Reference no: EM132047105

Question: Do you drink mainly bottled water or tap water? Which do you believe is the safest options? 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.

Task: Response to the two statements separately with a minimum of 100 words each. Respond to each statement with whether you agree/disagree and include one quote and reference citation from an attached reading and reference provided with each statement and also based on the question stated above.

Statement 1:

As a child living in New York we only drank tap water growing up, or when we were playing outside we drank from the hose. While I was growing up we heard things about lead being the tap water, but I never had any medical issues from the water, later on a I was getting older my mom would buy the water filters and even had one on the faucet.

As I got older my wife only drinks bottled water she says it taste different from tap. I've never actually taste the difference between tap and bottled but I have tasted different bottled water like Poland spring and Dasani doesn't taste the same. I really don't know what the safer option is, I just thinks what you body is used to because there are negative things about both tap and bottled water.

From the article I retrieved it says that tap water under goes way more tests than bottled water, also tap water has level of chlorine in it that eliminates bacterial issues.

Also once bottle leaves where it has been process if it is open then it becomes contaminated. Also 99.96 of tap water passes the strict standards that are in place. In textbook it also confirms that there is less testing on the bottle water, but also states that bottle water is held to the same standards. Tap water is tested by the EPA and bottle water is tested by the FDA which doesn't have to follow all the rules set by the EPA.

Reporters, T. (2013, January 2). Bottled water 'not as safe as tap variety'.

Zimmerman and Snow, An Introduction to Nutrition, 1.4 pg. 47

Statement 2:

When I am at work I drink bottled water, mainly because the tap water has a funky smell and taste to it. However, when I am at home I use ice out of the freezer and water right out of the sink. My wife, on the other hand, uses a Brita to filter the tap water prior to drinking it. My family and I drink lots of water. I try to keep soda out of the house, because if I do not then I will drink it instead of water. For that reason, my wife does not buy it at the grocery store nor do I.

Prior to this week's reading I had no idea as to how much water our body uses each day. I never thought about how frequently we use the restroom, sweat, cry, sneeze, blow our nose and the way our bodies must use water to do its jobs. For instance, 75% of our brain is made up of water and the purpose is for stability. Or that our bodies run through 2.7 liters of water each day. I had no idea that water is the transportation source for cells within the body (Zimmerman, M & Snow, B, 2012).

I feel that it is safer to drink tap water versus bottled water. I personally think plastic is nasty and it alters the taste of water to me, but that is strictly opinion based. My brother-in-law is an engineer for a bottle company that produces tons and tons of bottled water. According to him, the water that is placed in bottled water is....you guessed it TAP water. Again, I will stick to the bottled water at work, but right out the tap at home.

Now after some research on concerns with tap water versus bottled water, it turns out that they are very similar in terms of safety. According to an article supported by the Mayo Clinic the Food and Drug Administration looks over the processes of bottled water and the Environment Protection Agency looks over tap water. Basically, if you are getting tap water from a public source, there are water test results available each year so that you can see your water is safe. However, if you use a private well, it is recommended that you get your water tested each year (Zeratsky, 2017). This does not mean that bad things cannot happen to a water source, but at the end of the day, if you have potable water and you drink bottled water instead, that is your preference.

References:

Zeratsky, K. (2017, November 29). Nutrition and Healthy Eating. Is tap water as safe as bottled water?

Zimmerman, M & Snow, B. (2012). An Introduction to Nutrition. Nutrients Important to Fluid and Electrolyte Balance.