Water, water, everywhere – and lots of it in bottles

Six different types of bottled water, source and treatment

Purified water- this type of bottle water comes from different sources such as spring and ground water.  Before drinking, the water is treated to remove impurities. The methods of treatment include distillation-heating water to form steam, deionization-the process of removing mineral ions, reverse osmosis –the process of purified water by removing all contaminants. Other method is carbon filtration- a process by which an activated carbon removes microorganisms and harmful organic chemicals (Brown, 29).

Spring water- the source of spring water is the underground formation in the earth surface.   Different methods of water treatment are not required since the water does not contain microorganism. What happens is that the water in the underground formation is collected by creating a bored hole. The water is full of nutrients and minerals. However, the water is tested to ensure safety and purity by adhering to FDA standards (U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 1).  Thus, purification systems remove contaminants and unwanted elements to ensure that the water is safe for drinking.

Mineral water- the source of this water is recognized underground water sources and investigation is done to ensure that the source has 250 per million natural minerals. The water does not need additional of minerals since it contains natural minerals. Mineral water may not require treatment apart from labeling to show high or low mineral content

Artesian water- the source of this type of water is natural elements such as rock, ice and more.  The water comes to the surface on top of the aquifer or to the level of hydrostatic equilibrium under pressure. The water is extracted by drilling an artesian well. Even though the water has no contamination, artesian water is treated by adding chlorine to kill pathogens.  In addition, irons which could bring health effects are removed.  This is done by adding sodium silicate which acts as an additive.  Last, the water is stored in the reservoirs (Brown, 29).

Distilled water-   this is a tap water which comes from various sources such as river, lake and more.  The water is distilled to kill the bacteria, organic, inorganic chemical and other contaminants.  During distillation, steam is recondensed to make it safe for drinking. The water is bottled by adhering to federal standards (Brown, 29).

 

Sparkling water- the water also comes from a well or spring where carbon dioxide has been dissolved.  The process of water treatment such as sedimentation, filtration, disinfection and others are done to ensure   that the water is safe for drinking (U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 1). 

            In comparison, bottled water is made safe for human consumption through different methods of treatment such as coagulation, filtration, disinfection and more. On the other hand, tap water is water that comes from a piped supply; meaning that the water is not distilled and contains contaminants. For example, tap water has   a high level of lead which its root cause is aging pipes (Dege, 59). Thus, the government is responsible for removing old pipes and treating water.  Both bottles water and tap water are treated by different the method.  For example, emerging contaminants such as herbicides, pesticides and others in tap water are not treated. Bottled water has effects on health since the plastic bottles contain polyethylene terephthalate which has toxic materials harmful to the health. The bottles are made using bisphenol A that leads to negative effects on the reproduction system. Taste is as a result of source and treatment and many people prefer drinking bottled water   since it is rich in nutrients and minerals (Dege, 59). In addition, manufactures of bottle water ensure that the process of purification meets the FDA standards. The standards ensure that the water contains the beneficial elements and harmful substances such as in organics and pesticides are removed. This makes the bottled water to have a better taste while tap water is flat and flavorless. Generally, both bottled water and tap water have merits and demerits which make individuals to have a choice. For example, both are regulated by agencies responsible for safety. Numerous treatment processes are taken to remove contamination (Dege, 61). However, they have negative health effects in that tap water have a high level of lead and other microorganisms which affects the body. Similarly, the treatment process in bottled water removes important elements such as fluoridation benefits which could be beneficial to the body. In addition, plastic bottles are harmful to the environment.

 Example of brands of bottled water includes Volvic, Dasani, Evian, Nestle Pure Life and Mountain Valley Spring Water.  Among the five, I would choose Volvic because this is a brand from spring water. Based on its source, spring water has natural minerals and good taste. The water is rich in minerals such as calcium and magnesium.  The water from underground source has no contamination. The water also has total dissolved solids (Gleick, 78).

 Comparing bottled water and tap water, I would choose bottled water.   The main reason for choosing bottled water is that this water is clean or in other words   the water is free from contamination as the purification process has to adhere to FDA regulation (Gleick, 88). Tap water pipes contain lead and the water is full of fluoride which has negative effects to the body.  Even though the tap water is regulated by protection agency,   the water may be contaminated during natural disaster which might affect the water treatment plants. Bottled water is convenient with various varieties, it is easy to store and has a great taste (Gleick, 97).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Work cited

Brown, Jordana. "Water Pressure." Vegetarian Times, no. 358, May 2008, pp. 29-31. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=31726253&site=ehost-live.

 

Dege, Nicholas. Technology of Bottled Water. Chichester, UK: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011. Internet resource.

 

Gleick, P. H. The world's water: 2004-2005 : the biennial report on freshwater resources.

Washington, DC [u.a.: Island Press.2004

 

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. CFR - Code of Federal Regulations Title 21. 2017