Environmental Impact

°In 2004, the total global consumption of bottled water was 154 billion liters (41
billion gallons), a 57 percent increase from the 98 billion liters consumed in
1999.8

°Americans buy about 28 billion water bottles a year, and 80 percent of bottles end
up in landfills. However, these figures are not limited solely to bottled water and
are on par with the recycling levels of many other packaged food or beverage
products.

°The global bottled water market grew by 7% in 2006 to reach a value of $60,938.1
million (60.9 billion). The market grew by 8.1% in 2006 to reach a volume of
115,393.5 million liters. In 2011, the market is forecast to have a value of
$86,421.2 million (86.4 billion), an increase of 41.8% since 2006. In 2011, the
market is forecast to have a volume of 174,286.6 million liters, an increase of 51%
since 2006.

°The anti-bottled water arguments made are that, unlike tap water, bottled water
uses up oil and other fossil fuels to be produced and shipped, fills up landfills,
represents wasted money, and does not go through nearly as rigorous filtering
and cleansing processes.

°Supporters of bottled water are quick to counter that bottled water is not simply tap
water in a bottle and the oil used is minimal in comparison to that of general
transportation or other packaged foods and beverages.

°Bottled water is regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which
requires bottled water to comply with bottled water-specific standards, as well as
regulations required of all food products.

Economic Impact

°Consumption is especially relevant in developing countries, where tap water is
often of poor quality and where, even if the quality of tap water may be acceptable,
it is often difficult to obtain reliable data on the quality of tap water.

°Bottled water use is especially high in countries such as Mexico and Brazil. While
the poorest often can't afford bottled water and the richest face little economic
constraints in buying bottled water, the cost of bottled water is a significant burden
for middle-class households in many developing countries.

°Sales of bottled water in Mexico are estimated at 32 billion Pesos (US$ 3bn) in
2005,[18] or about US$ 135 per household, which is about twice the level of the
average tap water bill.

°Sales of bottled water reached $7.7 billion in 2002, up 12% from 2001, according
to Beverage Marketing Corp., a New York-based consulting company.

Health Impact

°About 25% of bottled water sold is simply re-processed/used municipal(city) water
according to a 1999 study in the United States.

°Both Aquafina from Pepsi-Cola Company and Dasani from The Coca-Cola
Company are reprocessed from municipal water systems.

°While there have been few comprehensive studies, one analysis several years
ago found that about 22 percent of brands that were tested contain, in at least one
sample, chemical contaminants at levels above strict state health limits.

°If consumed over a long period of time, some of these contaminants could cause
cancer or other health problems

Emergency Response

°Each year, the bottled water industry donates millions of bottles of water to areas
affected by natural disasters or cases where drinking municipal water is not an
option because of contamination. For example, a recent cryptosporidium
contamination of the municipal water in Northamptonshire (UK) lead to Aqua
Amore Limited donating six hundred and forty eight liters of water to nursing
homes in the area.

Background: Charlie, PJMS
Research & Flash: Nick, PJMS

Works Cited
"Bottled Water." Bottled Water- Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 14 Nov. 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/bottled_water#impact_of_bottled_water>.

"Our Environment." Environment and Health. 18 Nov. 2008 <http://
www.bottledwater.org/public/environment_main.html>.