Why is bottled water bad for the environment and deadly for health?

The past few decades have seen a paradigm shift in terms of the way we humans consume water. In this regard, the water bottle industry has thrived on an impressive level. The necessity of clean and healthy water needed for drinking has given a huge push to this industry on a major level. But do you know that a bottle of plastic water is not only hampering our health but is bad for our environment. This piece would enlighten you about why is bottled water bad for the environment and how it impacts our health.

A surprising thing to ponder is that in most places normal tap water is safe for drinking yet significant number of water bottles are used by people on a daily basis. Let us take an example of the United States where around 1500 plastic water bottles are estimated to be used every second. It is this fact that makes it the U.S’s bottled market the biggest in the entire world.

No matter how massive this plastic bottle industry gets, there is no denying that it comes with a huge cost. And, in this case, it is not only our environment that has to bear the cost but our health also gets affected.

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Why is bottled water bad for the environment?

If we go by the facts then the process involved in the production of plastic bottles needs on an average of 17 million barrels of oil every year. A fun fact is that approximately the same amount of oil can be used for the maintenance of fueled cars in a year. 

The production of plastic water bottles requires a product that goes by the chemical name of polyethene terephthalate (PET). The worst part about the PET is that it requires a large amount of fossil fuel in the making process. Apart from this the making of water bottles actually requires more water as compared to the amount one can fill in it. What an irony, isn’t it?  Clearly explains why is bottled water bad for the environment.

In the entire process of water bottle making a large amount of water gets wasted as it gets exposed to the chemicals. At times this water is directly released into water bodies without even proper processing. This activity affects marine animals and makes the water bodies more hazardous.

Further, a significant number of these bottles end up either on the roadsides, on railway tracks or floating on water bodies. Being non-biodegradable in nature they do get degraded over the years if thrown on the sidewalks. It kills animals (if they mistakenly eat them) and if burnt, they release some toxic substances into the air, again making it very unhealthy for the environment.  All of this causes plastic water bottles pollution.

Plastic water bottles pollution deadly for our health

You will be surprised to hear the fact that using plastic bottles can affect the health of human beings in many ways. Read why are plastic water bottles bad for our health

The first and foremost way of how consumption of plastic bottles affects our health is the contaminated water that gets hazardous due to the release of toxic chemicals by the water bottle manufacturing industries. There are still a number of such firms that release the chemically hazardous water directly into the water bodies without treating it properly.  Major reason why is bottled water bad for the environment.

Although there are legal provisions in this regard that have been laid out by a number of nations, still the release of chemically hazardous water can be easily found at places. This water is used by farmers for irrigation of vegetables, etc that is consumed by humans. This way the production of plastic water bottles affects our health indirectly.

Secondly, according to a recent study, Bisphenol A (BPA) which is an organic substance used to make plastic is found to cause a number of health issues such as diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, and cancer as well. As per the suggestions made by some experts, BPA at times seems out of the plastic water bottles and causes the above-mentioned health issues.  Major reason why are plastic water bottles bad for our health.

This chemical is basically an endocrine disruptor that is known to mimic the effect of estrogen present in the human body. Further, the study says that it is due to this chemical that women can face problems while conceiving at times. There are some countries where the use of BPA chemicals has even been banned for the same reason. 

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At times the plastic bottles are burned with other waste that comes out of the houses. Other instances of burning plastic bottles have also been found. When plastics are burnt in any form, it releases a number of toxic chemicals into the air that contaminates the air we humans breathe in. This reason of why is bottled water bad for the environment is known to many.

Lastly, this is a known fact that plastics are not- biodegradable in nature. People often use water bottles and throw them on sidewalks that never degrade, disturbing the entire ecosystem cycle. Further, the waste management of plastics is relatively not up to the mark in a number of countries which directly or indirectly affect human health. 

What can be done to stop plastic water bottles pollution

It is we who create the very base of the reason for the existence of plastic water bottles. We are the consumers who create the demand for this product. So, in order to curb the usage, we can contribute to a significant level and the steps to do so are mentioned below- 

• People who live in such places where tap water is healthy and fit for drinking should try to minimize their dependency on bottled water. 
• Even if the tap water which is supplied to your houses is not safe for drinking then prefer the installation of RO in your houses rather than buying bottled water on a daily basis. 
• While travelling for short distances try to take your person bottles and carry water in those rather always depending on the plastic bottled water brought from outside. 
• After you have used the plastic water bottles do not throw them on sidewalks or water bodies, or on railway tracks. Always look for a dustbin to dispose of the plastic bottle. 

Now that we all know why is bottled water bad for the environment and our health, if we make little effort, we can bring a change. A lot is been happening around us and we need to understand that our environment needs love and support. Nature is warned us time and again. It is high time we step up and work towards a better tomorrow.

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