RunningHead:THEBOTTLEDWATERDILEMMA1

TheBottledWaterDilemma
SarahE.Manning
ParkUniversity

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Inthiscountry,wehavebecomeaculturewhohasnoregardforthelegacyweare
leavingforourfuturegenerations.Thisisevidentbythewaywetreatourworld.Ourtrashis
fillingouroceans,harmingwildlife,anddegradingourplanet.Witheverythingchangingtheway
itis,westillchoosetobuybottledwaterratherthandrinkingthetapwaterathand.Asimple
changelikethatcouldmakeapositiveimpactonourplanet.Therearenumerousreasonsthat
peopleshouldbedrinkingwaterfromthetapratherthanpurchasingdisposableplasticbottlesby
thecase.
Whyarewepayingsomuchmoneyforsomethingthatnatureprovidesforfree?Bottled
waterisnothingspecial.Itisnotusuallyfromsomesereneplaceinthemiddleofnowhere,
untouchedbycivilization.Thiswaterisbottledinhugeplantsandusesveryspecifictermsonthe
labelsinordertomakeitappearthatthewaterisspecialandperfect.Inanarticlewrittenby
AndyOpelinajournalofAmericanculture,itisnotedthatthebrandingandlabelingofbottled
waterplaysheavilyonthemesofpurenature.Thesecompaniesfindwaystostretchterms,like
springwater,whichusedtomeanthatthewatercamefromalocationwhereitcameupfrom
thegroundnaturally.Thedefinitionhasbeenchangedtomeanthatthewatercannowcomefrom
holesboredintothegroundandstillbeclassifiedasspringwater.Allofthesewordsand
brandingjustmakethebottlesofwatermoreappealingtoconsumers.Whenitcomesdowntoit,
itisstilljustwater.
Itisnotonlyourpocketbooksthatarebeingimpactedbythebottledwaterindustry.It
takesmassiveamountsofwatertofillallthosebottlesandkeepstoreshelvesstocked.This
groundwaterpumpingisbadfortheenvironment.Groundwaterisnotarenewableresourceit

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willrunout.Thewatertableiscontinuallydropping.Peoplewhoneedaccesstogroundwaterin
theselocationsarebeingforcedtodigdeeperthaneverbefore,andthiscoststhemmoremoney.
InaspeechbyGlennon,itisnotedthattheenergycostsofrunningawelldeepenoughtoreach
thewatertableatitsnewdepthisenoughtoputafarmeroutofbusiness.Thisisbadnewsfor
localeconomiesandfamilieswhorelyonfarmingindustry.Whenthissupplyofgroundwater
runsoutitwillnotrefill.Itwillbegone.
Thebottledwaterindustryitselfcanbeharmfultothelocalenvironmentandnotonly
regardingtheloweringwatertable.Thefactoriesthatpumpandbottlethewaterproduceharmful
chemicalsduetotheproductionoftheplasticbottles.AccordingtoKarlFlecker,whodirectsa
waterprogramatthePolarisInstituteinCanada,someofthechemicalsusedbythesebottling
plantscanbereleasedandhavevariousnegativeeffectsonpeopleshealth.Therehavebeen
communitiesinplaceslikeMichiganandCaliforniarisinguptostopbottledwaterplantsfrom
beingbuiltneartheminordertokeeptheirlocalenvironmentsafefromharm.Theprocessof
makingdisposablewaterbottles,fromproductiontodisposal,isharmfultoourcommunities.
Thecommunitiessurroundingthebottlingplantsarenottheonlyplacessufferingfrom
theplasticbottles.Plasticisanongoingproblemforourplanet,andthemassiveamountof
disposableplasticbottlesbeingimproperlydisposedofareonlymakingmattersworse.Wildlife
isconstantlybeingimpactedbytheimproperdisposalofplastic.Plasticstrawsarebeingfound
insideofseaturtles,andplasticbagsonbirdstryingtodiveintotheoceanforfish.Somepeople,
likeMarkAnthonyBrowneandChelseaM.Rochman,arecallingforplasticstobelabeledasa
hazardousmaterial.Thiswouldrequiredisposaltobemorecloselymonitoredinanattemptto

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preservewhatisleftofourenvironment.Anyamountofplasticthatcanbeproperlytakencare
ofwouldbeastepintherightdirectionfortheplanet.
Notonlyisbottledwaterharmfultotheplanetonaglobalscale,itisalsoharmfultoour
health.Thechemicalsinthedisposableplasticbottlescanseepintothewaterinside.BPAisa
majorchemicalthatisknowntoseepintothewaterfromtheplasticbottleandisaknown
endocrinedisruptor.Thesechemicalsaremorelikelytogetintothewaterifthetemperature
rises,likeifthebottlewasleftinacarfortheday.AccordingtoNateSeltenrich,scientistsare
stillsearchingforasubstituteforBPA.Currentlythischemicalisstillbeingingestedby
consumers,especiallythosewhopurchaseandreusedisposablebottlesofwater.
Whiletherearemanyproblemswiththebottledwaterindustry,tapwaterhasitsfair
shareofproblemsaswell.Tapwaterissimplynotasregulatedasitshouldbe.Manypeople
choosetodrinkbottledwaterbecauseitiscleanerthanthewaterfromtheirtap.Withthe
ongoingchoiceofbottledwaterovertapwaterthepushforbettertapwaterseemstohavetaken
thebackburner.Amajorcontaminantinthetapwaterinmanyareasislead.Accordingto
RebeccaRenner,aPhDfromPennsylvania,thesamplesofwaterbeingtakenforleadtestingare
notbeingtakenproperly.Itisknownthathotwaterreleasesmoreleadfrompipesthancold,yet
coldsamplesarestilloftentaken.Withthisknowledgeofthequalityofourtapwateritwould
seemthatmorewouldbedoneaboutit,butwhywouldsomethingbedoneifeveryoneissimply
switchingtobottledwater?Therewillneverbeasenseofurgencyaboutthequalityofourtap
wateriflessandlesspeoplearedrinkingit.
Thebottomlineisthatbottledwatershouldnotbeasbigofanindustryasitis.With
plentyofwateratourfingertipsinthiscountry,peoplestillturntobottlesofwater.Thisdecision

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isharmfultolocalenvironmentsaswellasnatureonaglobalscale.Thisdecisionisharmfulto
thehealthoftheconsumers.Whenwestoppickingupaplasticbottleandturnonthetap,the
environmentcanbegintostabilizeandwecanbehealthierpeople.

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References
Opel,A.(1999).ConstructingPurity:BottledWaterandtheCommodificationofNature.
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Glennon,R.(2007).TalesofFrenchfriesandbottledwater:theenvironmentalconsequencesof
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EnvironmentalLaw
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Flecker,K.(2008).Backlashagainstbottledwater.
TheAmericanProspect
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Seltenrich,N.,&Tart,J.(2015).AHARDNUTTOCRACK.
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(7),A174A179.doi:10.1289/ehp.123A174
Rochman,C.M.,&Browne,M.A.(2013).Classifyplasticwasteashazardous:policiesfor
managingplasticdebrisareoutdatedandthreatenthehealthofpeopleandwildlife.
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,(7436),169.
Renner,R.(2010).Exposureontap:drinkingwaterasanoverlookedsourceoflead.
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