[LUM#16] Jules, age 7½: “Is it better to drink bottled water or tap water?”
Jules, 7 and a half years old.
Thank you for your question—one that many people ask themselves. In fact, there
are several questions rolled into one: Is it better for taste, for health, for
the environment?
A different taste for your taste buds
People often choose to drink bottled water because they think it tastes better than tap water. The taste of water comes from minerals and trace elements. Water that comes from aquifers comes into contact with rocks and will contain more minerals than water that comes from a river. Bottled water comes mainly from groundwater and springs, whereas tap water can also be drawn from lakes and rivers: this is the case for nearly 40% of tap water in France. Tap water may have an unpleasant taste due to the chlorine used to disinfect it, but simply leaving an uncovered pitcher of water in the refrigerator for a few hours will remove the chlorine smell and taste.
When it comes to your health, tap water is the way to go
People often think that bottled water is safer, but in France,
tap water is treated and disinfected. It is regularly tested and subject to very strict health standards that allow us to drink it safely every day. Tap water is therefore considered safe to drink. Bottled water isn’t always safe to drink, because some mineral waters don’t necessarily meet these standards, and it’s not advisable to drink the same brand of mineral water every day. In fact, consuming too much or too little of certain minerals isn’t good for your health in the long run.
To help the environment, cut back on plastic bottles
You should also know that drinking bottled water has a greater impact on the environment
than drinking tap water. Bottled water passes through a bottling plant, a distribution center, stores, and the consumer’s car. On average, it’s estimated to travel 300 kilometers before reaching our glasses. Afterward, a plastic bottle will end up in an incinerator, be recycled (1 in 2 bottles is recycled), or, in the worst-case scenario, be left in the natural environment, where it takes between 100 and 1,000 years to degrade. Finally, having safe tap water is a luxury that many people in certain countries don’t have, so don’t hesitate to drink it!
Yvan Altchenko, hydrogeologist (AgroParisTech UMR GEAU)
and Flavie Cernesson, hydrologist (AgroParisTech UMR TETIS), members of the UNESCO International Center ICIREWARD.
An article in partnership with The Conversation.
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