Water Bottle Myths

Myth:  “Bottled water is the same as tap water”

Truth: Many people think that because some bottled water begins with a municipal source, that the bottles are filled with the equivalent of tap water. The truth is, our water is purified to near distilled quality.  Aside from eliminating 99% of all contaminants found in tap water, our water tests routinely at only 2-4 parts per million of total dissolved solid (TDS) – without Chlorine.  Tap water from the City of Chicago usually runs between 175-200 part per million TDS and is saturated with Chlorine.  Essentially, we let the city water department handle the first half of the purification process, then we do the rest.



Myth:  “Plastic bottles are filling up our landfills”

Truth:  While it is undeniable that plastic is bad for the environment and that recycling rates need to improve drastically, reports of plastic bottles taking over the Earth’s surface is greatly exaggerated.  The fact is, plastic bottles make up only 1/3 of 1 percent of the total waste stream.  While we all need to do a better job of recycling, plastic bottles account for only a minute portion of the trash we generate.  The bottled water industry has been aggressively reducing the amount of plastic used in its water bottles by as much as 40% over the last few years.  Many cities, including the City of Chicago, do not offer curbside recycling. No wonder recycling rates are so poor.



Myth:  “It takes a lot of oil to produce water bottles”

Truth:  Some estimate that it takes 1.5 million barrels of oil to produce a year’s supply of water bottles. While that sounds like a lot, keep in mind that the US consumes 7.7 billion gallons of oil per year, or 21 million per day, or 875,000 gallons per hour. So a year’s supply of bottles is less than 2 hours of oil consumption. Plastic bottles account for just 2/10ths of 1 percent of our oil consumption.  By comparison, plastic bags consume 12 million barrels of oil per year and are recycled at only 7%.



Myth:  “Tap water is regulated, but bottled water is not”

Truth:  Most people don’t realize that bottled water is actually more regulated than tap water.  Tap water is regulated by the EPA. They determine how much lead, mercury, arsenic and other toxins are safe to drink. Those limits are usually set by determining the point at which people start to get sick and by how much it costs for the water department to treat.  In contrast, bottled water is regulated by the FDA and the Illinois Dept. of Public Health. Because bottled water is considered a packaged food product, rigid inspections and meticulous records are mandatory.
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Myth:  “Water bottles contain harmful chemicals”

Truth:  There has been recent debate over the presence of chemicals like BPA in plastic water bottles. But these chemical are only found in bottles labeled #7 polycarbonate, not in #1 PET bottles.  Even the critics of BPA will tell you that the #1 PET bottles like those used by UltraPure are the safe choice.