Water is a necessity for every living organism.
There is no question in asking if water is essential or not because 60% of the human body composition is water.
But the real question arises of how to understand and figure out if water is healthy to be consumable. When we say healthy, it means free of disease-causing microorganisms and an appropriate quantity of minerals/nutrients.
The world is changing drastically, and so are the market products. Several brands are advertising bottled water as one of the safest and most nutritious water to drink, while others believe that tap water is the best and the healthier option.
So, if you want to know the same, then you have landed on the correct page; this article will discuss the benefits and disadvantages of both types of water.
The Water Types: Tap Water And The Bottled Water
Water has several essential functions, like regulating the body temperature, proper functioning of organs, flushing out the waste from the body, etc., so it needs to be healthy and far from impurities.
There are two kinds of water that we are drinking today. One is tap water, readily available, and the other is bottled water.
Tap Water
The first topic in this article is tap water because it’s the most common way of consuming water worldwide. If you’re still confused about what type of water it is, tap water is “municipal water.” The water comes from lakes, reservoirs, rivers, and large lakes.
Government organizations highly controlled or processed these resources to ensure water quality in a few countries, but they do not perform this action in many other countries. So we can say that water quality varies from one country to another or even from one area to another within the same country.
According to several services, countries like Uganda, Ethiopia, Somalia, etc., have been ranked as the worst countries with no access to clean water.
So, getting healthy water, a human being cannot entirely depend on tap water, especially when the quality is not monitored by the government or any other non-governmental organization.
The Environmental Protection Agency of America has reported that there are around 90 contaminants present in the drinking water, including the microbes like E.coli, which results in several intestinal-related diseases.
Even if the lake water is highly regulated, there are still chances of getting contaminated because of the high exposure to agricultural pesticides or industrial pollutants.
Bottled Water
The second is bottled water, which can vary from brand to brand depending on quality, additives, and the brand itself. The brand has several additives to enhance the quality and influence the consumer. We are not talking about sugar-additive or cold drinks, but the normal water sold in the market.
The Food Drug Administration ( FDA) has set standards for bottled water, ensuring the consumers’ quality and sanitary conditions. The organization does not inspect the water plants continuously. This means that people consume bottled water, which is not mandatory for everyone.
According to the organization, it is also mandatory for the water companies to mention every piece of information about components and the number of nutrients in the bottles so that the consumer can check the information.
Most researchers also claim that there is a massive difference in the standards of the Food Drug Administration and Environmental Protection agencies related to water quality and its impact on health.
What Are The Differences Between Tap Water vs Bottled Water?
There are too many differences between tap water and bottled water. We will look into them point by point.
1. The Regulatory Authorities
Firstly you need to clear your mind that the Food and Drug Administration regulates bottled water. In contrast, the Environmental Protection Agency generally regulates tap water quality.
Another essential thing that needs to be remembered is that water regulations vary from country to country based on government and environmental factors. For example, America has a Food and Drug Administration Organization; the United Arab Emirates has the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology Organization; India has The Food Safety Standards Authority of India; South Africa has a Department of Health; Brazil has a Health Regulatory agency, etc.
2. The Chemical Content
Typically, tap water consists of fluoride and chlorine, while bottled water does not have such content. The fluoride and chlorine content is added to enhance water quality. So the tap does not create many problems, but a higher and unregulated quantity can pose a health risk. The bottled water components are mentioned in the bottle, so the consumer can easily read them before consuming them.
3. The Cost
Bottled companies generally add a considerable amount of minerals to enhance the taste of water, costing 1000 times more expensive than tap water.
4. The Taste
There are not too many differences between bottled water and tap water taste. They both are precisely the same. The only difference is in the mineral content or the water quality because the brand or the company invests a lot of time in their products by enhancing the mineral quantity, which can also modify the taste. While the government controls the natural reservoirs, there is still a significant chance of contamination, while it is not soo in the case of bottled water.
5. The Environment Friendly or Not
Regarding the environment, tap water does not harm the environment because people generally drink water with washable utensils. In contrast, bottled water is supplied in the market in plastic bottles, which creates enormous environmental pollution and other harm to the environment.
6. The Options/Variety
The government understands that water is necessary, due to which it is facilitated for free in the majority of the countries. Tap water is very convenient and inexpensive, making it affordable for many. While as there is a huge variety of bottled water with different minerals and nutrients in it. The brands generally market their products because of these minerals and nutrients, influencing the people based on quality. So if a person wants to go for a brand, they have to expand a vast amount of money compared to drinking tap water.
7. The Scientist’s Point of View
Furthermore, new research has indicated that plastic bottles or bottled water generally have microplastics. A person cannot see the plastic content, but they are in the water, which afterward enters the body when a person consumes it. Excessive bottled water intake can result in several health risks.
A straightforward solution to this problem can be to intake tap water. Tap water has been considered the most convenient water supply method in one’s home, so one should stick to it instead of entirely depending on bottled water. Still, when it comes to your home from the municipality, you can again filter it out using several other technologies like water filters. Another benefit of consuming tap water is that it is chemical-free.
What Should You Choose: Tap Water or Bottled Water
It is highly recommended to go for tap water if your country is one of the countries where the government positively regulates water bodies, and the government plays a vital role in regulating water supplies. Whenever you need such information, you can coordinate with government agencies or directly visit their websites to know more about the purification process used in your city.
In most countries, chlorine and fluoride content is added to enhance the quality of the water to make it much healthier for the public. But suppose you are someone from a country that doesn’t have a highly regulated system for maintaining water quality.
In that case, invest in bottled water, but ensure that you do not entirely depend on them. In another way, companies have a huge marketing team that automatically influences you to consume their product even after ignoring the microplastics research studies or the Food and Drug Administration organization standards.
You can always opt for a proper and better water filter to ensure the quality of your drinking water. Whatever your decision would be, consider all the points mentioned earlier to be much more aware of the quality as well as what can be the future outcomes of using those options.
Most bottle companies have a considerable perception of the taste, but what’s the need if the water quality is not appropriate and has the probability of resulting in several diseases in the future? It is always better to stay away from them and invest in better water filters for purification.
Conclusion
Healthy drinking water is a necessity for all living organisms all around the world. Choosing between tap water and bottled water is always a choice, but one needs to consider both options’ consequences.
The quality of tap water gets influenced by environmental and governance factors. The companies invest a lot of money in making the water and popularising it as mineral water.
Tap water is a less expensive choice and is a better option to choose when a person knows about the process of water purification in their own country.
Before entirely depending on bottled water, we always recommend you to go through the process of purification used in your country by the government instead of making a final decision.