When it comes to options for safe drinking water, people are often confused. Bottled, filtered or straight from the tap; there have never been so many options available. A large part of the population believes that tap water, in particular, is not safe to drink. Let’s drive into the debate for some answers.
Tap Water
When it comes to tap water, there is a common misconception among people about its safety. Let’s settle this once for all. Tap is water is safe to drink, and in some cases, bottled water may not be safer than tap water. Just in case you might know, tap water is tested more frequently than bottled water which makes it a safe bet. In order to supply tap water for public use, it is first treated at a water treatment plant where impurities and contaminants are filtered out. Although I agree, it could taste bad at times due to the presence of chlorine which is added as a disinfectant to kill the micro-organisms. Many blind taste tests conducted revealed no noticeable difference between tap water and bottled water. There are many benefits of tap water. The first and foremost being the convenience. Easily available to drink right from your kitchen sink, it is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to quench your thirst. When it comes to environmental impact, tap water is far greener than bottled water. Bottled water uses energy at every stage of production: treating it, filling it, shipping it, and storing it. And not to forget, the impact the single-use plastic bottles have on mother nature. The major concern with tap water is the possible contamination from the old and weary piping system. Many of those pipes were laid in the mid-20th century with a lifespan of 75-100 years. This contaminates the drinking water with lead, which increases the risk of cancer in humans.
Bottled Water
Bottled water no doubt is convenient as it offers hydration on the go. The bottled water is regulated, and the authorities require manufacturers to process bottled water under strict conditions that ensure the safety of the water you’re drinking. This means bottled water, in general, is safer to drink than tap water as it undergoes some form of purification before the water is filled into bottles. These purification processes enhance its taste by removing unpleasant odours and chemicals from the water. In rare cases, bottled water may be recalled due to contamination by mechanical failure. While bottled water adds convenience to your lifestyle, it may turn out to be way more expensive than you may have thought. An average family in Ireland spends around €2000 on bottled water every year which does not make it cost-effective. Furthermore, chances are by now you know how harmful bottled water is to the planet. The impact of single-use plastic bottles on the environment is monumental. With 80 percent of plastic bottled not being recycled, they either end up in landfills or destroy marine life.
Filtered Water
Household water filters are nothing new, but the recent technological developments have improved the filtration processes, reduced overhead & maintenance costs, simplified the installation process, and improved sustainability. The choice of water filter will impact the quality of water you’re getting. As outlined earlier in this blog, bottled water and tap water have their own set of disadvantages when it comes to providing safe drinking water. Bottled water not only is too expensive but also deteriorates the environment. On the other hand, tap water could possibly be contaminated with lead due to ageing infrastructure. Filtered water comes up with multiple benefits. Water filters remove all contaminants from the water including odours from chlorine, microbial contamination from bacteria, other impurities like sand, pesticides, and harmful chemicals. The cost of a water filtration system could seem high upfront, it quickly becomes a money-saving investment in just a year to follow. This means you would be saving a lot of money and enjoying better tasting water than your favourite water bottle. The most common type of water filters these days are under-sink water filters, reverse osmosis water filtration systems, pitchers, ceramic filters, gravity filters, activated carbon filters, ultraviolet filtration and many more. Check out our range of reverse osmosis systems and how they work.
Final Word
All three types of water including bottled and tap water are generally safe to drink in Europe. However, the impact of bottled water on the environment is alarming. Here is our attempt to rate bottled vs tap vs filtered water.
So why are you paying someone else to bottle your water when you can simply filter your own water at your home and at a fraction of a price? Just contact us and we'll assist you in deciding which filter would suit you the best.