Why Is Bottled Water Better Than Tap Water

Argumentative Essay: Is Tap Water Better than Bottled Water?

Bottled water ranks high among the fastest growing product in the beverage market/industry around the world. In other words, the world’s consumption of the bottled water is on the increase. Many consumers of bottled water see it as a perfect replacement of taped water. Despite many people opting for bottled water, the consumption of tap water remains high. As Doria (2006) notes, the type of water that a person consumes mainly depends on individual’s view and opinion about each type. However, it should be noted that most bottled water companies capitalize on the concerns that exist on the usage of water supplied by the municipality to homes through the taps. Some people feel that the

Although the packaging itself is bad enough for the bottled, (Ferrier 2001) notes that the chemical composition of the water itself can be more deadly due to limited regulation. The tap water is under keen regulation by the municipality. Besides, (Ferrier 2001) goes ahead to indicate that quality of water coming from the taps is checked routinely for any suspicious particles and chemicals. This is not the case for bottled water. First, as Doria (2010) notes, twenty to twenty-five percent of the bottled water comes directly from tap water without any form of purification through distillation of any other treatment. This means that 25 to 40 percent of the bottled water is not any different from the tap water only that it has been exposed to or has a high concentration of the chemicals used to manufacture the packaging plastics. Due to the pathetically primitive regulation of the bottled water, the manufacturers are not keen to inform the consumers of the contaminants that are present in their water. According to Warburton (1993), consumers are likely to drink bottled water containing contaminants such as E.coli, asbestos, giardia, bromate and many other industrial chemicals and pathogens. Arnold & Larsen (2006) indicate that ten water brands in the US had thirty-eight

This is especially the opinion and suggestion of all bottling companies. According to Doria (2006), the convenience associated with the bottled water is because bottled water is portable. In addition, Doria (2006) notes that bottled water is always available and can be bought in any destination. A company like Nestle sells water in almost all countries. Besides, as indicated by Arnold & Larsen (2006), there is a general perception that the tap water goes under thorough purification before the actual packaging. Those in support of the bottled water also indicate that tap water is cheap and affordable. Although some of these arguments are true, they cannot justify bottled water as a better option than the tap water. First, although the bottled water is available in all destination, tap water is also found in every location served by the municipality. In fact, as Arnold & Larsen (2006) indicate, most people consume the bottled water not because it is convenient, but because they believe it is safe. As mentioned earlier, the safety of the bottled water is even questionable because of the limited regulation of the sector. In addition, even though the bottled water is economically friendly in terms of prices, the tap water is more cost