Do you drink mainly bottled water or tap water?

 Water

Do you drink mainly bottled water or tap water? Which do you believe is the safest option? What are some concerns associated with tap water vs. bottled water? Reference the textbook and at least one other reliable information source in your post.

For the most part, I do not drink water from a bottle unless it is a glass bottle. Not necessarily just because of the safety of the water itself but the plastic bottle and the increased risks associated with BPA’s. Not to mention who knows how long the water has been in the bottle. In the US, water is regulated by federal agencies, The FDA oversees bottled water, and the Environmental Protection Agency oversees tap water. Both agencies follow comparable criteria for the quality of water. For instance, the EPA requires that annual water quality reports be provided to consumers by water utility companies. The reports include information on the source of the water, contaminant levels, and possible health effects. The FDA, provides acceptable manufacturing practices for bottled water. These include requiring manufacturers to maintain sanitary conditions, protect water sources, and use a thorough quality control process (Zeratsky, K. 2020).

Bottled water is one thousand times more per liter than tap water. Unlike most food plants or municipal water treatment systems, bottled water plants usually do their own in-house quality checks and sampling. Resulting in the potential for fraud and misreporting (Bottled Water, 2019)

Tap water, however, can still contain some bacteria's and viruses. Most drinking water is cleaned through chlorination. The process requires adding chlorine compounds to the water. This process is cost-effective and kills most bacteria. However, it is not as reliable at removing parasites, such as Giardia lamblia. Instead, they are removed using extensive methods of filtration. In some instances, higher than acceptable levels of chlorine are found in water, high levels of these chlorinated compounds have been associated with cancer. The EPA has set levels on the maximum contaminant levels in water, and the FDA follows the same regulations in the bottling of water. Regardless, there are fewer cases of waterborne illnesses than foodborne illnesses in the United States (Zimmerman & Snow, 2012).

References

Bottled water. (2019, July 13). Retrieved February 04, 2021, from https://pacinst.org/bottled-water/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA0-6ABhDMARIsAFVdQv96BRgpNjmlYJgvUKKtV29dyqXHgn6SakIPywdlStLvacxdO11kP74...

Zimmerman, M., & Snow, B. (2012). An Introduction to Nutrition. Minneapolis, MN: Open Textbook Library.

Zeratsky, K. (2020, March 19). Is bottled water better? Retrieved February 04, 2021, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/tap-vs-bottled-water/faq-20058017#:~:text=Tap%20water%20and%20bottled%20water,(EPA)%20regulates%20tap%20water..