1. BOTTLED WATER VS YOU & THE ENVIRONMENT
What’s At Stake?
A Discussion for Young Adults
Today’s presentation will focus on bottled water and its impact on the environment. As young adults, this is a topic that will be of interest to you, not only because you use bottled water almost exclusively, but also because it will be your environment that is impacted by the continued and potential increase in its use.
Marie Eason
Master of Public Health Student
Walden University
PUBH
Instructor: Robert Marino, PhD
Summer Quarter, 2011

2. Expected Learning Outcomes
After this presentation, you will be able to:
Describe an overview of bottled water’s origin, controversies and issues.
Achieve increased knowledge of the impact of the use of bottled water on the environment.
Recognize the need to consider decreasing/eliminating use of bottled water.
Our talk today will focus on the following for our audience: achieving a greater awareness of bottled water’s sources, understanding some of the controversies and issues related to bottled water, increasing your knowledge of how the use of bottled water impacts the environment and, lastly, encouraging consideration on your part to either eliminate, or if not that, then at least decreasing the use of bottled water in your lives, in the lives of your family and your friends.

3. History of America’s Bottled Water
1767 – Used at Jackson’s Spa, Boston
Early 19th century - Mass production due to new glass technology
Saratoga Springs producing more than 7 million bottles annually
Bottled spring water thought to provide health benefits
Sold for up to $1.75/pint
Hall, Noah. (2009, March 26). A brief history of bottled water in America. Online forum commentary of Chapelle, F. (2005). Wellsprings: A natural history of bottled spring water. Retrieved from
First, I’d like to tell you a bit about the history of bottled water. It always helps me to learn the origin of something to better understand its impact and breadth of use and awareness. With that background knowledge, many times I’m enabled much better to consider things in a different light. It’s important to do that in life.
You can see that the use of bottled water didn’t just begin recently. In fact, its use started back in the 1700’s, in Boston. From there, its use increased due, in part, to new technology enabling mass production of the glass bottles used to hold the water. It’s quite amazing to see that by the mid-1800’s, there were more than 7 million bottles produced annually, selling for up to $1.75 a pint which was expensive at the time.

4. History of America’s Bottled Water
Early 20th century – Bottled water out of vogue and need
Due to fluoride newly added to public drinking water (Hall, 2009)
Chlorine added to water supply to decrease the incidences of cholera and typhoid. (Columbia Water Center, n.d.)
Hall, Noah. (2009, March 26). A brief history of bottled water in America. Online forum commentary of Chapelle, F. (2005). Wellsprings: A natural history of bottled spring water. Retrieved from
Columbia Water Center. (n.d.) Bottled Water. Retrieved from
Continuing on with the history of bottled water, drinking water was less in vogue in the early 20th century, due in large part to the addition of fluoride and chlorine to tap water. The chlorine eliminated cholera and typhoid and made tap water safer for the general public to drink, therefore decreasing interest in bottled water.
Von Weisenberger A. (n.d.) History of Bottled Water.

5. History of America’s Bottled Water
Popularity increases
$5 million marketing campaign launched by Perrier (Hall, 2009)
Campaign took bottled water to the United States after conquering the French and European markets. (Perrier, 2001)
Hall, Noah. (2009, March 26). A brief history of bottled water in America. Online forum commentary of Chapelle, F. (2005). Wellsprings: A natural history of bottled spring water. Retrieved from
Perrier. (2001). Retrieved from
However, bottled water’s popularity again increased in the 1970’s when Perrier launched a tremendous marketing campaign in the United States. The Perrier company by 1954 had increased their sales and popularity throughout Europe, having also acquired the Pepsi-Cola license for France under the Pschitt brand. Once brought to the U.S. in 1976, they sold 80% of the imported bottled water. In 1990, flavored varieties of the water were introduced, even before they were debuted in France. (Perrier, 2001)
Von Weisenberger A. (n.d.) History of Bottled Water.

6. History of America’s Bottled Water
Sales increased from $115 million to $4 billion
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a plastic packaging, is invented (Columbia Water Center, n.d.)
Columbia Water Center. (n.d.) Bottled Water. Retrieved from
In the 1990’s, sales of bottled water again increased, from $115 million to $4 billion due to the invention of a plastic packaging to contain the water.

