BOTTLED WATER
VS
YOU & THE ENVIRONMENT
What’s At Stake?
A Discussion for Young Adults
Marie Eason
Master of Public Health Student
Walden University
PUBH 6165-3
Instructor: Robert Marino, PhD
Summer Quarter, 2011
Expected Learning Outcomes
After this presentation, you will be able to:
 Describe an overview of bottled water’s
origin, controversies and issues.
 Achieve increased knowledge of the
impact of the use of bottled water on the
environment.
 Recognize the need to consider
decreasing/eliminating use of bottled
water.
History of America’s Bottled Water



1767 – Used at Jackson’s Spa, Boston
Early 19th century - Mass production due
to new glass technology
1856 - Saratoga Springs producing more
than 7 million bottles annually


Bottled spring water thought to provide health
benefits
Sold for up to $1.75/pint
Hall, Noah. (2009, March 26). A brief history of bottled water in America. Online forum commentary of Chapelle, F. (2005).
Wellsprings: A natural history of bottled spring water. Retrieved from http://www.greatlakeslaw.org/blog/2009/03/abrief-history-of-bottled-water-in-america.html
History of America’s Bottled Water

Early 20th century –
Bottled water out of
vogue and need


Due to fluoride newly
added to public drinking
water (Hall, 2009)
Chlorine added to water
supply to decrease the
incidences of cholera and
typhoid. (Columbia Water
Center, n.d.)
Hall, Noah. (2009, March 26). A brief history of bottled water in
America. Online forum commentary of Chapelle, F. (2005).
Wellsprings: A natural history of bottled spring water.
Retrieved from
http://www.greatlakeslaw.org/blog/2009/03/a-briefhistory-of-bottled-water-in-america.html
Columbia Water Center. (n.d.) Bottled Water. Retrieved from
http://water.columbia.edu/?id=learn_more&navid=bottle
d_water
Von Weisenberger A. (n.d.) History of Bottled Water.
http://www.bottledwaterweb.com/ppt/bww.pdf
History of America’s Bottled Water

1977 - Popularity
increases


$5 million marketing
campaign launched by
Perrier (Hall, 2009)
Campaign took bottled
water to the United
States after conquering
the French and European
markets. (Perrier, 2001)
Hall, Noah. (2009, March 26). A brief history of bottled water
in America. Online forum commentary of Chapelle, F.
(2005). Wellsprings: A natural history of bottled spring
water. Retrieved from
http://www.greatlakeslaw.org/blog/2009/03/a-briefhistory-of-bottled-water-in-america.html
Perrier. (2001). Retrieved from
http://www.perrier.com/EN/entrezbulle/rubrique7.asp
Von Weisenberger A. (n.d.) History of Bottled Water.
http://www.bottledwaterweb.com/ppt/bww.pdf
History of America’s Bottled Water

1990-1997
 Sales increased from $115 million to
$4 billion
 Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a
plastic packaging, is invented
(Columbia Water Center, n.d.)
Columbia Water Center. (n.d.) Bottled Water. Retrieved from
http://water.columbia.edu/?id=learn_more&navid=bottled_water
History of America’s Bottled Water






1990 – Excess benzene found in Perrier bottles,
required worldwide recall
1993 – Bottled water sales surpassed juice
1996 – Bacterial contamination in Natural
Springs, required recall
1999 – Natural Resources Defense Council
(NRDC) tested ˃ 100 different bottled water,
found bacteria, arsenic, chlorine byproducts
2003 – Bottled water sales surpassed coffee
2005 – Bottled water sales surpassed milk
Columbia Water Center. (n.d.) Bottled Water. Retrieved from http://water.columbia.edu/?id=learn_more&navid=bottled_water
Bottled Water
According to the National Resources Defense
Council (n.d.)
 “Half of all Americans drink bottled water.”
 “About 1/3 of American public consume bottled
water regularly.”
 “Sales have tripled in the past 10 years, totaling
about $4 billion/year.”
 “~¼ bottled water is actually bottled tap water.”
National Resources Defense Council. (n.d.). Bottled Water – Pure drink or pure hype? Retrieved from
http://www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/bw/exesum.asp
Sources of bottled water

Is it from a pure spring or a contaminated
well?

