Dangers of Bottled Water

The debate about bottled water has been around for a while now.

Some say it's healthier for you than tap water and that it can replace your vitamins. Others will claim that it's really only tap water and how environmentally unfriendly it is. With this type of conflicting information about water, it's easy to get confused. Check out this short bit of information below as I try to make sense of it all. Environmental Impact First off, there's no sense in sugar-coating it. Bottled water is destructive to the environment. It is a fact Dr. Joseph Mercola reports that 67 million water bottles are thrown away each day. Even though recycling was created and carries on with good intentions, this practice is not always best for the ecosystem in itself as it is labor-intensive, costly and burns natural resources. And while recycling is a step in the right direction, at only 10% of bottles ever getting recycled we have a long way to go to make an impact. Another problem with bottled water is the incredible amount of fuel needed to transport these heavy loads of plastic (and sometimes glass) bottles to your local supermarket, home or office. Where Your Bottled Water REALLY Comes From About 40 percent of bottled water is nothing more than bottled tap water! So not only might you still be drinking all the chemicals you were trying to avoid in the first place, you may be exposing yourself to even MORE chemicals by drinking from plastic bottles. The Dangers of Plastic Drinking water from a plastic water bottle poses serious health risks to you and your family. Let's take a look at some of these dangers to give you a better idea of why bottled water is not the healthy choice you've been led to believe it is. Whether it is store bought or home delivered when you choose plastic (glass is a much better option) you are potentially exposed to the following chemicals. BPA – An estrogen-mimicking chemical that has been linked to a host of serious health problems including:

• Learning and behavioral problems
• Early puberty in girls and fertility problems
• Decreased sperm count
• Prostate and breast cancer
• Diabetes and obesity

If you are pregnant or nursing, your child is also at risk. If you are feeding your baby or toddler from a plastic bottle, switch to glass to avoid BPA contamination. Phthalates – Phthalates are widely used in the United States to make plastics more flexible. Phthalates have been linked to a wide range of developmental and reproductive effects, including:

• Reduced sperm counts
• Testicular atrophy or structural abnormality
• Liver cancer

Studies have also found that boys whose mothers had high phthalate exposures while pregnant were much more likely to have certain de-masculinized traits and produce less testosterone. Pharmacy in a Bottle – As mentioned above, about 40 percent of bottled water is tap water. This means you are not only exposed to  dangerous BPA from the bottle, you may also be exposed to a variety of water contaminants such as fluoride, chlorine, arsenic, aluminum, disinfection byproducts and prescription drugs. Although you may have been told that disposing your unused prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) drugs in the garbage instead of down the toilet means this eliminates the threat of your water supply being contaminated, this is simply not true. Water that drains through landfills, known as leach rate, eventually ends up in rivers. Although not all states source drinking water from rivers, many do. According to studies, human cells do not grow normally when exposed to even minute amounts of prescription or over-the-counter drugs. Some drugs that were never meant to be combined are mixed together in the drinking water you consume every day. Your Optimal Water Choices Your most convenient solution is to filter your own tap water. The most economical and environmentally sound choice you and your family can make is to purchase and install a water filter for your home. Alternatively, you can look around for sources of mountain spring water, which is about as close to ideal as you can get. Dr. Stegall is a chiropractor in Downtown Phoenix AZ at Health Coach Chiropractic, Physical Therapy and Massage Center. He can be reached at 602.257.4520 or info@healthcoachaz.com.   Source: Dr. Mercola, January 15, 2011

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