Correcting the record in ‘FLOW’

“FLOW: For the Love of Water,” is a film that rightfully draws attention to the need for sustainable stewardship of our national and global water resources.

The 93-minute movie documentary presents to the audience a need for more responsible, science-based policies to govern community use, personal use, and industrial and commercial water use, while protecting and conserving Earth’s most critical resource.

The film, however, unfairly places blame on the bottled water industry.  Agreeing with the allegations in “FLOW,” Knoxville News Sentinel movie critic Betsy Pickle said in her recent blog post:

[Bottled water companies] build their plants and pump water to sell for big profits, meanwhile wriggling out of paying taxes, polluting the nearby environment and pricing potable water out of the range of locals.

First off, the bottled water industry pays taxes just like any other. No “wriggling out” there.

Next, it should be noted that all consumer products use water as an ingredient or in production, including foods and beverages. Furthermore, all industries that create a product cause some form of pollution during production and transportation – and the bottled water industry is on the low end of this lengthy list. (Get detailed facts here.)

Of all the users of water in America, bottled water production accounts for less than 2/100 of a percent (0.02%) of the total ground water withdrawn in the U.S. annually. While some bottled water companies use groundwater as the source, those companies further treat the water in a variety of ways – reverse osmosis, distillation, to name a few – before being bottled and sold to consumers.

What is also unclear in “FLOW” is the fact that bottled water companies are active in developing sound water management policies.

The industry actively supports comprehensive groundwater management practices that are science-based, treat all users equitably, are multi-jurisdictional and provide for future needs of this important resource.
And even though bottlers are a small ground water user, the industry has been instrumental in pushing states to develop comprehensive, science-based ground water management and sustainability regulations.

When there are times of drought or other water supply challenges, bottlers can adjust their water withdrawal to mitigate adverse impacts on a water resource. However, the industry is just one small piece of the puzzle and other water users must adopt the same protective measures to help ensure adequate resources for all.

Only then do we find the true answer to the problems addressed in “FLOW.”

Unsafe plastics? Not in bottled water products

Several recent media stories and a statement issued by the National Toxicology Program have raised questions about the safety of polycarbonate plastic bottles due to the presence of a substance known as bisphenol A, or BPA.

Many consumer products use polycarbonate plastic, including many types of food and drink containers.

As for bottled water, you will find many three and five-gallon bottled water containers made from polycarbonate plastic, and you can remain confident about the safety of these products.

Bottled water is comprehensively regulated as a food product by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.  In addition, plastic food and beverage containers – including polycarbonate plastic made with BPA – must meet or exceed all FDA requirements.

Polycarbonate plastic has been the material of choice for food and beverage product containers for nearly 50 years because it is lightweight, highly shatter-resistant, and transparent. Many studies and comprehensive safety evaluations have been conducted by government bodies worldwide to assess the potential for trace levels of BPA to migrate from plastic bottles into foods or beverages.

The conclusions?  That polycarbonate bottles are safe for consumer use.

An April 14, 2008 National Toxicology Program Draft Brief on BPA confirms that there are no serious or high level concerns for adverse effects of the chemical on human reproduction and development.

Steven G. Hentges, Ph.D., of the American Chemistry Council’s Polycarbonate/BPA Global Group, states:

“…findings in NTP’s draft report provide reassurance that consumers can continue to use products made from bisphenol A. Importantly, this conclusion has been affirmed by scientific and government bodies worldwide.”

In addition, this brief confirms that human exposure to BPA is extremely low, and noted there is no direct evidence in humans that exposure to BPA adversely affects reproduction or development.

Lastly, the limited evidence for effects in laboratory animals at low doses primarily highlights opportunities for additional research to better understand whether these findings are of any significance to human health.

For more information on this issue, visit the American Chemistry Council’s Web site at www.factsonplastic.com or www.bisphenol-a.org.

Also, you can check out our Q&A on BPA here.

Bans do nothing but take away choice

Restaurants in the Gateway to the West, St. Louis, have joined a few other restaurants nationwide that have stopped selling bottled water to customers.  About 30 restaurants across the U.S. have done this, out of the 945,000 eateries the National Restaurant Association has on record.

And starting this spring, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, City Hall will no longer buy bottled water for employees, planning to cancel about $20,000 in contracts with local vendors.

However, these bans don’t come down to a bottled water versus tap water issue.  This is a consumer choice issue.  Many people preferred bottled water over tap.  Bottles are a great alternative.  Some people prefer bottled water for its good taste, convenience and health aspects over more unhealthy beverage choices.  By banning bottled water in restaurants, those places could end up hurting business more than they think they are helping it. 

Take the example of Tony’s, a AAA five-diamond Italian restaurant in downtown St. Louis:

“A lot of people want bottled water,” said Vincent J. Bommarito, owner of Tony’s in St. Louis. “It’s the first thing we say: Good evening, do you want tap or bottled water?”

Bommarito says his sales of bottled water have shot up in the past decade, though he hesitated to sell it at first.

“It sounded like a hustle — to sell them water when they can get it for free,” he added. “But customers want it.”