It’s not always from where we’d think –


From a well in an “industrial facility’s parking lot,
near a hazardous waste dump.” (National Resources
Defense Council, n.d.)
Is it from a pure spring or from your tap?
National Resources Defense Council. (n.d.). Bottled Water – Pure drink or pure hype? Retrieved from
http://www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/bw/exesum.asp
Issues & Concerns


Bottled water is not certified by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration. However, it is
certified by the International Bottled Water
Association and NSF International (Water Health
Series, 2005, p. 5)
Cities test for chemical contaminants at least
quarterly but bottled water companies, with
decrease testing, are only required to test
annually. (National Resources Defense Council,
n.d.)
United States Environmental Protection Agency. Bottled Water Basics. Water Health Series. (2005). Retrieved from
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/faq/pdfs/fs_healthseries_bottledwater.pdf
National Resources Defense Council. (n.d.). Bottled Water – Pure drink or pure hype? Retrieved from
http://www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/bw/exesum.asp
Issues & Concerns, continued


There is increased concern about using
water from the aquifers in communities with
bottled water plants, potentially resulting in
drying up some of the local, natural
resources. (Facts on Bottled Water, 2011)
Bottled water routinely doesn’t have fluoride
added, tap water does. (Bullers, 2011)
 When added, the bottle label must note it.
Facts on Bottled Water. (2005) Buzzle.com. Retrieved from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/facts-on-bottled-water.html
Bullers, A. (2011). Bottled water: better than the tap. Mama’s Health. Retrieved from
http://www.mamashealth.com/nutrition/bwater.asp
Issues & Concerns, continued


Tooth decay in the United States affects
approximately:
 50% of children 5-9 years old
 67% of adolescents 12-17 years old
 94% of adults 18 and older (Moeller, 2005, p.
171)
When children drink unfluorinated water, ensure
that the child’s dentist and physician are aware.
Moeller, D. (2005). Drinking Water. In Environmental health, 3rd Ed. (p. 171). Cambridge, MA. Harvard University Press.
The Bottle



Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is the plastic
product used for most bottled water
containers.
31% of the bottles are recycled.
Bottles are not to be reused – reuse causes
degradation of the bottles and potential health
issues.
What is polyethylene terephthalate? (2011). Plastic. Retrieved from
http://www.medicinenet.com/plastic/page2.htm
The Bottle


The PET plastic bottles used for bottled
water take about 1000 years to decompose.
Fossil fuels are used to make the plastic as
well as transport it around the country.

More than 1.5 million barrels of oil annually,
enough to fuel 100,000 cars for a year.
Bottled Water: The Environmental Impact on the Planet. (2011). AltFuelsNow.com. Retrieved from
http://www.altfuelsnow.com/conservation/bottled-water-controversy.shtml
Decision
So what are we to do?
Drink bottled water or tap water?
What can we do?
Action



Supply your own bottle, perhaps a metal
one, to fill and refill from the tap.
Share with your friends and family this new
information.
Advocate for yourself and your environment
– Drink Tap Water!
References
Bottled Water: The Environmental Impact on the Planet.
(2011). AltFuelsNow.com. Retrieved from
http://www.altfuelsnow.com/conservation/bottled-watercontroversy.shtml
Bullers, A. (2011). Bottled water: better than the tap. Mama’s
Health. Retrieved from
http://www.mamashealth.com/nutrition/bwater.asp
Columbia Water Center. (n.d.) Bottled Water. Retrieved from
http://water.columbia.edu/?id=learn_more&navid=bottled_
water
Facts on Bottled Water. (2005) Buzzle.com. Retrieved from
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/facts-on-bottled-water.html
References
Hall, Noah. (2009, March 26). A brief history of bottled
water in America. Online forum commentary of
Chapelle, F. (2005). Wellsprings: A natural history of
bottled spring water. Retrieved from
http://www.greatlakeslaw.org/blog/2009/03/abrief-history-of-bottled-water-in-america.html
McGinley, Mark. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Earth –
Aquifers. Retrieved from
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Aquifer
Moeller, D. (2005). Drinking Water. In Environmental
health, 3rd Ed. (p. 171). Cambridge, MA. Harvard
University Press.
References
National Resources Defense Council. (n.d.). Bottled Water
– Pure drink or pure hype? Retrieved from
http://www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/bw/exesum.asp
United States Environmental Protection Agency. Bottled
Water Basics. Water Health Series. (2005). Retrieved
from
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/faq/pdfs/fs_healthseri
es_bottledwater.pdf
What is polyethylene terephthalate? (2011). Plastic.
Retrieved from
http://www.medicinenet.com/plastic/page2.htm
Resources
Current Business Situation of the Bottled Water Industry.
(2007). SNV Plastics. Retrieved at
http://www.snvplastics.com/articles/Current_Business_
Situation_of_the_Bottled_Water_Industry.php
Edwards, S. What plastic bottle manufacturers don’t want
you to know about stainless steel bottle water. Retrieved
from http://www.stainlesssteelbottlewater.com/whatplastic-bottle-manufacturers-dont-want-you-to-knowabout-stainless-steel-bottle-waters/
Owoyemi, K. (2010). Environmental Public Health Today http://environmentalhealthtoday.wordpress.com/2010
/11/16/environmental-health-factors-of-bottled-water/
Questions
Any questions?
Thank you!