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Arguments against banning bottled water
1. The product is convenient
One of the primary arguments offered in favour of bottled water is its convenience. An article published in The Economist of July 31, 2007, attempting to explaining the remarkable market success of bottled water, noted, 'Bottled water's success is about time and energy savings for consumers. Buying bottled water means not having to purchase and fill one's own container. The ability to purchase water readily means that consumers can obtain water when they want it, rather than carrying around a bulky container all day. And when one's thirst is slaked, disposal is just a trash can away; there's no need to bring the bottle home and wash it oneself.'
Arches Magazine published by Mount Mary University carried an article on November 7, 2011, which stressed the same priority. It noted, 'In today's throwaway society, convenience, rather than price, is key. Faucets aren't portable. Buying a bottle of water at the store is faster than washing, refilling and remembering to bring your own. Name brands are slowly creating a social status with every sip. And that is how a commodity was created. Despite environmental impact, the convenience and usefulness of water helped turn it into the valuable product on store shelves today.'
Other studies have revealed the same purchasing motivation in consumers of bottled water. In a study published in the free access journal of BMC (Biomed Central) Public Health in 2008, survey participants from the Munrow Sports Centre on the University of Birmingham Campus gave their reasons for buying bottled water. The most commonly given reason was convenience. Many participants said they drank tap water at home, but purchased bottled water when they were out and about.
An additional convenience factor for water in plastic bottles is its relative safety compared to glass in bottles. Broken remnants are the cause of thousands of serious injuries each year in the United States, especially in poorer neighbourhoods, which is claimed to be the main reason they were largely replaced by plastic in the first place. mothers in particular were concerned that their children be able to carry water safely.
It has further been claimed that price comparisons with tap water are inappropriate. Consumers are buying the convenience of a portable, ready-bottled beverage and bottled water is cheaper than all other products in this category. The Australian Bottled Water Institute, representing Australia's water bottlers, has stated, 'Any comparison of bottled water to tap water is absurd. Bottled water doesn't compete with tap water and has never claimed to. Bottled water competes with every other beverage it shares shelf space with whether that be in a vending machine, supermarket isle or shop fridge. People willingly pay for the convenience of a zero kilojoule hydration option when they're out and about.'
2. The product promotes good hydration
The importance of maintaining hydration is one of the reasons consumers purchase bottled water.
It has been estimated that 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated and that this applies to half the world's population. Specialists note that the condition has become so normative that in 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is mistaken for hunger.
Regular dehydration is a concern because drinking fluids is crucial to staying healthy and maintaining the function of every system in the human body, including heart, brain, and muscles. Fluids carry nutrients to cells, flush bacteria from the bladder, and prevent constipation. Under most circumstances unadulterated water is the recommended fluid to keep people hydrated.
Dr. Julian Seifter, a kidney specialist and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, has recommended that to ward off dehydration, Dr. Seifter, healthy people should drink between one and one and a half litres daily. Dr Seifer recommends drinking water or juices and eating water-rich foods such as salads and fruit.
Dehydration occurs when more water is being lost by the body than is being put in. In urine and sweat, and through respiration, water is constantly being lost. Even during sleep water passes out of the body with every breath exhaled.
While mild dehydration is the loss of 1.5 percent of a body's normal water volume, a level of hydration just one percent below optimal can affect mood, make it more difficult to concentrate, and produce a headache. The human heart and brain consist of more water than the rest of the body and appropriate hydration is important for their proper functioning.
The human brain is made up of about 75 percent water. Even mild dehydration results in reduced blood flow, which means less oxygen travelling to all parts of the body, including the brain.
Headaches and mood swings are an early warning of dehydration. As dehydration worsens, cognitive function is further impaired, leading to delirium. Severe dehydration can cause unconsciousness and even coma, finally leading to death.
Water becomes particularly important during exercise when the body's water requirements increase. Water rather than sports beverages are recommended as the best form of hydration after exercise. Sports Dieticians of Australia advise that drinking plain water is effective in replacing fluids for low intensity and short duration workouts. All sports drinks contain three basic ingredients - water, sugar and salt.
While water is essential for rehydration, sugar and salt are not always the best choices. In fact, they often just add unnecessary kilojoules. Sports Dieticians of Australia advise that sports drinks are really only beneficial for people participating in long endurance events, such as marathons or triathlons.
