Why do so many people in America buy bottled water for their homes as if we were an unindustrialized country?

Question

1) bottled water drinkers use tap water to bath and cook, so it can't be for health reasons.
2) Most cities, especially in the South and Southwest are new so have good pipes.
3) And for you who agrue about taste, you will get use to the taste after a couple of days. I lived throughout the country and adjust to the taste very quickly.

Answer 1

I think the drink companies got together and thought they would get a huge laugh out of conning reasonable people into thinking tap water is bad for them. Most cities release water analysis' every year. And in most cities, the tap water is safe for drinking. It really is an enormous waste of money, plastic, and other resources. If the water in your city is safe for drinking than stop giving in to corporations who are wasting resources to produce and market something you can get for free! You can save tons of money every year. And you'll be helping the environment. If anything buy a cheap filter and those .00000001% of whatever you fear in the water will be kept out.

These major corporations are convincing you to give up your hard earned cash for something that every American can get for free, and they are wasting resources to do it. Call up your county water and sewer office and ask for a copy of the water analysis, more likely than not the water is absolutely safe for drinking. And if it is, don't buy bottled water.

This is from a magazine article on the proliferation of bottled water:

The WWF argues that the distribution of bottled water requires substantially more fuel than delivering tap water and results in the release of thousands of tons of harmful emissions.

In filtration, an estimated two gallons of water is wasted for every gallon purified.

The WWF estimates that around 1.5 million tons of plastic are used globally each year in water bottles, leaving a sizable manufacturing footprint.

Most water bottles are made of the oil-derived polyethylene terephthalate, which is known as PET. While PET is less toxic than many plastics, the Berkeley Ecology Center found that manufacturing PET generates more than 100 times the toxic emissions—in the form of nickel, ethylbenzene, ethylene oxide and benzene—compared to making the same amount of glass.

In fact, a considerable number of used water bottles end up as litter, where they can take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade. A 2002 study by Scenic Hudson reported that 18 percent by volume of recovered litter from the Hudson River (and 14 percent by weight) was comprised of beverage containers.

Pat Franklin, the executive director of the Container Recycling Institute (CRI), says nine out of 10 plastic water bottles end up as either garbage or litter—at a rate of 30 million per day.

Answer 2

It's the in thing to do. It's like walking around the office with a cup of coffee. I still refuse to pay eight bucks a gallon for water when I basically get it for free from the tap. Plus when I think of pure wholesome water, Coke and Pepsi just don't jump to the top of the list.

By the way. my understanding is that the FDA has six people to regulate the whole bottle water industry in the country. That bottle could be full of lead and no one probably knows it. at least municipal water systems get close scrutiny.

Answer 3

Bottled water tastes better, and, quite frankly, I dont want to drink out of the same water I bathe in (yes, I do cook with bottled water as well).

Answer 4

Because most people follow trends and believe that tap water is bad for them. So instead of eating better and exercising, people buy bottled water thinking they are doing something good.

Answer 5

What is the difference between the water quality of the present time and the water quality of say 10,000 years ago ? Think of all the chemicals we release into the water every day at present, and the other chemicals we have to add to neutralise the harmful chemicals and elements....water is not healthy any more...acid rain etc..etc...

Answer 6

my family buys bottled water so we can just grab one when we go out, we don't have bottles of water laying around the house. most of the water we drink is tap water but some people have an obsession...

Answer 7

Bottled water tastes better than tap water.

Answer 8

I think Marketing is a huge reason why people drink bottled water. The commercials make it sound like bottled water is much better for you and comes from a mountain spring or glacier etc.

Answer 9

Because the media tells us to. Also, it is convenient to be able to carry water around and not spill it or have to carry around the container when we are done with it. Personally, I think it is wasteful. Some plastic they use to make water bottles was actually derived from a synthetic estrogen, and can leech estrogen into the water.

Answer 10

Fear and mistrust, mostly. Now that tests can check for contaminants in biilionths parts of water, such as, "Tap water is found to have synthentic estrogen in 0.05-0.07 ppb range", men get these visions of growing boobs, so they buy bottled water instead. They don't realize that they can probably inhale more estrogen just by having sex with women.