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Mueller 1 Jeffrey Mueller Professor Bruce English 301 12 November 2013 Bottled Water vs.

Tap Water Access to a reliable source of potable water is essential for the survival of human life and almost all living organisms. Technological advancements in the last decades have generated a variety of interchangeable methods for improving water quality (Zaitsev). This quote from Natalia Zaitsev gives an obvious statement about the value of water, but it also informs the audience about the improvements that have been made to make water safer to drink. An article that was published in the New York Daily News talks about how the popularity of water has recently increased in America, Americans now drink an average of 44 gallons of soda a year, a 17 percent drop from the peak in 1998. Over the same time, the average amount of water people drink has increased 38 percent to about 58 gallons a year. Bottled water has led that growth, with consumption nearly doubling to 21 gallons a year (Move over, soda). Considering how healthy water is for the body, it appears that this sudden increase in bottled water is for the better. However, there is a lot of evidence that bottled water is actually a poor means to obtaining drinking water. The debate really comes down to tap water and bottled water, and which of the two has the greatest benefits for the individual and for the world. It is vital to not only realize the benefits of tap water, but to also find truth in the many myths that are out there about the safety of drinking tap water. Americans in general have a distorted view of tap water and are wasting their money buying bottled water.

Mueller 2 Americans are spending too much money on water bottles and do not realize the benefits of using tap water as their sole water source. Matthew Boesler writes an article with the purpose of informing the audience how much more money they are paying for bottled water than for tap water. Boesler quotes Nick Colas, a ConvergEx Group Chief Market Strategist, to reveal that a gallon of bottled water is about a dollar and twenty-two cents worldwide; 300 times the cost of a gallon of tap water. Nick Colas points out that most water bottle sales are 16.9 ounce bottles, which is a much higher cost per gallon of about seven dollars and fifty cents. Matthew Boesler actually bolds the font ina quote from Colas regarding this higher cost of 16.9 ounce bottles, Thats almost 2,000x the cost of a gallon of tap water and twice the cost of a gallon of regular gasoline (Boesler). This quote stands out in the article whether the font is bolded or not, simply because of the fact that Colas was able to relate the cost of bottled water to the price of gasoline. Gasoline prices have been enormously high for quite some time now, and people love to complain about how much money they have to spend every time they need to fill up their gas tank. Relating this costly fee to the cost of buying bottled water really helps give the audience an example of how expensive bottled water really is. Also, by realizing that a gallon of bottled water at seven dollars and fifty cents is 2000 times the cost of a gallon of tap water, it is easy to see the inexpensiveness of tap water. M. Massoud, along with a few other co-authors, wrote an article published by Environmental Monitoring and Assessment that assessed public perceptions of drinking water quality in lesser privileged countries. They use areas in Lebanon and Jordan that have a lower income as examples to reveal an astonishing statistic about the ridiculous cost of bottled water, Both areas demonstrated a considerable cost incurred for purchasing bottled water in low income communities reaching up to 26 % of total income (Massoud). No family should be spending a large percentage of their income on bottled water when there is a

Mueller 3 significantly cheaper way to obtain water. By looking at price alone, it seems that tap water is the obvious choice in regards to choosing the right drinking option. However, it is necessary to also examine the safety of drinking tap water compared with bottled water. It is unfortunate that many people have misconceptions about the safety of tap water. Lina Huerta-Saenz, MatildeIrigoyen, Jorge Benavides, and Maria Mendoza came together to write an article regarding peoples drinking choices and beliefs of the quality of tap water. They sum up the common perceptions people have that ultimately led them to buy bottled water, Reasons people prefer bottled water overtap water include taste, convenience, mistrust, and healthconcerns (Huerta-Saenz). Mistrust and health concerns are good enough reasons to stay away from tap water if they are legitimate threats. However, Michael Vann wrote an article that was published in the Journal American Water Works Association to refute the belief that bottled water tastes better and is safer. Vann used a sample done in Birmingham, Alabama to give evidence for his claim that bottled water does not taste better than tap water. He expounds that 65% of the participants preferred Birminghams tap water over both bottled and distilled water. This statistic shows that in some areas of the world people actually like the taste of tap water more than bottled water, but this obviously does not prove that tap water in general tastes better than bottled water. Although Vann does not provide enough evidence to validate the claim that tap water tastes better than bottled water, he gives assurance of the safety of tap water in his article, Although bottled water companies often play on consumer concerns that municipal water may be unsafe, there are more safety regulations on the drinking water industry than there are on the bottled water industry (Vann). This quote by Vann reveals that, contrary to popular belief, tap water actually has higher standards of regulating water safety then bottled water. So

Mueller 4 while the question as to which type of water tastes better is still debatable, it appears that tap water might actually be safer to drink than bottled water. The effect that bottled water has on the environment is one of the biggest reasons why the controversy of tap water versus bottled water is of such a high level of importance. Amber Saylor wrote an article regarding a survey that was conducted at Purdue University to examine students choices in drinking water. They were motivated to do this study because of the effects that bottled water has on the environment.In their paper, they noted a statistic about bottled water that is somewhat alarming, However, inthe U.S., only about 20% of plastic water bottles are recycledmost end up in landlls where they can takecenturies to decompose, or as litter on land, in rivers, and inoceans (GAO 2009; Godwin 2008; Royte 2008) (Saylor, Prokopy, Amberg). This statistic reveals that a very small percentage of people are actually doing their job of recycling their empty bottled waters. Outside of those people, however, there is clearly a problem with all of these plastic bottles ending up in landfills, land, rivers, or oceans. Even if the taste of bottled water was proven to be better than tap water, and the individual has the money to spend on bottled water; the negative effects that bottled water has on the environment still makes tap water the better option. The biggest fear that people have with drinking tap water is that tap water is dangerous, and in certain instances people have suffered greatly from unsafe tap water. Published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Stephanie Chalupka writes a journal to warn people about illnesses resulting from drinking water. She mentions the work that has been done to create better safety for drinking water, but warns of the risks that are still involved with drinking tap water, Yet despite these measures, about 900,000 cases of waterborne illness-and 900 deathsoccur in the United States annually, according to an often cited estimate attributed to the Centers

