[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—it’s one that many people ask themselves. In fact, there are several questions rolled into one here: is it better for taste, for health, or for
the environment?
A unique taste experience
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 cause the chlorine smell and taste to disappear.
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, which allow us to drink it safely every day. Tap water is therefore considered safe to drink. Bottled water is not always safe to drink, as some mineral waters do not necessarily meet these standards, and it is not advisable to drink the same brand of mineral water every day. In fact, consuming too much or too little of certain minerals is not good for your health in the long run.
For the environment, reduce your use of plastic bottles
You should also know that drinking bottled water has a greater environmental impact
than drinking tap water. Bottled water goes through a bottling plant, a distribution center, stores, and the consumer’s car. On average, it’s estimated that it travels 300 kilometers to reach our glasses. Then, a plastic bottle will end up in an incinerator, be recycled (1 in 2 bottles is recycled), and, in the worst-case scenario, be left in nature where it takes between 100 and 1,000 years to break down. Finally, having clean 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 Centre ICIREWARD.
An article in partnership with The Conversation.
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