Bottled water
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bottled water is drinking water packaged in bottles for individual consumption and retail sale.
The water used can be spring water, well water, purified water, etc. Many countries, particularly developed countries, regulate the quality of bottled water through government standards, typically used to ensure that water quality is safe and labels accurately reflect bottle contents. In many developing countries, however, such standards are variable and are often less stringent than those of developed nations.
Contents |
[edit] Demand
The sales for bottled water are estimated to be between $50 and $100 billion (US) annually and increasing approximately 7 to 10 percent annually. In 2004, total sales were approximately 154 billion litres (41 billion gallons). [1]
In developed countries, the large demand is driven by factors including perceived convenience, perceived safety versus municipal water, and perceived potability or taste advantages over municipal water. Packaging and advertising work to foster these perceptions, and brand bottled water in ways similar to branded soft drinks. Though many municipalities, particularly in Canada and the United States, guarantee safe, potable water, others may be subject to groundwater contamination from commercial fertilizer, MTBE, or other contaminants. Violations of tap water standards tend to be highly publicized and widely reported, for example, a 1993 Cryptosporidium outbreak which caused 400,000 people to get sick in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (see: Milwaukee Cryptosporidium outbreak).
In developing countries, demand is driven by factors including the lack of potable groundwater in many areas, the lack of reliable or safe municipal water in many urban areas, chemical and organic pollution of ground and well water, and convenience relative to boiling or otherwise treating accessible but potentially contaminated water. Advertising also contributes to water sales in developing countries. Though bottled water may provide an alternative to unsafe drinking water, it does so only for those able to afford it; many of the world's poorest people cannot afford bottled water (UN World Water Development Report 2006).
In 2004, the US bottled water industry surpassed 6.8 Billion gallons of water for that year, an increase of 8.6% over the previous year (Beverage Marketing Corporation, 2005).
[edit] Regulation
Regulation of bottled water varies widely by country, with developed nations generally having more regulation and enforcement than developing countries.
[edit] Regulation In the United States
In the United States, specific definitions and meanings ("standards of identity") apply to the most common types of bottled water. Bottled water manufacturers must ensure that their products meet the FDA established standard of identity for bottled water products. A bottled water product bearing a particular statement of identity (e.g., mineral water) must meet the requirements of the standard of identity in order to avoid being misbranded. For example, under the standard of identity regulations bottled water may only be labeled "mineral water" in the United States if it: (1) contains not less than 250 ppm total dissolved solids; (2) comes from a source tapped at one or more bore holes or springs; (3) originates from a hydrogeologically protected source; and (4) contains no added minerals. There are similar definitions for bottled water, drinking water, artesian water, ground water, distilled water, deionized water, reverse osmosis water, purified water, sparkling bottled water, spring water, sterile water and well water. A bottled water product must bear the appropriate name as reflected in the applicable standard of identity definition or it is misbranded.
Nutritional information on the water bottle must be precise. Bottled water is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), who demand suppliers use an "approved source", which the FDA defines as:
- [approved source] means a source of water...that has been inspected and the water sampled, analyzed, and found to be of a safe and sanitary quality according to applicable laws and regulations of state and local government agencies having jurisdiction.
However, the FDA does not define guidelines for which regulations may be considered applicable, nor set requirements for water sources in the absence of applicable laws. Additionally, bottled water suppliers are not required to document the approval of their sources. Water bottlers are permitted to sell contaminated water if, and only if, their labeling notes the water contains "excessive bacteria" or "excessive chemical substances". Water bottlers are not required to test for the presence of E. coli, cryptosporidium, giardia, asbestos, or certain organic compounds such as benzenes; [1]. However, most bottled water is in fact heavily tested.[citation needed]
In the United States, tap water is regulated by the stringent United States Environmental Protection Agency. Bottled water is regulated under a similar, but significantly less strict set of regulations from the United States Food and Drug Administration under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act ("FFDCA" or the "Act"), 21 U.S.C. § 301et seq. [2]
[edit] U.S. FDA "Standards of Identity" for Bottled Water
The FDA has established "Standards of Identity" for bottled water products sold in the U.S. Note that other countries have different definitions and standards; some countries have no consistent labeling requirements. Some of the more common U.S. types of bottled water are listed below:
- Artesian Water - This type of water that originates from a confined aquifer that has been tapped and in which the water level stands at some height above the top of the aquifer.
- Fluoridated Water - This type of water contains fluoride added within the limitations established in the FDA Code of Federal Regulations. This category includes water classified as "For Infants" or "Nursery."
- Ground Water - This type of water is from an underground source that is under a pressure equal to or greater than atmospheric pressure.
