Say NØ to the BØttle! Cheryl Lassiter-Edwards, PhD Candidate Walden University PUBH Instructor: Dr. David Anderson Spring Semester, 2012

 The Facts  Why is this an issue?  How did we become dependent upon bottled water?  Why boycott the bottle?  Safety and taste myths  What are the alternatives to bottled water?  How can I help?  Questions Overview Overview 2

The Facts and The Numbers 3 Source: Gunzelmann, D. (2008) More than 90 colleges across the country are banning the use of bottled water on their campuses. WHY?  Bottled water is a $22 billion dollar retail industry.  The average American consumes 167 bottles of water a year – 8 glasses of water a day in bottled water would cost you $1,400 compared to $0.49 using the tap (NY Times, 2007).

The Facts: Tap or Bottle? 4 Source: Gunzelmann, D. (2008)  24 million gallons of oil to make a billion plastic bottles.  90% of the cost of bottled water is due to the bottle itself.  38 million plastic bottles go to the dump per year in America. – 80% of plastic bottles are not recycled – Plastic bottles take more than 400 years to begin composting Photo Source: EPA, 2012

Recycling Facts  31 million tons of plastic waste were generated in 2010, representing 12.4 percent of total Municipal Solid Waste (MSW).  In 2010, the United States generated almost 14 million tons of plastics as containers and packaging, almost 11 million tons as durable goods, such as appliances, and almost 7 million tons as nondurable goods, for example plates and cups. Only 8 percent of the total plastic waste generated in 2010 was recovered for recycling 5 Source: Environmental Protection Agency, 2012

Economic Facts  Tap water may now be the equal of bottled water, but that could change. The more the wealthy opt out of drinking tap water, the less political support there will be for investing in maintaining America’s public water supply. (New York Times, 2007)  4,787 bottled waters could be filled with tap water for $2.10! So every time you buy a bottle of water for $1, you are paying 2,279 times what you would if you filled that same bottle with tap water. (Miller, 2010) 6

The Environmental Health Issue 7  Over 35 billion non-biodegradable plastic water bottles are added to our landfills annually.  Oil burned and greenhouse gasses emitted by the transportation and manufacturing of bottled water. Source:

Why Should You Care?  Fact #1 :We “must have an end of life management program for plastic.” (EPA, 2012)  Fact # 2: Coca -Cola produces Dasani bottled water and admitted it is tap water; similarly Pepsico’s Aquafina is filtered tap water. (Datson, 2004)  Fact # 3: Potential health risks from BPA. (Watson, 2012) 8 Source: Datson, 2004 Source: Watson, 2012 Source: EPA, 2012

Click to edit Master title style Click to edit Master title style 9 Celebrity Endorsements “Be Smart” We are active and on the run, it’s “healthy chic” 25 to 30 percent of the bottled water sold in the U.S. comes from a city's or town's tap water “ (Take Back The Tap, 2007) This is where the bottles end up Did you know it takes more than 400 years to decompose one plastic bottle? Not so fun? Not so fit! Sources: Retrieved from Retrieved from Retrieved from Retrieved from Why Do We Use Bottled Water?

 The Water Project describes how we became dependent upon bottled water as being the result of “Manufactured Demand” (The Water Project, 2011) –Beverage companies saw consumption of soda decline so they created the demand for bottled water by making people believe tap water was bad for them –Convenience –Cost –Taste How Did We Become Dependent on Bottled Water? 10 Sources: The Water Project, 2011 Ward et al, 2009

Did You Know? The energy costs associated with making plastic bottles is extreme: –Process the water; label; fill; seal the bottle; transport bottled water for sale; Cool the bottled water before it ends up in your gym bag or your car’s cup holder. Two scientists estimate that just producing the plastic bottles for bottled-water consumption worldwide uses 50 million barrels of Oil annually—enough to supply total U.S. oil demand for 2.5 days (West, 2012). 11 Source: West, 2012

The “Life Cycle “of a Plastic Water Bottle 12 Source: Take Back the Tap OIL

Eliminating Waste in Producing Bottled Water 13 Source: Taylormade While promoting an image of health and vitality, bottled water companies burn millions of barrels of oil and generate millions of tons of greenhouse gasses in the manufacturing, processing and transporting of their products. An estimated 38 BILLION non-biodegradable plastic water bottles are tossed into our landfills annually!