7. History of America’s Bottled Water
1990 – Excess benzene found in Perrier bottles, required worldwide recall
1993 – Bottled water sales surpassed juice
1996 – Bacterial contamination in Natural Springs, required recall
1999 – Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) tested ˃ 100 different bottled water, found bacteria, arsenic, chlorine byproducts
2003 – Bottled water sales surpassed coffee
2005 – Bottled water sales surpassed milk
Columbia Water Center. (n.d.) Bottled Water. Retrieved from
This last slide of the history of bottled water shows a few examples of how bottled water isn’t always the purest and safest – excess benzene found in Perrier bottles: 1996 – bacterial contamination in the Natural Springs brand; 1999 – bacteria, arsenic and chlorine byproducts found. Nevertheless, over the years, despite those different issues, the sales and consumption of bottled water, as you can see, surpassed sales of juice, coffee and milk.

8. Bottled Water
According to the National Resources Defense Council (n.d.)
“Half of all Americans drink bottled water.”
“About 1/3 of American public consume bottled water regularly.”
“Sales have tripled in the past 10 years, totaling about $4 billion/year.”
“~¼ bottled water is actually bottled tap water.”
National Resources Defense Council. (n.d.). Bottled Water – Pure drink or pure hype? Retrieved from
So, here are a few current specifics – half of all Americans are drinking bottled water, with about 1/3 regularly drinking it. But, let’s look further at some more of the concerns that are associated with bottled water. We’ve already mentioned that there have been some major recalls related to contamination, so let’s see what else we may need to be concerned about.

9. Sources of bottled water
Is it from a pure spring or a contaminated well?
It’s not always from where we’d think –
From a well in an “industrial facility’s parking lot, near a hazardous waste dump.” (National Resources Defense Council, n.d.)
Is it from a pure spring or from your tap?
National Resources Defense Council. (n.d.). Bottled Water – Pure drink or pure hype? Retrieved from
Do we always know the source of our bottled water. The National Resources Defense Council cites one example in which the bottled “spring water” actually came from a potentially contaminated well. Imagine that! If we actually knew that when we were given the bottle to drink, would we still knowingly drink it?
Or, bottled water may just be bottled tap water – do we know for sure which we’re drinking? And, if it is just tap water (which most times isn’t “bad” at all), then why are we paying so much for it? The National Resources Defense Council advises that “about one-fourth of bottled water is bottled tap water.” (n.d.)
National Resources Defense Council. (n.d.). Bottled Water – Pure drink or pure hype? Retrieved from

10. Issues & Concerns
Bottled water is not certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. However, it is certified by the International Bottled Water Association and NSF International (Water Health Series, 2005, p. 5)
Cities test for chemical contaminants at least quarterly but bottled water companies, with decrease testing, are only required to test annually. (National Resources Defense Council, n.d.)
United States Environmental Protection Agency. Bottled Water Basics. Water Health Series. (2005). Retrieved from
National Resources Defense Council. (n.d.). Bottled Water – Pure drink or pure hype? Retrieved from
There are different regulations and certifications required to ensure the safety of bottled water. A number of them are less restrictive than those for tap water. Bottled water is not certified but is regulated by the EPA and DFDA. Tap water is tested regularly for bacterial contaminants, bottled water isn’t. As we saw earlier, there have been recalls, in fact, due in total part to bacterial contaminants. So, let’s see what else we need to know about bottled water that will help us to make an informed decision for its use in our lives.

11. Issues & Concerns, continued
There is increased concern about using water from the aquifers in communities with bottled water plants, potentially resulting in drying up some of the local, natural resources. (Facts on Bottled Water, 2011)
Bottled water routinely doesn’t have fluoride added, tap water does. (Bullers, 2011)
When added, the bottle label must note it.
Facts on Bottled Water. (2005) Buzzle.com. Retrieved from
Bullers, A. (2011). Bottled water: better than the tap. Mama’s Health. Retrieved from
This is a very real concern. Wells are drilled into the aquifers, using them as sources for “watering livestock, irrigating crops, powering mills, and as a source of” water for the community. When we remove the water more rapidly than the “very slow natural recharge rate” then the level of water in the aquifer will decrease and that lowers the water table. (McGinley, 2007) This is important to know.
Fluoride is added to tap water but rarely to bottled water. This is a concern because the addition of fluoride positively impacts dental health, decreasing greatly the potential for tooth decay. According to the International Bottled Water Association (Bullers, 2011), “there are more than 20 brands of bottled water with added fluoride available to consumers today.” If fluoride is added, then "fluoridated," "fluoride added," or "with added fluoride" has to be included on the label. (Bullers, 2011)

