Is Bottled Water Safer Or Healthier To Drink Than Tap Water?
Not necessarily. The safety of bottled water and tap water initially depends on the source of the water. Monitoring and source protection, treatment and testing ultimately determine the quality of the finished product. For the first time, the 1996 Authorization of the Safe Drinking Water Act requires that bottled water be monitored and tested in the same rigorous manner that tap water has been subject to for years. Your tap water consistently meets drinking water standards, it is not necessary to use either bottled water or a home water treatment device to have safe water to drink. Of note: 50% of bottled water manufacturers get their water from the same sources as municipal water departments. Bottled water costs about 1,000 times more than tap water and most of that pays for product packaging and advertising Because bottled water is not required to be date stamped, its quality can deteriorate over time. Any bacteria in the water at the time of bottling can continue to grow.