Impact on the Environment  Out of more than 50 billion bottles of water used last year alone, more than 40 billion are in landfills  Did you know it takes an average of 450 years for a plastic bottle to decompose? 14 Photo Source: Theen, A Source: U.S. National Park Service; Mote Marine Lab, Sarasota, FL

 Reduces plastic waste.  Reduces our carbon footprint.  Saves money.  Expresses our support for our public water system.  The boycott of bottled water reinforces our belief that water is a human right available to all, and is not meant to be bought and sold for profit. Why Boycott Bottled Water for the TAP? 15 Source: Teens Against the Privatization of Water Photo Source: org/water/bottled/

Is Tap Water Safe?  The Safe Drinking Water Act governs the safety of the water that comes from your tap.  The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) is the main federal law passed by Congress that ensures the quality of our drinking water.  Subsequent amendments to the law requires many actions to protect the quality and safety of our drinking water and its sources: rivers, lakes, reservoirs, springs, and ground water wells. 16 Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Act (2012)

What Is In The Water You Drink?  Both bottled water and tap water have levels of various minerals, chemical elements and contaminants. An example:  Arsenic is a chemical element that can occur naturally in the underground water supplies we rely upon as a water resource. 17 Photo Source:

What Is In The Water You Drink? Tap Water: Regulated  The EPA governs the levels of arsenic in our tap water and require local and state governments to ensure that there are no more than.010 parts per million (10 parts per billion) to protect consumers served by public water systems from the effects of long-term, chronic exposure to arsenic. 18 Source: EPA Arsenic in Drinking Water Photo Source:

What Is In The Water You Drink? Bottled Water: Recommendations  In 2006 the FDA provided “non-binding recommendations” to how much arsenic should be in bottled water. Responsibility of the bottler, not the government  The FDA recommends:  The allowable level established by FDA for arsenic in bottled water is 10 micrograms (0.010 milligrams) per liter of water. 19 Source: FDA (2011)

Recycling Symbols 20  #2 HDPE (high density polyethylene)  #4 LDPE (low density polyethylene)  #5 PP (polypropylene)  The type of plastic bottle in which water is usually sold is a #1, and is only recommended for one time use. Do not refill it (Trusted.MD, 2007)  The recycling resin identification code Source: Trusted.MD Network, 2007 Source: EPA, 2012 FINE

What is Bisphenol A, or BPA?  Bisphenol A, or BPA, is a key component used in the manufacture of a wide variety of plastic products including plastic water bottles. –The problem is that studies reveal BPA is a particularly dangerous toxin that can interact with the body’s endocrine (hormone) system and pose significant health risks to humans. (Watson, 2012)  The Food and Drug Administration ruled in April, 2012 that they are not banning the use of BPA at this time but will “pursue additional studies regarding its safety; address ways to reduce the use of BPA; and seek public opinion.” 21 Source: Watson, 2012

Get Involved on Your Campus and Be Heard  Support refilling your own container with tap water.  Boycott the purchase of and selling of plastic water bottles on your campus and in your personal life.  Speak to your campus administrators and start your own campaign like that of other colleges. 22

“Take Back the Tap” on Your Campus What Can You Do? 23 Source:

24 It’s Your Choice = += Photo Sources:

Questions 25 Photo Source: ? ?

References Datson, T. (2004). Coca - Cola Admits That Dasani is Nothing But Tap Water. Common Dreams. Retrieved from Environmental Health News (2009). Retrieved from water-safe-who-knows.html Environmental Protection Agency (2011). Retrieved from EPA Arsenic in Drinking Water (2012). Retrieved from EPA Safe Drinking Water Act (2012). Retrieved from FDA (2011). Guidance for Industry: Bottled Water: Arsenic; Small Entity Compliance Guide Retrieved from ContaminantsandPesticides/ucm htm Food and Water Watch, (n.d.) Retrieved from 26

References Gunzelmann, D. (2008). Plastic Bottle Facts Make You Think Before You Drink. Retrieved from Miller, (2010). The true cost of water. Retrieved from versus-tap-water/ New York Times (2007). In Praise of Tap Water. Retrieved from North Burnett Regional Council (2102). Retrieved from Take Back the Tap (2008). Retrieved from Teens Against the Privatization of water Retrieved from The Water Project (2010). The story of bottled water. Retrieved from 27

References Theen, A, (2012). Ivy Colleges Shunning Bottled Water Jab at $22 Billion Industry. Bloomberg. Retrieved from 22-billion-industry.html Trusted.MD Network, (2007) Which plastic water bottles don't leach chemicals? Retrieved from U.S. Food and Drug Administration (2012). Bisphenol A (BPA): Use in Food Contact Application. Retrieved from U.S. National Park Service; Mote Marine Lab, (n.d.) Sarasota, FL Retrieved from Ward, L., Cain, O., Mullally, R., Holliday, K., Wernham, A., Baillie, P. & Greenfield, S. (2009). Health beliefs about bottled water: a qualitative study. BMC Public Health, Watson, B. (2012). Toxins in Your Water Bottle. Retrieved news/whats-hot/ToxicBottles West, L. (2012). How Much Energy Does It Take to Make Bottled Water? Bottled Water Sales are Up, and So is the Energy Needed to Quench Our Thirst. Retrieved from 28