- Mineral Water - This type of water contains at least 250 parts per million total dissolved solids (TDS). It comes from a source tapped at one or more bore holes or spring, and originates from a geologically and physically protected underground water source. No minerals may be added to this water.
- Purified water - This type of water has been produced by distillation, deionization, reverse osmosis, or other suitable processes. Purified water may also be referred to as "demineralized water." It meets the definition of "purified water" in the United States Pharmacopoeia.
- Sparkling Water - This type of water contains the same amount of carbon dioxide that it had at emergence from the source. The carbon dioxide may be removed and replenished after treatment.
- Spring Water - This type of water comes from an underground formation from which water flows naturally to the Earth's surface.
- Sterile Water - This type of water meets the requirements under "sterility tests" in the United States Pharmacopoeia.
- Well Water - This type of water is taken from a well.
[edit] Markets
The United States is the largest market for bottled water, at 26 billion liters in 2004. On average, this is one 8-ounce glass per person per day. Italy has the highest average consumption per person, at two 8-ounce glasses per person per day.
[edit] Consumption by Country
Here is data for global markets in 2004, in billions of litres consumed.[2]
- USA 25.8
- Mexico 17.7
- China 11.9
- Brazil 11.6
- Italy 10.7
- Germany 10.3
- France 8.5
- Indonesia 7.4
- Spain 5.5
- India 5.1
- All others 39.9
- Total 154.3
[edit] Consumption per Person
Per person data is shown below, in average number of liters consumed per person per year.
- Italy 183.6
- Mexico 168.5
- United Arab Emirates 163.5
- Belgium 148.0
- France 141.6
- Spain 136.7
- Germany 124.9
- Lebanon 101.4
- Switzerland 99.6
- Cyprus 92.0
- United States 90.5
- Saudi Arabia 87.8
- Czech Republic 87.1
- Austria 82.1
- Portugal 80.3
- India 0.6
- Global Average 24.2
More data and graphs are available externally.
[edit] Producer Revenues
U.S. Bottled Water Market, producer revenues, 2000 – 2006
| Year | Millions of US dollars | Annual Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | $6,113.0 | -- |
| 2001 | $6,880.6 | 12.6% |
| 2002 | $7,901.4 | 14.8% |
| 2003 | $8,526.4 | 7.9% |
| 2004 | $9,169.4 | 7.5% |
| 2005 | $10,012.5 | 9.2% |
| 2006 * | $10,980.0 | 9.7% |
(*) Preliminary
Source: Beverage Marketing Corporation. [3] [4]
[edit] Criticism of Bottled Water
Bottled water is a successful product, available throughout the world, but it and the behaviors it fosters are the subject of vocal criticism. This criticism primarily falls into environmental, economic, and health categories. Some say that bottled water is just tap poured out into a bottle.
[edit] Environmental criticisms
The consumption of over 150 billion litres[citation needed] of bottled water per year necessitates the use of billions of plastic and glass bottles. Though the materials used are generally recyclable, many of these bottles, particularly those used in developing countries without recycling infrastructure, are discarded rather than recycled, with this trash having a negative effect on the environment. Alternatives to bottled water, as detailed below, produce almost no trash.
On a local level, water bottlers may adversely affect aquifers and ground water levels, if they bottle more water than is naturally replenished.
An additional environmental criticism of the marketing of bottled water is the large amount of fossil fuel used to deliver the water from its source to end user, by means of ground transportation. On top of that, emissions of carbon dioxide caused by transporting bottled water within and between countries contribute to the global problem of climate change. Some bottled water is transported long distances by ship in addition to the distances it travels by truck or rail. All of this transportation replaces much more efficient transportation by pipe, which requires vastly less fuel to effectuate. Water delivery trucks also add -- unnecessarily, critics contend -- to traffic congestion in urban areas.
What environmental damage is caused by the escalating use and disposal of plastic bottles? Bottled water containers labelled with images of pristine natural environments are rapidly becoming a major threat to the environment and to our health. These containers release highly dangerous toxic chemicals and contaminants into the air and water when they are manufactured, and again when they are burned or buried. Yet these same plastic packages are becoming the fastest-growing form of municipal solid waste in the U.S. and Canada.
[edit] Economic criticisms
Wide reliance on bottled water may decrease political pressure on municipalities to produce high quality water; while technology exists to purify water to bottled water standards for municipal supplies, if residents of the municipality expect tap water to be of low quality, and have the easy alternative of bottled water, they have little incentive to push the municipality to adopt better purification technology.
In towns where bottlers process and bottle from municipal supplies, they often pay low rates for the water then mark it up significantly for resale. Poland Spring has been the subject of criticism from some towns in Maine that feel the bottler should be taxed for its use of huge quantities of municipal water.
