Myth: Bottled Water Is Better than Tap Water

You have to rethink what you drink, and here we’ll explain why.

Most bottled water comes in plastic bottles, indicated by a number 1 on the bottle’s bottom – the lowest quality of plastic from the food safety point of view. Just out of curiosity, please take a look at the bottom of a white plastic container for sour cream – you’ll see number 5 – the highest quality.

People who believe that bottle water is safer and cleaner than from the tap usually buy bottled water in bulk and store it somewhere at home at room temperature, definitely not in the fridge. But scientists say when stored in hot or warm temperatures, the plastic leaches chemicals into the water. And that chemical is bisphenol A (BPA).

Bisphenol A is an industrial chemical used to make a hard, clear plastic known as polycarbonate, which is used in many consumer products, including water bottles, baby bottles and as coatings on the inside of many food and beverage cans.

Researchers have linked BPA to endocrine disruption in fetuses and children, sexual problems, hormonal effects that increased risk for breast and prostate cancers, infertility, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and asthma. Some studies found that the risk was even greater, saying that adult exposure to BPA likely affects the brain, the female reproductive system and the immune system.

Canned tomatoes are exceptionally dangerous due to their high acidity, which seems to cause BPA to leech from the lining into the tomatoes themselves much faster. The level of BPA can be so high in fact; you should seriously consider not buying them.

“Buyers Beware: Toxic BPA and regrettable substitutes found in the linings of canned food”

A report “Buyers Beware: Toxic BPA and regrettable substitutes found in the linings of canned food” released at the end of March 2016, outlines the results of a comprehensive study conducted and produced as a collaborative effort by the following organizations: Breast Cancer Fund, Campaign for Healthier Solutions, Clean Production Action, Ecology Center, Mind the Store Campaign. Also, 22 organizations from 19 U.S. states and from the province of Ontario, Canada, participated in this Canned Food Testing study.

It is stated: “Our findings were alarming. We expected that the explosion in consumer demand for BPA-free packaging would have resulted in swifter action by canned food brands and retailers. However, 67% of the cans tested (129 out of 192) contained BPA-based epoxy in the body and/or the lid.”

In the U.S. BPA found in 96% of women (!)

Regulatory authorities of many countries consider that BPA does not pose a risk to the general population. Consumers can continue to use polycarbonate water bottles and consume canned foods and beverages, as the level of exposure from these products is very low.

There is a special concern about baby bottles. The European Union and Canada have banned BPA use in baby bottles and infant formula packaging. The Government of Canada is moving forward with legislation to ban the importation, sale and advertising of polycarbonate baby bottles.

Although regulatory bodies have determined safety levels for humans, those safety levels are currently being questioned or are under review as a result of new scientific studies. A 2011 study that investigated the number of chemicals pregnant women are exposed to in the U.S. found BPA in 96% of women.

One more thing you have to know about: the BPA concentration in the bottled water depends mainly on two factors – time of storage and the temperature. The more time water was kept in the polycarbonate bottle the higher the BPA level; and the higher the temperature the faster BPA extraction. That’s why it’s recommended that parents and caregivers do not put very hot/boiling water in polycarbonate baby bottles, as very hot water causes BPA to migrate out of the bottle at a much higher rate.

Don’t sip water from a plastic bottle that’s been sitting in a hot car because toxic substances from the plastic go into the water faster; and if you do, then you actually drink a witches’ brew.

High temperature in your storage space isn’t the only potential risk. Experts advise against storing water in the garage, near gas fumes, pesticides and other chemicals that could, at the very least, affect the smell and taste of water.

Now, LOOK AT JAPAN: Between 1998 and 2003, the Japanese canning industry voluntarily replaced its BPA-containing epoxy resin can liners with BPA-free polyethylene terephthalate in many of its products. For other products, it switched to a different epoxy lining that yielded much less migration of BPA into food than the previously used resin. In addition, polycarbonate tableware for school lunches was replaced by BPA-free plastics. As a result of these changes, Japanese risk assessors have found that virtually no BPA is detectable in canned foods or drinks, and blood levels of BPA in the Japanese people have declined up to 50% in one study.

Still think bottled water is cleaner than from the tap? Think again! In addition to bisphenol A, 11 pesticide residues found by The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in bottled water:

• two of them, atrazine and acetochlor, are known or probable carcinogens
• three of them, atrazine, acetochlor and 2,4-D, are suspected hormone disruptors

Stop buying bottled water and go back to the tap, just boil it. Don’t waste your money and trash your health! Stop drinking bottled water on a daily basis! It’s time to rethink what you drink and beware of bottled water. Remember, better safe than sorry.