How Safe is Our Drinking Water

How Safe Is The Water We Drink?

This is certainly a hot topic right now and while you may think it’s purely hearsay we thought it best to do delve into this a little further. When we purchase water from the dairy or service station we feel we are treating our bodies to 100% pure goodness - mainly from what we see and hear on advertisements and packaging labels. It’s almost become fashionable to lug around a Pump, Evian or Waiwera Mineral Water bottle, rather than drinking out of the tap. But is it any better for you and could you tell the difference taste-wise if you were blind folded?

If a recent study by some of the world’s most experienced palates is anything to go by the answer seems to be a resounding NO.

Late last year British Magazine Decanter rated New Zealand’s Waiwera Mineral Water as the world’s best bottled water in a blind test-taste including 24 waters. What is most interesting about this survey is that tap water from Kensington, London came in at joint third! Antipodes ranked number 12, with Evian at 15. It makes you think.

Fancy shaped ‘designer’ bottles urge us to buy and companies frequently adjust bottle designs to keep consumer interest alive. Pump has recently had a small design adjustment and at the other spectrum the first luxury bottled water encrusted with Swarovski crystals aptly named Bling H20, has been launched overseas. Targeted at celebs with loads of cash, expect to pay upwards of $25NZD for a 375ml bottle. Bottled water is big business and one thing that remains fact is that water is a healthier alternative to sugar-laden fizzy drinks. But is it safe to keep refilling water bottles and sipping from the same nozzle day after day? Is it safe to leave your plastic bottle in the sun, and is bottled water a strain on our environment?

PROS

• Bottled water is convenient, easy to carry around and is usually free from smell
• Some bottled water may contain magnesium (great for strengthening the immune system) and calcium (good for strong bones)

CONS

• Some people are concerned that packaging may be a health risk. There are arguments suggesting that components of plastic seeps into the water over time or in high temperatures. There is no real solid research as yet, but it’s advisable to keep your bottle out of direct sunlight and when possible keep refrigerated
• Bottled water is more expensive than drinking straight out of the tap
• Bottled water may be low in fluoride. If you’re a parent that relies on bottled water, ensure your child gets enough fluoride from other sources such as fluoride tablets

If you do reuse plastic water bottles, make sure you rinse it thoroughly after every use, paying close attention to the nozzle. Reusing plastic bottles helps to reduce waste, but levels of bacteria increase when they are re-used. And remember, always recycle.

Better yet, think about using an alternative such as reusable glass or stainless steel bottles.

Another Option…

Check out Hydropal, your personal water filter bottle that filters water as you drink from it. It can be used for six months (or at least 200 refills) before the filter needs to be changed. Your drinking water will be healthier and taste better without the financial and environmental cost of buying bottled water. They retail for approximately $30NZD and can be online at www.hydropal.co.nz.