ARTICLE #1
Is Bottled Water Better Than Tap?
May 6, 2005
By JOHN STOSSEL
It started with Perrier. Somehow, a French company convinced people it's cool to buy bottled water. Today, Evian has surpassed Perrier in sales and now it's the chic French water of choice. Why? It costs about 5 bucks a gallon! Why do people pay so much for something they can get virtually free?
If they're not buying Evian, they buy Aquafina and Dasani and the dozens of new brands that are jumping into this billion-dollar business, including bizarre ones like Venus, the Water for Women, and Trump Ice, with "The Donald" scowling on the label. I'd have to be very thirsty to buy that.
Many people say they buy bottled waters because they taste better. We spoke with people in New York City, asking them why they liked bottled better than tap water.
"I drink Dasani. It tastes good, it tastes crisp, like -- natural," one girl said.
"I think tap water kind of tastes like sewer," said another.
People also say they drink bottled water because they believe it's safer than tap water.
One man told me he's the only one "who's brave enough" to drink tap water at home. His family's afraid to drink tap water because of germs, he said.
At recent Earth Day celebrations, a lot of people told us they believe tap water is unhealthy. "As a parent I feel more comfortable giving her bottled water," one father told us.
Bottled water, we were told, is cleaner, safer, healthier.
Watching bottled water ads, you'd think that tap water might not be healthy. But it's not true.
"20/20" took five bottles of national brands of bottled water and a sample of tap water from a drinking fountain in the middle of New York City and sent them to microbiologist Aaron Margolin of the University of New Hampshire to test for bacteria that can make you sick, like e. coli.
"There was actually no difference between the New York City tap water and the bottled waters that we evaluated," he said.
Many scientists have run tests like that and have consistently found that tap water is as good for you as bottled waters that cost 500 times more.
Even Yale University School of Medicine's Dr. Stephen Edberg, the person whom the International Bottled Water Association told "20/20" to talk to, agreed that bottled water is no better for you. "No, I wouldn't argue it's safer or not safer."
"Healthy is a funny definition," he said.
"I wouldn't say it's healthier than tap water. I mean, they both provide water," Edberg added.
Maybe a taste difference justifies spending more money?
"I can definitely taste the difference between like a Fiji water and an Evian and a Poland Spring," one woman said. Many brands -- Aquafina, Deer Park and Dasani -- had loyal fans.
The labels of the bottled waters do suggest they're special. Some show mountains or polar bears or glaciers. You have to look at the fine print to find out Everest Water is not from Mount Everest. It's from Corpus Christi, Texas. Glacier Clear Water is not from a glacier in Alaska. Its source is tap water from Greeneville, Tenn.
Big-selling Dasani and Aquafina are also just reprocessed tap water from cities around the country. One of Aquafina's sources is the Detroit River! At least the popular French water, Evian, does come from France.
But does that make it taste better?
That's what people say, but is it true?
Is Bottled Water Better Than Tap?
May 6, 2005
By JOHN STOSSEL
It started with Perrier. Somehow, a French company convinced people it's cool to buy bottled water. Today, Evian has surpassed Perrier in sales and now it's the chic French water of choice. Why? It costs about 5 bucks a gallon! Why do people pay so much for something they can get virtually free?
If they're not buying Evian, they buy Aquafina and Dasani and the dozens of new brands that are jumping into this billion-dollar business, including bizarre ones like Venus, the Water for Women, and Trump Ice, with "The Donald" scowling on the label. I'd have to be very thirsty to buy that.
Many people say they buy bottled waters because they taste better. We spoke with people in New York City, asking them why they liked bottled better than tap water.
"I drink Dasani. It tastes good, it tastes crisp, like -- natural," one girl said.
"I think tap water kind of tastes like sewer," said another.
People also say they drink bottled water because they believe it's safer than tap water.
One man told me he's the only one "who's brave enough" to drink tap water at home. His family's afraid to drink tap water because of germs, he said.
At recent Earth Day celebrations, a lot of people told us they believe tap water is unhealthy. "As a parent I feel more comfortable giving her bottled water," one father told us.
Bottled water, we were told, is cleaner, safer, healthier.
Watching bottled water ads, you'd think that tap water might not be healthy. But it's not true.
"20/20" took five bottles of national brands of bottled water and a sample of tap water from a drinking fountain in the middle of New York City and sent them to microbiologist Aaron Margolin of the University of New Hampshire to test for bacteria that can make you sick, like e. coli.
"There was actually no difference between the New York City tap water and the bottled waters that we evaluated," he said.
Many scientists have run tests like that and have consistently found that tap water is as good for you as bottled waters that cost 500 times more.
