Bottled-up Secrets Things you should know....
Bundanoon is a small town of 2,000 people located south of Sydney. In 2009, it made history by becoming the first ever town to ban bottled water. The immediate reason was the campaign against a bottled water company which tapped into a local aquifer for its business. The campaign educated people about the ill-effects of bottled water to the point that the people themselves moved to ban them from the town. The space taken by bottled water in shops was taken up by reusable bottles, which could be readily filled from fountains or water stations.
What made this small community of Australians take such an unprecedented step? Isn’t bottled water supposed to be safe? Bottled water is perceived by many as a very convenient source of water of good quality which they can buy from practically any shop. However, it involves many different aspects which many of us have not even dreamt of.
Water is an essential for the survival of any known living organism. Excluding fat, around 70 percent of human bodymass is water. Therefore, the quality of water we consume is an integral aspect of physical health.Sri Lankans use a lot of bottled water. A study done in 2004 revealed that even at that time, the monthly usage of water bottles was a staggering 6.5 million. Out of this, only about a million bottles got recycled. Therefore, more than five million bottles entered the environment, piling up in garbage dumps around the country. The situation is even worse today.
It is clear that both the quality of the sources of water and the plastics which are used to manufacture bottles are both important for the quality of the bottled water you purchase. As consumers pay a much higher price for bottled water than for tap water, ensuring quality is essential.
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The Plastic
The plastic generally used for water bottle manufacturing is known as PET (Polyethylene Tetraphthalate). One monomer used to make this polymer is a phthalate, which is a class of harmful compounds. Although not proved beyond doubt, it has been suggested that phthalates can leach to water in a PET bottle under certain conditions. However, a more obvious threat is the presence of small residues of antimony, which is a catalyst used in the production of the polymer. Antimony is poisonous and shows symptoms similar to arsenic poisoning, although much higher doses are needed for it to be harmful. Therefore, water bottles have not reported harmful levels of antimony. However, in fruit juice contained in bottles made of PET, antimony levels exceeding the minimum level allowed have been reported...
Both production and disposal of plastics are a burden on Mother Nature. A New South Wales study found that in 2006, the industry was responsible for releasing 60,000 tons of gases blamed for globalwarming. Some estimates are even higher. Therefore, it can be said that plastics affect our health indirectly by threatening the environment we live in.
One mechanism introduced to control the environmental impact of the plastic industry is the 3R method. The 3Rs refer to ‘Reduce, Reuse and Recycle’. Due to its cheap price, availability and ease of use, many tend to forget about the first R and focus on the next two. However, in the case of PET, both Rs are not applicable.
Quality of Water
The Health Ministry is the main institution which keeps an eye on the quality of bottled water. According to the Health Ministry regulations, the bottle should be transparent and its label should indicate the source of the water. A ministry spokesperson told The Nation that if a new bottle water factory is to be opened, it should obtain a registration number from the ministry. The Food and Environment Health Unit of the Health Ministry is responsible for this testing. Even after the commencement of operations, a factory will be periodically checked by food inspectors. The Ministry of Health registration number should also be prominently displayed on the label. In addition to this, the date of manufacture and the expiry date should be prominently displayed on the neck of the bottle. The spokesman added, approval for a factory would not be granted if the source of water was one that was constantly flowing, as this would increase the risk of contamination from elements such as agrochemicals. ..
When questioned as to how the quality of the water is ensured, an official from the American Premium Water Systems said that they are taking three independent test reports (ISO 22000, SLSI and Asian Bottle Water Association) as well as the Ministry of Health registration, which is renewed annually. The official insisted that since they are following standards, their water is safe to drink. When asked what the consumers should be aware of concerning bottled water, he responded by stating that they should rather be questioning the quality of the tap water which they drink. According to this official, while their company has water purification plants, the Water Board only adds chlorine to purify water. Furthermore, he stated that filters do not necessarily remove all the chemicals and boiling only kills germs. Therefore, even boiling and filtering tap water at home will not remove harmful elements which could be present in tap water, such as arsenic...
The labels of water bottles sold in the market used to have a list of minerals which is contained in a given volume of water. However, this is not necessary anymore. An official from Sogo Bottled Water explained that the change of policy was effected after the Health Ministry stated that it was not necessary to display the list, after its approval was obtained.
However, proper testing of a water sample is a very time consuming and costly procedure which requires qualified professionals and good equipment. A water sample which appears crystal clear may contain a number of colorless, harmful minerals and microorganisms. There are standards to be adhered to and procedures to be followed to ensure that a proper testing is carried out.
