How Is Bottled Water Different From Tap & Distilled Water?
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Bottled Water
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The quality and taste of bottled water will vary depending on where the water was sourced from and the quality standards put into place for that particular brand. The National Resources Defense Council conducted a four-year study on bottled water and found that 25% or more of bottled water on the market is merely tap water, which may or may not be filtered or treated further. The NRDC also suggests that the plastic in the bottles could leach some harmful contaminants into the water in as short a time as 10 weeks, although conclusive research has not been conducted to confirm whether it poses a health risk.
The remaining 75% of the bottled water comes from wells or natural springs. Both well water and spring water contain different types and amounts of minerals depending on the geographic location it comes from. Since well and spring water both come from the ground, the individual taste of any bottled water is most dependent on the area it is sourced from.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has put labeling standards into place for the bottled water industry so that you can identify what geographic area the water came from. That same label may tell you that the water is from a spring, but that may incorrect, as the FDA allows well water that is reasonably similar to spring water to be labeled as spring water.
Tap Water
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Tap water generally comes from one of two sources: a private well or a public water supply. The Environmental Protection Agency regulates 90% of the public water supplies in the United States through standards that set the levels of contaminants and minerals that it can contain. Any water flowing through a public (or municipal) water supply is treated to be sure that the water meets minimum health guidelines. How the water tastes will depend on whether the water comes from a reservoir, the ground, a spring or other source.
Private wells draw from ground water. They are not regulated by the EPA, and it is up to each individual owner to test and filter their water to be sure that it is safe. The color, odor and taste of well water can vary from region to region and even from home to home depending on the level of certain minerals and what type of contaminants are predominant in the area. The presence of a gas station or underground oil tank can also adversely impact the water in a private well.
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Distilled Water
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Water is a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen molecules as well as many microscopic contaminants and dissolved minerals. The distillation process involves heating the water to the point where it turns to steam. As the steam rises, those heavier contaminants and minerals remain solid. The steam is then collected and allowed to condense, returning it to its natural state.
Distilled water has a very distinctive taste because the minerals that give water its natural flavor are missing. Because the water is devoid of all minerals, there are conflicting beliefs about the health benefits of distilled water. Dr. Ron Kennedy of Santa Rosa, California, dispels the myth that distilled water is unhealthy. He states that understanding mineral chemistry in living systems is the key to understanding why our mineral intake should come from plants and not water, and concludes that drinking distilled water is perfectly safe and healthy.
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- Photo Credit Photograph by Zsuzsanna Kilián