Even Yale University School of Medicine's Dr. Stephen Edberg, the person whom the International Bottled Water Association told "20/20" to talk to, agreed that bottled water is no better for you. "No, I wouldn't argue it's safer or not safer."
"Healthy is a funny definition," he said.
"I wouldn't say it's healthier than tap water. I mean, they both provide water," Edberg added.
Maybe a taste difference justifies spending more money?
"I can definitely taste the difference between like a Fiji water and an Evian and a Poland Spring," one woman said. Many brands -- Aquafina, Deer Park and Dasani -- had loyal fans.
The labels of the bottled waters do suggest they're special. Some show mountains or polar bears or glaciers. You have to look at the fine print to find out Everest Water is not from Mount Everest. It's from Corpus Christi, Texas. Glacier Clear Water is not from a glacier in Alaska. Its source is tap water from Greeneville, Tenn.
Big-selling Dasani and Aquafina are also just reprocessed tap water from cities around the country. One of Aquafina's sources is the Detroit River! At least the popular French water, Evian, does come from France.
But does that make it taste better?
That's what people say, but is it true?
ARTICLE #2
Bottled Water vs Tap Water by IBWA (International Bottled Water Association)
Drinking water - tap, filtered, or bottled - is important for healthy hydration and plays a vital role in people’s lives. Consumers choose bottled water for several reasons, including taste, quality, and convenience.
Bottled water is also an alternative to less-healthy sugary packaged beverages when consumers want to eliminate or moderate calories, caffeine, sugar, artificial flavors or colors, alcohol, and other ingredients from their diets.
Support For Public Water Systems
Contrary to what you might hear, the bottled water industry supports a strong public water system which is important for providing citizens with clean and safe drinking water. In fact, many bottled water companies use public water sources for their products. Once the water enters the bottled water plant several processes are employed to ensure that it meets the purified standard of the U.S. Pharmacopeia 23rd Revision. These treatments can include utilizing a multi-barrier approach. Measures in a multi-barrier approach may include one or more of the following: reverse osmosis, distillation, micro-filtration, carbon filtration, ozonation, and ultraviolet (UV) light. The finished water product is then placed in a bottle under sanitary conditions and sold to the consumer.
Moreover, the water from public water systems is often compromised after emergency situations or natural disasters (e.g., hurricanes, floods, tornados, fires, or boil alerts). During these times, bottled water is a necessary and reliable alternative to deliver clean, safe drinking water. However, tap water does provide in most cases a safe source of drinking water, even if occasional system failures make it necessary for consumers to search for alternatives during these times.
Bottled Water vs Tap Water by IBWA (International Bottled Water Association)
Drinking water - tap, filtered, or bottled - is important for healthy hydration and plays a vital role in people’s lives. Consumers choose bottled water for several reasons, including taste, quality, and convenience.
Bottled water is also an alternative to less-healthy sugary packaged beverages when consumers want to eliminate or moderate calories, caffeine, sugar, artificial flavors or colors, alcohol, and other ingredients from their diets.
Support For Public Water Systems
Contrary to what you might hear, the bottled water industry supports a strong public water system which is important for providing citizens with clean and safe drinking water. In fact, many bottled water companies use public water sources for their products. Once the water enters the bottled water plant several processes are employed to ensure that it meets the purified standard of the U.S. Pharmacopeia 23rd Revision. These treatments can include utilizing a multi-barrier approach. Measures in a multi-barrier approach may include one or more of the following: reverse osmosis, distillation, micro-filtration, carbon filtration, ozonation, and ultraviolet (UV) light. The finished water product is then placed in a bottle under sanitary conditions and sold to the consumer.
Moreover, the water from public water systems is often compromised after emergency situations or natural disasters (e.g., hurricanes, floods, tornados, fires, or boil alerts). During these times, bottled water is a necessary and reliable alternative to deliver clean, safe drinking water. However, tap water does provide in most cases a safe source of drinking water, even if occasional system failures make it necessary for consumers to search for alternatives during these times.
You have read two passages and viewed one video that provide different viewpoints about bottled water: “Is Bottled Water Better Than Tap?,” “Bottled Water vs. Tap,” and “Plastic Bottles and Ocean Pollution.”
Write an essay where you summarize each author’s viewpoint and analyze the strengths of each author’s claim by describing how they each support their viewpoints. Remember to use textual evidence from all three sources to support your ideas.
Write an essay where you summarize each author’s viewpoint and analyze the strengths of each author’s claim by describing how they each support their viewpoints. Remember to use textual evidence from all three sources to support your ideas.
Use the graphic organizer below to organize your ideas before writing the essay.