There is an obvious shortcoming in this procedure. Proper testing of the water bottles in the market is not being carried out. Therefore, one cannot be certain of the quality of the water that actually reaches the market. Even small amounts of harmful substances or microorganisms such as Cryptosporidium can harm people with a weak immune system.
What made this small community of Australians take such an unprecedented step? Isn’t bottled water supposed to be safe? Bottled water is perceived by many as a very convenient source of water of good quality which they can buy from practically any shop. However, it involves many different aspects which many of us have not even dreamt of.
Water is an essential for the survival of any known living organism. Excluding fat, around 70 percent of human bodymass is water. Therefore, the quality of water we consume is an integral aspect of physical health.Sri Lankans use a lot of bottled water. A study done in 2004 revealed that even at that time, the monthly usage of water bottles was a staggering 6.5 million. Out of this, only about a million bottles got recycled. Therefore, more than five million bottles entered the environment, piling up in garbage dumps around the country. The situation is even worse today.
It is clear that both the quality of the sources of water and the plastics which are used to manufacture bottles are both important for the quality of the bottled water you purchase. As consumers pay a much higher price for bottled water than for tap water, ensuring quality is essential.
.jpg)
The Plastic
The plastic generally used for water bottle manufacturing is known as PET (Polyethylene Tetraphthalate). One monomer used to make this polymer is a phthalate, which is a class of harmful compounds. Although not proved beyond doubt, it has been suggested that phthalates can leach to water in a PET bottle under certain conditions. However, a more obvious threat is the presence of small residues of antimony, which is a catalyst used in the production of the polymer. Antimony is poisonous and shows symptoms similar to arsenic poisoning, although much higher doses are needed for it to be harmful. Therefore, water bottles have not reported harmful levels of antimony. However, in fruit juice contained in bottles made of PET, antimony levels exceeding the minimum level allowed have been reported...
Both production and disposal of plastics are a burden on Mother Nature. A New South Wales study found that in 2006, the industry was responsible for releasing 60,000 tons of gases blamed for globalwarming. Some estimates are even higher. Therefore, it can be said that plastics affect our health indirectly by threatening the environment we live in.
One mechanism introduced to control the environmental impact of the plastic industry is the 3R method. The 3Rs refer to ‘Reduce, Reuse and Recycle’. Due to its cheap price, availability and ease of use, many tend to forget about the first R and focus on the next two. However, in the case of PET, both Rs are not applicable.
Quality of Water
The Health Ministry is the main institution which keeps an eye on the quality of bottled water. According to the Health Ministry regulations, the bottle should be transparent and its label should indicate the source of the water. A ministry spokesperson told The Nation that if a new bottle water factory is to be opened, it should obtain a registration number from the ministry. The Food and Environment Health Unit of the Health Ministry is responsible for this testing. Even after the commencement of operations, a factory will be periodically checked by food inspectors. The Ministry of Health registration number should also be prominently displayed on the label. In addition to this, the date of manufacture and the expiry date should be prominently displayed on the neck of the bottle. The spokesman added, approval for a factory would not be granted if the source of water was one that was constantly flowing, as this would increase the risk of contamination from elements such as agrochemicals. ..
When questioned as to how the quality of the water is ensured, an official from the American Premium Water Systems said that they are taking three independent test reports (ISO 22000, SLSI and Asian Bottle Water Association) as well as the Ministry of Health registration, which is renewed annually. The official insisted that since they are following standards, their water is safe to drink. When asked what the consumers should be aware of concerning bottled water, he responded by stating that they should rather be questioning the quality of the tap water which they drink. According to this official, while their company has water purification plants, the Water Board only adds chlorine to purify water. Furthermore, he stated that filters do not necessarily remove all the chemicals and boiling only kills germs. Therefore, even boiling and filtering tap water at home will not remove harmful elements which could be present in tap water, such as arsenic...
The labels of water bottles sold in the market used to have a list of minerals which is contained in a given volume of water. However, this is not necessary anymore. An official from Sogo Bottled Water explained that the change of policy was effected after the Health Ministry stated that it was not necessary to display the list, after its approval was obtained.
However, proper testing of a water sample is a very time consuming and costly procedure which requires qualified professionals and good equipment. A water sample which appears crystal clear may contain a number of colorless, harmful minerals and microorganisms. There are standards to be adhered to and procedures to be followed to ensure that a proper testing is carried out.
There is an obvious shortcoming in this procedure. Proper testing of the water bottles in the market is not being carried out. Therefore, one cannot be certain of the quality of the water that actually reaches the market. Even small amounts of harmful substances or microorganisms such as Cryptosporidium can harm people with a weak immune system.
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