Mueller 5 for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (Chalupka 42). This statistic reveals the dangers that are involved with drinking water and shows why so many people are willing to spend more money on bottled water. However, these numbers reveal illnesses from all sources of water, meaning that it is possible bottled water was a huge factor in this statistic. While it is evident that drinking water comes with giant risks, there is no evidence to support the theory that bottled water prevents these risks. In fact, bottled water may actually pose a greater risk in contributing to these illnesses, as noted by Chris Baskind in his article published in the Mother Nature Network, In practice, about 70 percent of bottled water never crosses state lines for sale, making it exempt from FDA oversight. On the other hand, water systems in the developed world are well-regulated. In the U.S., for instance, municipal water falls under the purview of the Environmental Protection Agency, and is regularly inspected for bacteria and toxic chemicals (Baskind). This shows that bottled water may pose a health risk and tap water might actually be better regulated than bottled water. The fact that tap water is regularly inspected by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should help to give people confidence in the safety of tap water. After researching the reasons and evidence in support of tap water over bottled water, it seems that tap water just might be the better option. The price of bottled water is too high, and it is especially affecting people with lower incomes. Bottled waters effect on the environment is also another reason tap water seems like the better choice. The fact that people are not recycling their water bottles proves the point that bottled water is having a negative impact on the natural world. Lastly, the myths that drinking tap water is dangerous are simply not true. By learning from Michael Vann that there are actually more regulations on tap water than there are on bottled water, it is easy to see that bottled water is not that dangerous after all. If more people had an

Mueller 6 understanding of the risks of both tap water and bottled water, then maybe the enormous consumption of bottled water would decrease and people would save money and create a healthier environment around them.

Mueller 7 Jeffrey Mueller Professor Bruce English 301 28 October 2013 Annotated Bibliography Thesis: Americans in general have a distorted view of tap water and are wasting their money buying bottled water. Baskind, Chris. "5 reasons not to drink bottled water." Mother Nature Network. CIRRACORE, 15 Mar. 2010. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. <http://www.mnn.com/food/healthy-eating/stories/5reasons-not-to-drink-bottled-water>. This article gives many reasons as to why people should not consume bottled water. Chris Baskind helps give the argument that bottled water is actually no safer than tap water. Boesler, Matthew. "You Are Paying 300 Times More for Bottled Water than Tap Water." Business Insider.N.p., 12 July 2013. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. http://www.slate.com/blogs/business_insider/2013/07/12/cost_of_bottled_water_vs_tap_ water_the_difference_will_shock_you.html. Matthew Boesler helps give this essay one of the strongest arguments in that people are spending way too much money on bottled water. The statistics he gives really helps give the essay support. Chalupka, Stephanie. "Tainted Water on Tap: What to Tell Patients about Preventing Illness from Drinking Water." The American Journal of Nursing 105.11 (2005): 40-53. Pollak Library. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/29745926>.

Mueller 8 Stephanie Chalupka writes this article to warn people about the dangers of tap water. This quote works perfect in giving me a strong counter-argument for my essay. Huerta-Saenz, Lina, Matilde Irigoyen, Jorge Benavides, and Maria Mendoza. "Tap or Bottled Water: Drinking Preferences Among Urban Minority Children and Adolescents." Journal of Community Health, 37.1 (2012): 54-58. These combinations of authors wrote this article regarding drinking water preferences and perceptions of the quality of tap water. This essay gives me the opportunity to talk about why people choose bottled water over tap water. Massoud, M A, R Maroun, H Abdelnabi, I I Jamali, and M El-fadel. "Public Perception and Economic Implications of Bottled Water Consumption in Underprivileged Urban Areas." Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 185.4 (2013): 3093. These writers helped me in my essay by writing this article to inform people of the high prices of bottled water. The article gives a great quote on the percentage of some peoples incomes that is required to buy bottled water. Saylor, Amber, Linda Stalker Prokopy, and Shannon Amberg. Whats Wrong with the Tap? Examining Perceptions of Tap Water and Bottled Water at Purdue University. Environmental Management, 48.3 (2011): 588. This article is based off a survey on water consumption, and it goes into detail about the widespread beliefs that people have on bottled and tap water. A lot of the information in this article seems to go along with the thesis of my essay, and it should be able to give the essay more authority. Vann, Michael. Tap Water Beats out Bottled Water in Birmingham Taste Test. American Water Works Association. Journal, 96.8 (2004): 30-32.

Mueller 9 Michael Vann writes this article to argue that tap water is just as good as bottled water. He talks about the Birmingham Water Works (BWW) in Alabama, and how a study was done that proved its purity and fresh taste. This can help support the thesis and give more evidence as a peer reviewed article. Zaitsev, Natalia, and ShukiDror."Water Quality Function Deployment." Quality Engineering, 25.4 (2013): 356-369. http://xerxes.calstate.edu/fullerton/metasearch/record?group=201311-18-003464&resultSet=054267&startRecord=6. Natalia Zaitsev and DrorShuki talk about the quality of water in this article published by Quality Engineering. This article can really help set up my essay by giving important information to draw the readers attention right from the start. "Move over, soda -- the bottled water business is booming." New York Daily News. The Associated Press, 11 Mar. 2013. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. <http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/health/move-soda-americans-love-water-article-1.1285287>.

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