Bottled water and Tap water

[rwand1]

Bottled not necessarily better, water conference hears: Researchers at a drinking water conference in Saint John, N.B., say too many people are afraid to drink what's coming out of their taps, and water utilities need to do a better job of marketing their product...
http://www.cbc.ca/consumers/market/m...3_bottled.html

[phinsperger]

I do not drink bottled water, but then I have only drank about a 1 gallon of straight water in the last 20 years.

[rwand1]

As W.C. Fields replied to someone who asked him if he ever drank water:

Neverrrr touch the stuff, fish propogate in it! (He did not use the word propogate either)

I am on a well. When I go into town I definetly notice the chlorine smell in the municipal water.

[Marcel R. Cyr]

Raymond;

Enteresting topic. Makes you wonder that all the vigorous testing at the Water Plants are conducted there, but does not elliminate the quality of the water on the other end of the pipes, does it?
I hardly drink the tap water also, and makes me wonder now if we are just paying these high prices for City water to just water our lawns and wash our veichles.

High price to pay for that, wouldn't you think. Now I understand why so many people have their water checked.

I wonder what chlorine does to lawns long term!

Marcel

[rwand1]

You should see the earthworms come up to the surface when chlorine from a chlorinated well, when the water is dispersed on the surface of the grass. It is really amazing.

[jferry]

Originally Posted by rwand1

I am on a well. When I go into town I definetly notice the chlorine smell in the municipal water.

You should taste our local delicacy, Schuylkill Punch.

[William J. Decker]

Evian is the best selling bottled water.

It is interesting that Evian spelled backwards is Naïve.

[Michael R. Boyett]

Reminds me of when I was staying in Manila, saw a bottled water plant perched on the side of a river much like this one. I never drank the bottled water again. I did try to purify some local water out in the boondocks once with Jack Daniels and that didn't work, I was deathly sick for a week with dysentery.
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[John Onofrey]

I have filled my canteen with water from a puddle on quite a few occasions. Treated with halizone tabs of course.

Holey sh!t! That could be what's wrong with me.

[gporter]

Yukkie

[eschwartz]

Bottled water vs tap water is a debate that has been going on in the Seattle School District for the past two + years.

Assuming the water that enters a building is good (which is generally the case in Seattle) the main problem associated with tap water is heavy metal contamination, mostly lead from solder and brass fixtures and fittings. Cadmium is also an issue. Cadmium can be in the zinc galvanized coating on galvanized steel pipes. When the galvanization eventually falls off the pipe, the Cadmium comes with it. Cadmium is more lethal than lead....but there is usually less of it around. Also copper can be a problem in high doses, usually caused by electrolysis from dissimilar metals (copper and steel).

The district found very high levels of lead in the water two (as well as 12) years ago. All the schools were immediately put on bottled water. My research shows that the quality of bottled water can vary a great deal from vendor to vendor. Most vendors do a good job of eliminating any heavy metals. The issues with bottled water are bacteria (bottled water is not chlorinated) and pthalates that leach out from the plastics in the bottles themselves. The leaching of organic compounds from plastic is a new concern. The studies are not conclusive yet, but the scientific experts (which I am not one of) are seriously concerned.

My recommendation for folks who want good water is to 1.filter their water themselves, using a high quality filter. 2. Make sure the filters are well-maintained. 3. Store filtered water in glass containers until used.

I have been very active as a concerned parent in the Seattle School District. Unfortunately I've come face to face with the way disfunctional bureaucracies mishandle the most basic building safety issues. Kids have clearly been damaged by the District's negligence (yes, this is a big accusation). The district has cleverly managed to avoid responsibility.

More on this whole issue if any are interested.

Ed Schwartz
Member, Seattle School District's Water Quality Oversight Committee

[rwand1]

In our area they use to tell the populace to run the water first thing in the mornings for a couple of minutes to flush out the lead solder which leached into the water sitting in the pipes overnite.

Where I currently reside (Caledon Ontario) there are many springs which are used to supply water bottle companies such as Nestle's. If you are familiar with Canada Dry Ginger Ale the water they use to make the product is pulled from aquafiers just down the road from me. It has been a source for their product since inception of the product.

Recently extensive studies in Ontario have found pure underground water that is apparently even better then glacier ice water and artic ice water very close to my area.

[eschwartz]

Raymond,
It turns out that the 'flushing' technique to remove lead that has leached into the water overnight is only effective for a few hours. Lead levels rise quickly (faster than previously thought) in standing water (that is exposed to lead solder etc).

Ed

[rwand1]

Yes particularly if you are on a well and have soft water. Most new solders are leadfree or reduce lead I believe.

Cheers,