[edit] Health criticisms
About 25% of bottled water sold is simply re-processed/used municipal(city) water. [3] Both Aquafina from Pepsi-Cola Company and Dasani from The Coca-Cola Company are reprocessed from municipal water systems. [4] [5] Some bottled waters, such as Penta Water make unverified health benefit claims. About 22 percent of brands that are tested contain, in at least one sample, chemical contaminants at levels above strict state health limits. If consumed over a long period of time, some of these contaminants could cause cancer or other health problems.[citation needed]
Bottled water processed with distillation or reverse osmosis lacks fluoride ions which are sometimes naturally present in groundwater, or added at a water treatment plant and which has an effect on the inhibition of cavity formation; the drinking of distilled water may conceivably increase the risk of tooth decay due to a lack of this element.[6] People who drink mostly bottled water, need to be aware of this. They may need to use supplemental fluoride that is available by prescription from dentists or doctors. However, most people continue to cook with common tap water and this is thought to potentially provide sufficient fluoride to maintain normal prophylaxis in many instances. Any other minerals in tap water such as calcium and magnesium are present in such minuscule amounts that their absence is compensated for many thousands of times over by other dietary sources.
Bottled water is typically printed with expiration dates. Even if the water itself is pure, a plastic container may leak chemicals into the bottled water[7]. Storage in cool and dark places helps reduce reactions. Industry associations claim "bottled water can be used indefinitely if stored properly."[8].
If the original water bottled is not pure, especially if it contained biological contaminants, then the water quality will continue to degrade regardless of the storage container or conditions[9].
[edit] Alternatives to bottled water
In developed countries, municipal water is generally of high quality, and provides a far cheaper alternative to pure or bottled water. In municipalities where the water is of a somewhat lower quality, the use of home filtration systems such as Brita, Kinetico or PUR filters provides potable water at considerably lower cost than pure or bottled water.
In many areas of the world, good municipal water is unavailable. The United Nations estimates that in 2005, 1.1 billion people lacked access to safe, affordable, drinking water, and two to five million people die every year from preventable water-related diseases. In areas without a consistent supply of safe, potable water, alternatives to bottled water include boiling, filtering, or otherwise processing contaminated water to remove harmful pathogens or chemicals.
Even where advanced water filters are not available, and fuel for boiling is scarce, effective water filters can be made in a few hours from clay by hand without advanced technology or skills [10]. In some areas, water may be obtained from and in the form of rainwater, stored in a cistern or rainwater tank. In rural areas the rain is typically very pure and can be safely consumed without additional treatment or filtration.
Ground water obtained through pumps or wells should be monitored for quality to ensure no risk of contamination or build up. Many people in Bangladesh and West Bengal, India are drinking groundwater that has been discovered to be contaminated with arsenic after wells were drilled to protect the population from the contaminated surface water.
[edit] See also
[edit] Brands
- +1 Water
- Aquapod
- Aquafina
- Crystal Geyser
- Dasani
- Evian
- Fiji
- Galvanina
- Gerolsteiner
- Iceland Pure Spring Water
- O Premium Waters
- Ozarka
- Perrier
- Propel Fitness Water
- Ramlösa
- San Pellegrino
- Spa
- Ty Nant
[edit] References
- ^ Gleick, P.H. 2004. "Bottled Water." In P.H. Gleick (editor), The World's Water 2004-2005: The Biennial Report on Freshwater Resources. Island Press, Washington, D.C.
- ^ Rodwan, John G. Jr. (2005), "Bottled Water 2004: U.S. and International Statistics and Developments", Bottled Water Reporter, International Bottled Water Association April/May 2005
- ^ Beverage Marketing Corporation 2005 Market report findings
- ^ Beverage Marketing Corporation 2006 Market report findings
[edit] External links
- Benefits of drinking water for health
- International Bottled Water Association
- Bottled Twaddle: Is bottled water tapped out?, from Scientific American
- Bottled Water: Pure Drink or Pure Hype? - extensive study of bottled water quality from NRDC
- E the Environmental Magazine piece on bottled water (Oct 2003).
- Researcher Dispels Myth of Dioxins and Plastic Water Bottles: Dr. Rolf Halden says "There are no dioxins in plastics." but "If you heat up plastics, you could increase the leaching of phthalates" and "It is very important to drink adequate amounts of water ... Unless you are drinking really bad water, you are more likely to suffer from the adverse effects of dehydration than from the minuscule amounts of chemical contaminants present in your water supply."
- Emily Arnold, Earth Policy Institute 2006 Press release, Bottled Water: Pouring Resources Down the Drain'
- British Bottled Water Producers [11]
