Bottled Water vs. Tap Water

Paper Summary:

The paper explores the research that reveals many truths about bottled water and shows how bottled water is, as a general rule, a wasteful use of resources. The paper therefore concludes that tap water is preferable and cheaper, and just as safe or safer than bottled water, provided there are adequate filtering technologies associated with the tap water system.

Outline:
Introduction
Literature Review

From the Paper:

"The newsletter Environmental Nutrition reports that "more than half of all Americans now drink bottled water" (Welland, 2007). The money spent on bottled water in one year in the U.S., according to Welland, is $4 billion. But where does the water come from that is in the plastic container? The first problem in researching the sources of bottled water, Welland writes, is that bottling plants are not required by law to reveal their sources of water. One of the more popular bottle water companies is Aquafina, which is "drawn from municipal water in Detroit and Fresno," Welland asserts.
"In fact, the writer continues, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), a leading environmental organization, reports that about 40% of bottled water comes from city sources and is then treated so it tastes good. Indeed the NRDC tested 103 brands of bottled water (taking samples from over 1,000 plastic bottles of water); the results of that research showed that "one-third contained significant contamination.""

Sample of Sources Used:

• Daeschlein, Georf, Kruger, William H., Selepko, Christian, Rochow, Markus, Dolken, Gottfried,& Kramer, Axel. "Hygienic safety of reusable tap water." BMC Infectious Diseases 7.45 (2007): 45-57.
• Dream Beverages. "Naya Spring Water." Retrieved April 2, 2008, from http://www.dreambeverages.com.
• Goldstein, Jennifer. "Think gasoline is expensive? Bottled water can cost even more! Is it Worth it" Read on for the truth about the water myths floating around." CosmoGirl. 8.10(2006): p. 80.
• Grosser, Zoe A., Davidowski, Lee, & Neubauer, Kenneth R. "Bottled water: popular, but is it safe?" Spectroscopy 22.10 (2007): S30-36.
• Harvard Health Commentaries. "Tap Water or Bottled?" Health and Wellness Resource Center. Retrieved April 2, 2008, from GaleNet (Record Number A169434151).

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