www.epa.gov/safewater/faq/pdfs

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Economic Considerations

• Bottled water is 240 to 10,000 times more
  expensive than tap water
• Far more cost effective to invest in an effective
  water filtering system for home and office along
  with reusable glasses and cups
• Saving on the cost associated with the
  production, storage, and transportation of water
  products
• From http//www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/bw/exesum
  .asp

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Quality Water Filtration Systems Are Available
which are cost-effective

• Numerous quality home and office water filtration
  systems are available for a fraction of the cost
  of purchasing bottled water (including distilled
  water, tap filters, pitcher filters, ozonated
  water, etc.)

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Stop Using Bottled Water for 21 Days

• Invitation to participate in this national
  program through
• Refraining from using all bottled water
• Invest in a proven water filtration system for
  home and office along with getting re-washable
  glass cups
• Register at www.nobottled water21days.com