The Surprising Discovery Of What Is Really Inside A Fiji Bottle Of Water
The Surprising Discovery Of What Is Really Inside A Fiji Bottle Of Water
Studies show that drinking water is not only healthy for us, but also makes us look younger; but is that bottle of Fiji water in your hand the water you should be drinking? You may have a new relationship with your tap after reading what researchers found when they took a closer look at bottled water.
First, let’s take a look at the difference in regulations between bottled water and tap water. The FDA regulates bottled water while the EPA regulates tap water. Those responsible for monitoring your tap water are responsible for testing for bacteria hundreds of times per month, while 1 bottle per week is required for bottled water. Tap water staff is responsible for confirming that E. Coli and fecal coliform is not present. They also filter to remove pathogens, and test for cryptosporidium, giardia, and other viruses; those bottling water are not required to test for any of these. Those also responsible for the water delivered to your tap, test for synthetic organic chemicals once every quarter; those bottling our liquid gold are testing only once per year (Hearn, 2013).
So what’s wrong with Fiji Water? They bottle their water in a country where 53% of the people have no access to clean drinking water, meaning that Americans have greater access to potable water than the people living in their own country (Elephant Journal, 2014). They also ran a campaign that backfired, touting that their water, “wasn’t bottled in Cleveland”. Taking offense to this, the Cleveland Water Department conducted a study comparing their water to Fiji bottled water. The study found that Fiji contained the highest level of arsenic and other contaminates when compared to Cleveland’s city water and other bottled water (Elephant Journal, 2014).
Bottled water also uses oil to make your bottles, reportedly lots of oil. It is estimated that the oil it takes to make the plastic bottles for the water sold in the US alone could fuel one million cars! This does not take into account the fuel to ship these bottles around the world (Ali, 2015). Then after we’re done with these bottles, what do we do with them? Approximately 80% of them end up in landfills and incinerators or we ship them, again using more oil, to places like India where they have no environmental laws (Ali, 2015). Our oceans are reaping the rewards of our love affair with plastic with floating islands the size of Texas.
So the next time you plan to be out and about, consider digging out that reusable water bottle you got for Christmas last year instead of stopping at the Grab-n-Go for that Fiji bottle with the serene scene. There is more lurking behind that label than palm trees and gentle breezes!
Elephant Journal (2014) 12 Things You Might Want to Read While Sipping Your Fiji Bottled Water| Elephant Journal
Hearn, M. (2013) Bottled Water Versus Tap Water Differences in Quality and Value| Water Benefits Health