Australia's current dietary guidelines do not recommend a specific amount of water, but simply recommend we 'drink plenty of water'. The guidelines also encourage us to opt for water over juices, soft drinks, or cordials. There are Nutrient Reference Values advising that adult men should drink 2.6 litres of water per day (about 10 cups) and adult women should drink 2.1 litres per day (about eight cups).
The Australian Beverages Council carries recommendations on its Internet site regarding how to avoid dehydration especially on hot days and while travelling. These recommendations include the consumption of bottled water.
3. The product is healthier than other packaged alternatives
Consumption of bottled water in the United States has now overtaken consumption of soft drinks (referred to in America as 'soda'.) In 2016, according to research and consulting firm Beverage Marketing Corp, bottled water surpassed carbonated soft drinks to become the largest beverage category by volume in the United States. Bottled-water consumption in the United States reached 39.3 gallons per capita in 2016, while carbonated soft drinks slipped to 38.5 gallons, Beverage Marketing Corp has announced
Health authorities have welcomed this development as other commercially available alternatives, such as soft drink and fruit juice, carry a large number of health risks.
All soft drinks, whether caffeine-free or not, diet or regular, are harmful to health. Their consumption increases by 44 percent the risk of metabolic syndrome, especially for children. This syndrome is a cluster of risk factors that lead to high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, heart attack and stroke. And obesity, in turn, increases the risks for cancer and Alzheimer's.
Studies show that children who consume soft drink on a regular basis are much more likely to obese as adults. Similar results occur even when the soft drink is artificially sweetened. Regular and diet sodas contain phosphates that accelerate aging in the body. A research, looking at 5300 individuals between 20-65, showed that those who drank a glass or can of soft drink a day had a 1.9 year increase of aging. Further, regular consumption of soft drink results in a much higher risk of heart disease, kidney damage, tooth decay, diabetes, heart burn, hypertension, digestion problems, many cancers and hormone imbalance.
Similar claims are made about so-called health drinks and sweetened hydration beverages which all contain large quantities of sugar. Fruit juices have benefits in terms of the vitamins they contain; however, as concentrated fruit, they contain a large amount of sugar and thus calories be glass.
Health authorities note that attempting to meet the body's hydration needs with any beverage other than water is both inefficient any carries significant health risks.
It has been observed that when bottled water is removed from sale, all that occurs is that consumers drink more of the unhealthy options that remain available.
Research has shown that when bottled water is not available, people choose other packaged beverages, which may contain sugar, caffeine and other additives. A new study, published in the American Journal of Public Health in July 2015,5 concluded that the bottled water sales ban at the University of Vermont resulted in a significant increase (25%) in the consumption of sugary drinks and an increase (8.5%) in the amount of plastic bottles entering the waste stream.
The data showed that per capita shipments of bottles, calories, sugars and added sugars increased significantly when bottled water was removed. Shipments of healthy beverages declined significantly, whereas shipments of less-healthy beverages increased significantly. As bottled water sales dropped to zero, sales of sugar-free beverages and sugar-sweetened beverages increased.
The purpose of the bottled water sales ban had been to encourage students to carry reusable water bottles that could be filled with tap water. That did not happen.
4. The quality of the water can be assured
Many of the negative claims made about the quality of bottled water have been disputed.
One of these claims is that contaminants leach into the water from the bottle itself.
Defenders of the product note that single-serve bottled water containers are packaged in PET plastic. They maintain there are no chemical phthalates or bisphenol A (BPA) in PET plastic, and therefore PET plastic does not leach these substances.
PET plastic is approved as safe for food and beverage contact by the United States Federal Drug Administration(FDA) and similar regulatory agencies throughout the world, and has been for more than 30 years.
PET plastic is used in a variety of packaging for many foods, including everything from peanut butter, soft drinks and juices to beer, wine and spirits. Although BPA is not a chemical component of PET, the consensus among international regulatory agencies is that BPA is safe, and regulatory agencies in several countries and the FDA have ruled favourably on the safety of BPA.
It has further been noted that single-serve PET plastic bottles do not contain compounds capable of producing dangerous substances under conditions of normal use, including being subjected to hot cars or placed in a freezer. The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has commented on the issue of freezing bottled water. Its website states: 'This is an urban legend. Freezing actually works against the release of chemicals...[freezing] would limit chemical release if there were dioxins in plastic, and we don't think there are.'