Indeed, you can get some water for free.  But some people choose to pay for the additional benefits of the bottle.

An almost weekly occurrence

It seems like almost once a week or more there’s a story in the news about a water main break and the efforts made to get residents clean water.

This week’s water-main problem occurred in Salem, Ore., according to Salem-News.com:

Last Thursday, work by a contractor on a water main replacement project in south Salem was stopped when odors were detected at several residences after they were hooked up to the new water main…

…Twenty-four homes had been hooked up to the new water main when the project was stopped. The affected residences were notified of the concern and bottled water was provided to each residence. No other homes were affected.

For a day, those homes had no source of municipal water before the homes were reconnected to the old water main.  Bottled water helped fill that 24-hour or so gap. 

Bottled water is typically just an alternative to tap water.  But sometimes, as we’ve seen in Oregon, it’s an essential substitute.

 

What if there was no bottled water?

In Hamilton, Ohio, a water main broke.  It’s all repaired now, but up until then, according to The Journal-News:

The city issued the advisory following a water main break off Symmes Road about midnight on Tuesday, April 1. Advisories are issued as a precaution following a loss of pressure. It warns residents and businesses to use bottled water or boiled water for cooking, drinking or teeth brushing.

And in Southern Oregon, lead was found in an elementary school at levels almost double what was seen in 2006.  Bottles of water were also given to children.

Not to say that tap water isn’t safe – in most cases, it is. 

But these scenarios surely make you wonder: if some places are banning the purchase of bottled water by local governments, what happens when that government needs to rely on it?

Consumers are still choosing bottled water

Despite many of the inaccuracies perpetuated into the media about bottled water, consumers know better when it comes to the facts about this valued product: people appreciate the convenience, the healthfulness, and good taste of bottled water brands.

They drink it on-the-go, during exercise, at restaurants or meetings, and at home or the office. 

How much bottled water do Americans consume? To the tune of 8.8 billion gallons in 2007, up 6.9 percent from last year.  Per capita, that’s 29.3 gallons, up about two gallons from last year (nice to see we’re staying hydrated). 

Additionally, the wholesale dollar revenue for bottled water exceeded $11.7 billion in 2007, up 7.8 percent over the year prior.

Take note, too: bottled water safety and quality result from multiple layers of regulation and standards at the federal, state and industry levels. 

Taken together, these numbers show that U.S. bottled water sales and consumption continue to rise as consumers increasingly choose bottled water over other beverages.

Salmonella: not only in raw chicken

The farm town of Alamosa, Colo. has a major problem: salmonella in its tap water supply.  According to the Associated Press:

More than 300 of Alamosa’s 8,500 people have been sickened since the first victims showed symptoms on March 7. Some 73 cases have been confirmed, with 11 people requiring hospitalization. Half the victims have been under age 11.

Quoting the Centers for Disease Control, the article added that there have been 15 salmonella outbreaks in municipal water systems between 1971 and 2004.

When people sign on to unfair pledges to stop buying bottled water, when governments put burdensome taxes on the product (as we’ve seen in Chicago), or local officials enact bans for bottles in city offices (as we’ve seen in San Francisco), these actions make it harder for bottled water companies to do their job, and, can put these honest businesses out of business. 

These companies are being hurt by such actions, and they must be preserved.  Because as we’ve seen in Alamosa, bottled water isn’t always just a choice: it’s a necessity.

A Consumer Voice for Bottled Water Choice

Ban bottled water or keep it as a healthy beverage choice? Pam Mulder gets it right in this letter to the editor.

With bottled water tax, spending down in Chi-town

The bottled water tax in Chicago isn’t giving the city its expected returns.

In Chicago tonight, CBS2 called the tax “a bust” that has added 40 percent less revenue than projected to the city’s coffers.

What’s more, the tax – as tax opponents warned – has been bad for businesses in the city that sell bottled water: CBS said that citizens are simply buying the healthy product in the suburbs, bypassing the city tax altogether.

The news today is yet more proof that people deserve to have a fair choice – and they’ll go out of their way to have it their way.

A reporter nearly gives up a responsible choice

The Denver Post’s Marcia Darnell lives in a community that is experiencing a need for bottled water following a salmonella outbreak in her local tap water system. 

While bottled water is typically enjoyed as a packaged beverage-of-choice, sometimes it is needed by communities faced with tap water service interruptions. 

In her town, bottled water companies responded with donations to help ensure residents had clean water for drinking and other personal uses.  Darnell was about to give up bottled water, as she’d heard about the “global uprising against it.” However, as she puts it, the reporter “dodged a bullet.” 

I live in Alamosa, which is currently designated a Third World country, thanks to an infiltration of what may be salmonella in the city water supply. Now, I’m required to use bottled water – not just for drinking, but for cooking, washing dishes, and brushing teeth.  Alamossans are supposed to use hand sanitizer after washing as well, and officials say it may take two weeks to get our taps back to normal.

Citizens in the San Luis Valley were buying bottles by the liter to stay hydrated, cook, clean and even feed their pets.

Learn more facts about bottled water by clicking here.