Is Faucet Water Safer to Drink Than Bottled Water? Here is What New Analysis Suggests

The well being halo surrounding bottled water is beginning to burst. 

Bottled water first grew to become fashionable in america within the Nineteen Seventies and Nineteen Eighties, with many manufacturers aligning themselves with well being and health. Immediately, 96% of People purchase bottled water and practically one in 5 solely drink bottled water. Nonetheless, a rising physique of analysis has discovered that bottled water has its personal challenges — and common faucet water could also be higher in most conditions. 

A latest scientific paper revealed in BMJ International Well being argues that faucet water within the U.S. is sort of all the time a more healthy alternative than consuming bottled water. The paper notes that “misunderstandings concerning the security and potential dangers of bottled and faucet water persist,” including that “faucet water is usually secure, cheap, handy, and eco-friendly.”

However faucet water has gotten its personal share of criticism currently, elevating plenty of questions on why it could be a more sensible choice than its bottled counterpart. Water security consultants clarify what’s behind this. 

Why would possibly faucet water be higher than bottled water?

The most important cause for faucet water being safer than bottled water is rules imposed by the federal government, says Gerald Kauffman Jr., PhD, director and affiliate professor on the College of Delaware Water Sources Middle. “Faucet water is regulated by the Environmental Safety Company, and that protects the well being of the faucet water that we drink,” he says. 

Congress handed the Secure Consuming Water Act in 1974, which regulates the nation’s consuming water provide. The act requires public water techniques to comply with requirements laid out by the EPA, together with monitoring the water and publicly reporting on findings. The Secure Water Consuming Act additionally requires municipal water techniques to supply annual water high quality experiences to customers. 

However the requirements should not the identical for bottled water. “There are extra requirements and rules for water popping out of your faucet than for bottled water,” says John Rumpler, clear water director and senior legal professional for Setting America. 

Whereas faucet water is regulated by the EPA, bottled water is regulated by the Meals and Drug Administration (FDA). “The FDA hardly has any rules in any respect for bottled water,” Kauffman says. Bottled water can be considerably costlier than faucet water, he factors out. 

Latest analysis has even discovered that plastic from water bottles leaches into the water, which may comprise 240,000 detectable plastic fragments per liter. Of these fragments, 90% have been nanoplastics, tiny items of plastic linked to a spread of well being points, together with coronary heart illness and most cancers. 

However faucet water isn’t excellent, both. A research revealed in 2023 detected the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), aka ceaselessly chemical compounds, in about 45% of U.S. consuming water samples. One other 2023 research detected the presence of contaminants like arsenic, fracking fluids, lead, nitrates, chlorinated disinfection byproducts, and uranium in some municipal water techniques. 

When is bottled water a more sensible choice?

Whereas most U.S. cities have entry to secure faucet water, it is necessary to know when it isn’t one of the best ways to go. “Rather a lot depends upon the specifics of your state of affairs,” Rumpler says. In some conditions, utilizing bottled water could also be higher, he says. 

“Bottled water is a more sensible choice when faucet water has been deemed unsafe,” says Phoebe Stapleton, PhD, affiliate professor within the Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology on the Rutgers College Environmental and Occupational Well being Sciences Institute. “This can be in circumstances of pure disasters, water emergencies, contamination related to water foremost breaks, recognized contamination, or different lack of a clear water provide.”

What water security consultants suggest for clear, secure consuming water

Whereas faucet and bottled water isn’t excellent, consultants say consuming from the faucet is normally the higher alternative. “By and huge, faucet water is secure,” Kauffman says. “I drink faucet water.”

Stapleton agrees. “Faucet water has gotten a nasty status with the rise, availability, and promoting of bottled water. Nonetheless, faucet water has been demonstrated to be a more sensible choice,” she says. “It’s inexpensive, extra environmentally pleasant — particularly contemplating bottle manufacturing, processing, packaging, distribution, and disposal — and is constantly regulated on the state and federal stage.”

For those who’re involved concerning the security of your faucet water, Rumpler suggests utilizing a water filter. “It will be prudent for individuals to contemplate filters at dwelling for consuming water to take care of contaminants which can be widespread,” he says. Even when your municipal water is great, a filter might help take away potential odors and create a crisper style, Kauffman says. 

However Rumpler says the controversy between the security of bottled and faucet water in the end comes all the way down to the necessity for stricter rules. “A very powerful factor we will do to make sure clear water is to name on our public well being officers to make sure they’re not polluted within the first place,” he says.