The accusation that many bottled waters are merely tap water has been disputed. Defenders note that even when the bottled water has come from standard, municipal water supplies it is treated additionally to ensure water quality.
Many different types of water are used for bottling: artesian, mineral, sparkling, spring and purified. Purified water is typically sourced from municipal water systems and is not just tap water in a bottle. Once this water enters the bottled water plant, several processes are employed to ensure that it meets purified water standard. These treatments may include one or more of the following: reverse osmosis, distillation, microfiltration, carbon filtration, ozonation and ultraviolet (UV) light. The finished water product is then bottled under sanitary conditions and sold to the consumer. Many bottled water drinkers say they prefer a certain type of bottled water because of the taste. Bottled water brands are required to show on their labels what type of water is used.
In emergency situations bottled water takes on a particular importance. When the local water supply has been contaminated due to a natural disaster or perhaps human action, then the value of clean bottled water becomes apparent.
During and after an emergency, the regular water supply may be cut off or contaminated. In the 1998 water crisis, Sydney Water Corporation put all Sydney residents on a 'boil water' alert. The ready availability of bottled water would have reduced the impact of the event. Some authorities recommend consumers stockpile an adequate amount of bottled water in the event of such an emergency. Similarly, after a natural disaster that interferes with the water supply, rescue agencies often supply bottled water.
5. Bottled water benefits the economy
Bottled water is a multibillion dollar industry which promotes trade as well as supply jobs in extraction, production of bottles, packing, transportation, distribution and retailing.
The International Bottled Water Association claims the United States bottled water industry is a critical component of America's economy and infrastructure. Companies that manufacture, distribute and sell bottled water products employed about 137,000 Americans, paying them $US6.3 billion in wages and benefits.
The Association further claims that not only does the manufacture and sale of bottled water products create jobs in the United States., but it also contributes to the national economy as a whole via the industry's economic ripple effect that benefits agriculture, manufacturing, construction, transportation and many other businesses whose livelihood depends on the bottled water industry.
In 2013 the bottled water industry accounted for about $102.3 billion in output, or just below 1 percent of GDP. Members of the industry and their employees paid $9.7 billion in direct federal, state and local taxes. In addition, the consumption of bottled water beverages throughout the country generated $2.7 billion in state sales taxes.
In Australia, the most commonly consumed non-dairy, non-alcoholic beverage is water, followed by sugar-sweetened soft drinks, fruit juice and low-kilojoule sweetened beverages. Today, nearly one in every two (42%) water-based beverages sold is a low kilojoule variety.
The contribution made by the retailing of beverages - soft drinks, bottled water and fruit juices - is $1.04 billion from the grocery and convenience retailing industry. $452 million comes from cafes, bars and restaurants. This sector generates 16,116 full time jobs.
As an example of the contribution bottled water makes to local economies the Australian Beverages Council cites Tim Carey, Managing Director of Black Mount Spring Water. Carey states, 'Our company is located in regional Victoria in a town called Millbrook and supplies bulk spring water and transport to bottlers throughout Australia. It was founded by my father, Brian, 25 years ago. He still plays a part and today it remains a family owned business. We employ around 70 people throughout the business including administration, truck drivers and maintenance.'
Australian Beverages, a subsidiary of Coca a-Cola Amatil, are the manufacturers of Mount Franklin and Pump bottled water as well as four Coca-Cola products, Sprite, Fanta, Lift, Kirks, Deep Spring, Powerade, Barista Bros, Zico Coconut Water, Fuze Tea and Goulburn Valley juices .
The company outlines its contribution to the Australian economy on its Internet page. ' We directly employ approximately 3,500 people across Australia, predominantly in manufacturing, distribution and sales. Our major manufacturing sites are located at Northmead (NSW), Richlands (Qld), Moorabbin (Vic), Thebarton (SA) and Kewdale (WA).
We also create indirect employment through our Australian supply chain. For every direct Australian job that we create there are up to four jobs generated elsewhere in the Australian economy, in producing and distributing our non-alcohol beverages range. 99% of our non-alcohol beverages are made in Australia. In 2016 we spent $1.3 billion on Australian-supplied intermediate goods and services, and contributed approximately $3 billion to the Australian economy.'