Did you know that the FDA does not test bottled water for quality? Meanwhile tap water is rigorously tested. That’s one of the many reasons tap water may be the healthier choice to drink.
Instead of testing bottled water, the FDA instead sets some weak standards for E coli, arsenic and other contaminants and relies on the bottled water companies to test their own water. Guess what? The bottled water companies do a terrible job! The result is bottled water is often dirtier than tap water. Here are some of the contaminants you should worry about.
The FDA doesn’t even regulate the amount of plastic that is in bottled water. And to nobody’s surprise that means there is often a ton of plastic in your water!
A whopping 93% of all bottled water tested had microplastics in it. Some of it was so big you could see it with the naked eye! The average amount of microplastics found was 325 pieces. But Nestle’s Pure Life had an average of 10,000 pieces!
Some studies done on animals have shown that the consumption of plastic can lead to serious health problems, such as heart problems. In a 2018 study, it was discovered that there is far less plastic in drinking tap water than bottled water.
There is also too much arsenic in bottled water. The FDA sets the limit at 10 parts per billion. But the truth is no amount of arsenic is safe to drink since it is carcinogenic.
Arsenic has been linked to cardiovascular problems and lower IQ in children. even small amounts of arsenic can build up over time and cause big problems later in your life. Many bottled water companies self report that their arsenic levels are almost over the FDA limit. By contrast, tap water tends to have far less arsenic.
Self-reporting water contamination is not effective. One nonprofit group tested 14 different bottled water companies and found that the majority had small amounts of E.coli contamination. E.coli generally comes from animal feces and can lead to serious gastrointestinal problems.
Then there is the issue of mold. In a 2006 study, several bottled water facilities were found to be contaminated with mold. As a result, the water they bottled also had mold. Kroger had to issue a recall because of mold. One they recalled brand was called For Baby, water bottled specifically for babies!
The bottom line is when you purchase a bottle of water, you are not guaranteed clean water. Tap water is more regulated and safer to drink.
But tap water isn’t the best choice, either. It’s generally not alkaline and does not have any antioxidants. To get the best alkaline water full of antioxidants, you need to drink ionized water from water ionizers. In the long run, a water ionizer creates the best water and it’s way more affordable than bottled water.
