Americans drink approximately eight million
gallons of bottled water every year. While bottled water is definitely a better
choice than soft drinks or sports drinks that contain high fructose corn syrup,
bottled water is not a good choice for the wellbeing of the earth. Here are
some of the health and environmental issues associated with consuming bottled water.
1.It takes three to five times
more water to www.canadagoosedanmarkdk.dk
the
plastic water bottle than actually is contained in the water bottle itself.
Because each bottle should only be used one time this seems to be an inordinate
amount of water utilized in the manufacturing process.
2.Plastic is a petroleum
product so using plastic water bottles depletes this non-renewable resource.
The Pacific Institute has calculated that the manufacturing process for making
plastic water bottles used in the US consumes roughly 17 million barrels of oil
every year.
3.Plastic water bottles are not
recycled the way they should be. It is estimated that in 2005 only about 12% of
plastic water bottles were recycled. This is partly because water bottles are
many times not included in local recycling plans. Another factor is that
bottled water is often consumed away from home and so is disposed of in
mixed-trash containers instead of being recycled. In a 2002 study by Scenic
Hudson it was reported that 18 percent by volume of recovered litter from the
Hudson River was beverage containers. In landfills, water bottles will remain
biodegrading for approximately 1,000 years. Incinerating used water bottles produces
toxic byproducts including chlorine gas and ash that contains heavy metals.
4.Roughly 94 % of the bottled
water in the U.S. is bottled domestically. Of this percentage, approximately 25
percent sold is just reprocessed municipal water according to a 1999 study by
the National Resources Defense Council.
5.Using plastic bottles that
contain Bisphenol A is detrimental to human health. Bisphenol A behaves
similarly to estrogen. This means that when enough of this accumulates in the
body there will be negative health effects. Bisphenol A has been linked to
obesity, diabetes, breast cancer, and hyperactivity.
Alternatives to Plastic
Bottles:
Stainless steel, glass, and
aluminum water bottles are safer and more earth-friendly. There are also many
companies manufacturing BPA-free and phthalate-free plastic water bottles.
Whatever kind of plastic is
used, it is important to hand wash any plastic food and beverage items in Mænds
Hybridge Hoody
water. Washing plastic items at the high and
sustained temperatures of an automatic dishwasher is detrimental to human
health and should be avoided at all costs.