Transcript Slide 1

WERE YOU AWARE?
THE FLAWED PROCESS OF BOTTLED WATER
60 Million plastic bottles a day are disposed of in America
alone!
Massive amounts of greenhouse gases are produced from
manufacturing the plastic bottles.
Millions of gallons of fuel are wasted daily transporting
filtered tap water across America and around the world.
It requires 3 times as much water to make the bottle as it
does to fill it... it is an exceptionally wasteful industry.
ALARMING BOTTLED WATER FACTS:
The fact is that people pay from $1 to $4 a gallon for the perception of higher quality, when in fact the
quality of bottled water is at best unknown! Over 90% of the cost of bottled water is in the bottle, lid and
label. Source: Bottled Water Blues
86% of plastic water bottles used in the United States become garbage or litter. That means less than 15%
are recycled. Source: Earth Policy Institute
In California alone, more than 1 billion water bottles are thrown out annually, according to the California
Department of Conservation. Nationwide, just 15% of the tens of billions of bottles consumed each year are
recycled. Source: California Department of Conservation
Manufacturing 29 billion plastic bottles used for water in the United States each year requires the
equivalent of more than 17 million barrels of crude oil. Source: Earth Policy Institute
After testing 1000 bottles of water, 33% had bacterial contamination, synthetic organic chemicals including
industrial solvents, and inorganic contaminants such as arsenic.
Source: Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
As much as 40% of all bottled water comes from a city water system, just like tap water. The report also
focuses on the fact that 60% to 70% of all bottled water sold in the U.S. is exempt from the FDA's bottled
water standards. Source: Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
The most common plastic used in water bottle manufacturing is PET (polyethylene terephthalate), a
substance that is environmentally unfriendly. Producing bottled water also requires 17.5 kilograms of
water to produce only 1 kilogram of PET thus more
water is used making a PET bottle than is actually put into it.
A research team from the Peninsula Medical School, the University of Exeter,
the University of Plymouth and the University of Iowa, have found evidence
linking bisphenol A (BPA) to diabetes and heart disease in adults. BPA is
used in polycarbonate plastic products and commonly used in food
and drink containers. Source: Medical Research News, October 2008
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GREEN
WERE YOU AWARE?
ALARMING DRINKING WATER FACTS:
Officials in Philadelphia said testing there discovered 56 pharmaceuticals or byproducts in treated drinking
water, including medicines for pain, infection, high cholesterol, asthma, epilepsy, mental illness and heart
problems. Sixty-three pharmaceuticals or byproducts were found in the city's watersheds. Source: Associated
Press (AP)
Cancer-causing arsenic is currently present in the drinking water of 22 million Americans at average levels of
5 ppb, well below a new EPA standard for arsenic of 10 ppb that went into effect in 2006. Yet scientists now
know that there is no safe level of arsenic in drinking water.
Source: Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
According to Utah State University Extension, up to 90% of oral drugs can pass through humans unchanged.
These often then move through wastewater into streams and groundwater. It is generally cost prohibitive for
utilities to use systems such as nano-filtration, long contact activated carbon, and reverse osmosis. However,
these technologies have proven successful at removing many contaminants in POU water treatment systems.
Source: Water Quality Assn., March 2008
In addition to pharmaceuticals, water quality experts are examining other emerging contaminants, such as
those found in personal care products and pesticides. These are referred to as endocrine disrupting
chemicals. POU filtering systems have also been proven to treat threats such as lead and mercury. Source: Water
Quality Assn., March 2008
46 Million Americans may have pharmaceuticals in their water. The Associated Press reported in May 2008,
that municipalities RARELY inform their residents when pharmaceuticals are found in drinking water.
According to AP, the overwhelming majority of US cities have NOT tested drinking water for pharmaceuticals.
One of them, being New York City, maintains that testing “is not warranted at this time.” Source: Water Quality
Assn., September 2008
Reverse Osmosis is a treatment method has been approved by EPA for removing mercury.
Source: EPA
Reverse Osmosis systems remove nitrates. Nitrates which are ingested by infants or young arm animals are
changed into dangerous nitrites, which can seriously affect the blood’s ability to release oxygen. Once these
nitrites enter the circulatory system, they combine with the blood’s hemoglobin and prevent life-sustaining
oxygen from being carried to body tissues.
Source: Water Quality Assn., May 2008
Once taken into the body, nitrates are converted into nitrites. The greatest use of nitrates is as a fertilizer.
Excessive levels of nitrate in drinking water have caused serious illness
and sometimes death. Source: EPA., November 2006
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GREEN