Bottled Water vs Tap Water - Difference and Comparison

Während Mineralwasser eine „gesunde“ haben „reine“ Bild wird weniger reguliert als Leitungswasser und deutlich teurer. Leitungswasser wird in Stauseen gespeichert und über Rohre in Häuser und Büros transportiert. Es wird von den örtlichen Gemeinden verwaltet. Wasser in Flaschen wird in Plastikflaschen verpackt und in Geschäften verkauft. Es enthält Wasser, das in Wasserkühlern verwendet wird.

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Vergleichstabelle

Vergleichstabelle für abgefülltes Wasser und Leitungswasser
	In Flaschen abgefülltes Wasser	Leitungswasser
Reguliert von	FDA (Food and Drug Administration)	EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)
Methode	Water from natural springs or public sources goes through a purification process and is then bottled and distributed to retail stores.	Water is delivered through a system of pipes, pumps and purification systems to homes and buildings in the developed and developing world.
Contains chlorine	No	Yes
Contains fluoride	Mostly not	Often
Consumption	get from store	Tap water is cheaper than mineral or bottled water. In some countries it is not consumed due to fears of contamination.
Other chemicals	Sometimes “enhanced” bottled water contains added minerals or flavors.	Although fluoride or chlorine are added for purification purposes, it may also contain various types of natural but relatively harmless contaminants.
Definition	added minerals for taste	Tap water is part of the indoor plumbing system where water is delivered to individual taps.
Source	Varies, including springs and municipal supply	Municipal supply
Cost	Up to 1000 times more expensive	Less than 1 cent per gallon
Regulations	Less stringent	More stringent

Processing

Although some bottled water comes from springs, more than 25% of bottled water comes from the municipal supply. Natural mineral water and spring water is bottled at the source and may not be subject to any processing except the introduction of carbon dioxide. However, some bottled water comes from other sources, including municipal supplies, and can be treated with UV light to kill bacteria, filtration, and ion exchange to get rid of excessive minerals. No residual disinfectant is included.

Tap water, which can be hard or soft , goes through many stages of processing. First, all dirt and other particles are removed through coagulation. Alum and other chemicals are added to attract the dirt particles, which then sink to the bottom. The water then passed through filters and layers of sand, gravel and charcoal to remove even smaller particles. A small amount of chlorine is added to kill any bacteria or micro-organisms and placed in a closed tank or reservoir. It is then carried to homes through pipes .

Environmental Impact

Water bottles are made from virgin petroleum, a fossil fuel, and fossil fuels are burned in order to fill and distribute the bottles. Some bottles need to be shipped internationally. According to Food and Water Watch, the plastic in these bottles needs up to 47 million gallons of oil per year to produce. According to the Container Recycling Institute, less than 20% of bottles are recycled, and bottled water produces up to 1.5 million tons of plastic waste each year.

Cost

Costs vary depending on the state and brand, but bottled water can cost 1000 times more than tap water. Most municipal water costs less than 1 cent per gallon, while a bottle of water typically costs over $1 for 20 ounces.

Regulatory Bodies

The Environmental Protection Agency regulates tap water, while the FDA regulates bottled water. However, FDA regulations do not cover water that is packaged and sold within the same state , and so 60 to 70% of bottled water, including water-cooler water, is fairly unregulated.

Health and Safety

Bottled water has to meet less strict regulations than tap water. This means that it can contain bacterial or chemical contaminants, including carcinogens, that exceed industry standards . A study by the NRDC found in 1999 that two brands were contaminated with phthalates, one exceeded EPA standards for tap water.

Scientists have also suggested that plastic bottles may leak plastic into water when stored in hot or warm temperatures .

Tap water must be inspected daily, and contains trace amounts of chlorine to kill bacteria .

Microplastics in Bottled Water: 2018 Orb Media Study

Microplastics were found in 93% of bottled water tested in a global study conducted by the non-profit Orb Media in 2018.

The complete official report of the study is here . In their article about the study’s findings , Orb Media compared the results of the 2018 bottled water study to their 2017 study of plastics in tap water and tried to answer the question of which is safer:

Orb’s 2017 tap water study and our current bottled water research used different methods to identify microplastic within globally sourced samples. Still, there is room to compare their results. For microplastic debris around 100 microns in size, about the diameter of a human hair, bottled water samples contained nearly twice as many pieces of microplastic per liter (10.4) than the tap water samples (4.45).

Results from the study for specific brands of bottled water can be found here .

Flint, Michigan and Other Areas in the U.S.

In late 2015, the Flint water crisis came to light. It was revealed that water piped into homes in Flint had significantly elevated levels of lead. In early 2016, as more journalists explored the story, it was revealed that Flint is by no means the only city suffering from the problem of lead poisoning. The New York Times reported that elevated levels of lead were found in children in New York, Pennsylvania, Detroit and Iowa. The Guardian went even further, blaming systematic corruption and reported that

Water authorities across the US are systematically distorting water tests to downplay the amount of lead in samples.

So while tap water is supposed to be regulated and safe, it is always possible —though unlikely— that your local water authority has been downplaying the levels of lead in the water supply. Another consideration is the piping in the house itself. While the water mains may have uncontaminated water, tap water could still be contaminated with toxins from plumbing in the house. It is not a bad idea to use a water test kit ( $25 on Amazon ) if you can afford it and if you have doubts about the quality of tap water in your house.

Popularity of Bottled Water

In 2006, Americans drank 8 billion gallons of bottled water. Another study in 2010 suggested that people spend between $50 and $100 billion on bottled water each year.

Much of bottled water’s popularity comes from the perception that it tastes better. However, in blind taste tests, people cannot tell bottled water from tap water and, in some cases, prefer water from the tap. For a small scale experiment on this, see this video .

In March 2016, the Associated Press released results from a poll that found

only 47% of Americans say they’re extremely or very confident about the safety of their drinking water, while 33% say they’re moderately confident and 18% are not very confident or not at all.

References

Why Tap Water is Better Than Bottled Water – National Geographic
Water treatment process – EPA
Rethink what you drink – Reader’s Digest

Bottled Water Quality Investigation Results – Environmental Working Group
The Safety of Bottled Water – Health Canada
The Story of Bottled Water – Story of Stuff

UK research on bottled water – Business Insider
Reasons not to drink bottled water – Mother Nature Network
Bottle vs. Tap: 7 Things to Know About Drinking Water – CBC

Should We Break Our Bottled Water Habit? – Consumer Reports
How Coke and Pepsi Make Millions From Bottling Tap Water, as Residents Face Shutoffs – Consumer Reports

Bottled Water vs Tap Water – Difference and Comparison