12. Issues & Concerns, continued
Tooth decay in the United States affects approximately:
50% of children 5-9 years old
67% of adolescents years old
94% of adults 18 and older (Moeller, 2005, p. 171)
When children drink unfluorinated water, ensure that the child’s dentist and physician are aware.
Moeller, D. (2005). Drinking Water. In Environmental health, 3rd Ed. (p. 171). Cambridge, MA. Harvard University Press.
As I’ve just shared, the addition of fluoride to our diet is quite important. So, having it added to water takes care of meeting that requirement essential to good strong teeth. When drinking bottled water exclusively, especially by those who are younger, there is a concern related to the lack of fluoride and the impact on teeth. So, it is very important to drinking water that includes fluoride.

13. The Bottle
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is the plastic product used for most bottled water containers.
31% of the bottles are recycled.
Bottles are not to be reused – reuse causes degradation of the bottles and potential health issues.
What is polyethylene terephthalate? (2011). Plastic. Retrieved from
Now about the container. The plastic product used for bottled water (and other plastic bottled beverages, among other uses) is polyethylene terephthalate (PET). This product is clear, strong, and shatterproof. The FDA states that it’s safe for use. However, recent studies advise that its reuse can be dangerous. A toxin, DEHA, appears in bottles that are reused, potentially causing liver problems, possible reproductive issues, and may cause liver cancer in humans.

14. The Bottle
The PET plastic bottles used for bottled water take about 1000 years to decompose.
Fossil fuels are used to make the plastic as well as transport it around the country.
More than 1.5 million barrels of oil annually, enough to fuel 100,000 cars for a year.
Bottled Water: The Environmental Impact on the Planet. (2011). AltFuelsNow.com. Retrieved from
The most commonly used plastic for manufacturing water bottles is polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is derived from crude oil. According to Altfuelsnow.com, “making bottles to meet America's demand for bottled water requires more than 1.5 million barrels of oil annually, enough to fuel some 100,000 cars for a year.”
Additionally, fuel energy is needed to make the bottles as well as transport them around the country.

15. Decision
So what are we to do? Drink bottled water or tap water? What can we do?
With this newfound information, we have some decisions to make. Do we continue to drink only bottled water or do we consider the use of tap water? And, would we have a concrete reason for our decision, to share with our friends and family, on why we are making the change?
Are there other options, what can we do? Let’s find out…

16. Action
Supply your own bottle, perhaps a metal one, to fill and refill from the tap.
Share with your friends and family this new information.
Advocate for yourself and your environment – Drink Tap Water!
As I’m sure you’ve noted, there are plastic (safe) and metal bottles to be purchased at any number of department stores in your town. Buy one and begin drinking tap water. Your friends and family are sure to notice this change, certainly different than drinking bottled water!
Point your family and friends in the direction of finding out for themselves after you’ve shared with them your reasons for the change. Use the following page for some further reading for yourself as well as those others you are including in this new information.

17. References
Bottled Water: The Environmental Impact on the Planet. (2011). AltFuelsNow.com. Retrieved from
Bullers, A. (2011). Bottled water: better than the tap. Mama’s Health. Retrieved from
Columbia Water Center. (n.d.) Bottled Water. Retrieved from
Facts on Bottled Water. (2005) Buzzle.com. Retrieved from

18. References
Hall, Noah. (2009, March 26). A brief history of bottled water in America. Online forum commentary of Chapelle, F. (2005). Wellsprings: A natural history of bottled spring water. Retrieved from
McGinley, Mark. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Earth – Aquifers. Retrieved from
Moeller, D. (2005). Drinking Water. In Environmental health, 3rd Ed. (p. 171). Cambridge, MA. Harvard University Press.

19. References
National Resources Defense Council. (n.d.). Bottled Water – Pure drink or pure hype? Retrieved from
United States Environmental Protection Agency. Bottled Water Basics. Water Health Series. (2005). Retrieved from
What is polyethylene terephthalate? (2011). Plastic. Retrieved from

20. Resources
Current Business Situation of the Bottled Water Industry. (2007). SNV Plastics. Retrieved at Edwards, S. What plastic bottle manufacturers don’t want you to know about stainless steel bottle water. Retrieved from Owoyemi, K. (2010). Environmental Public Health Today -
I’ve included a few additional resources for your to review to help you learn more about this topic. Please check them out!

21. Questions
Any questions? Thank you!