gpronger's Journal: Bottled Water - Drink up Or Not??

Bottle water debate: We have an increasingly loud debate going on over the ubiquitous purchased bottle of water. Many areas are considering regulating sales of bottled water (see new article in the California Chronicle about San Francisco's mayor's position: http://www.californiachronicle.com/articles/55969) from the impact on landfills to safety (see EWG's article at: http://www.ewg.org/reports/bottledwater and the NRDC's at http://www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/bw/bwinx.asp).

Industry is pushing back (http://www.bottledwatermatters.com/petition.php). Part of the argument against bottled water is that what comes from your tap is fairly tightly regulated, but what is in the bottle does not necessarily meet the same standards. On the flip side is the simple convenience and the palatability of the bottled product, regardless of any perceived health impacts one way or another it tends to taste better than a lot of well water systems. Industry has an active petition (http://www.bottledwatermatters.com/petition.php) and plenty of info at http://www.bottledwater.org/. So, does the average Slashdoter want the perceived purity and taste of the bottled stuff or does the stuff from the tap or chiller handle the job?"