Is bottle water safer than tap water?

I was always wondering if tap water is safer than bottled water. Obviously, when you buy a bottle of water you probably expect it be better than the tap water. After researching this topic I found out that bottled water isn't any safer than tap water.

Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) conducted a four-year review of the bottled water industry and the safety standards that govern it, including a comparison of national bottled water rules with national tap water rules, and independent testing of over 1,000 bottles of water.^*

They include the fact that there is no assurance that just because water comes out of a bottle it is any cleaner or safer than water from the tap. And in fact, an estimated 25 percent or more of bottled water is really just tap water in a bottle -- sometimes further treated, sometimes not.^* 

Cool Facts….

So, is good tap water is same as bottle water?

• Many experts say yes! And many studies and researches have the same answer.

Why do people buy bottled water?

• In many cities in developing countries where there is not a safe source of tap water, and bottled water becomes a trusted option

How much bottled water are being used by Americans?

• Americans used about 50 billion plastic water bottles last year. However, the U.S.’s recycling rate for plastic is only 23 percent, which means 38 billion water bottles – more than $1 billion worth of plastic – are wasted each year^**

how much plastic bottle water cots us? 

• The recommended eight glasses of water a day, at U.S. tap rates equals about $.49 per year; that same amount of bottled water is about $1,400.
• The energy we waste using bottled water would be enough to power 190,000 homes^**

Is bottled water industry successful?

• Yes. The bottled-water industry is so successful, it has outpaced milk, coffee, and juice in number of gallons of drinks sold—putting it behind only beer and soda⁺⁺

Where in U.S and other countries selling bottled water is being banned?

• San Francisco has initiated new step toward greening the city, authority soon ban the sale of plastic water bottles on city-owned property. ⁺
• In September 2009, the Australian city of Bundanoon became the first city in the world to completely ban bottled water from its stores' shelves, installing water fountains around the city instead.⁺⁺

                              

Sources: 

* Source: "Bottled Water." NRDC:. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. <http://www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/qbw.asp>.

**Fishman, Charles. “Message in a Bottle.” Fast Company Magazine July 2007: 110

**“Not Disposable Anymore.” P.O.V.’s Borders. 2004. PBS

+Timm, Jane C. "San Francisco Bans Sale of Plastic Water Bottles on City Property." Msnbc.com. NBC News Digital, 13 Mar. 2014. Web. 25 Apr. 2014. <http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/san-francisco-bans-sale-plastic-water-bottles-climate-change>.

++Karlstrom, Solviem, and Christine Dell'Amore. "Why Tap Water Is Better Than Bottled Water." National Geography Daily News. N.p., 10 Mar. 2010. Web. 26 Apr. 2014. <http%3A%2F%2Fnews.nationalgeographic.com%2Fnews%2F2010%2F03%2F100310%2Fwhy-tap-water-is-better%2F>.