Chris Brueggeman

Professor Gant
English Composition 101
15 November 2014
An Unnecessary Evil
In this day and age, people in America have become wary and worried of
everything. Is the food being bought organic and GMO free? Is the tap water safe to
drink? Is the government spying on the public? Is the world coming to an end?
Everything is up for debate as to whether or not it is safe and healthy. One thing that has
been deceived the public as being safe and healthy is bottled water. Many companies
brand their water as from natural springs or being mountain water and being
environmentally safer than tap water. But that is part of the deception. Bottled water is
unhealthy and unsafe to humans and the environment and should be banned.
One big problem with the bottled water industry is the marketing and branding.
The companies selling the bottled water purposely use ethical and emotional appeals to
promote the purchasing of their product. Much of the research on cause framing has
been undertaken by advertising or marketing experts who focus on what kinds of
messages elicit greater emotional response and empathy (and thereby, purchasing [of that
product]) (Hawkins). They focus the advertising on a singular person, or victim, to
increase donations and very little research is used to identify the problems needing
solutions. The solution to these problems, according to bottled water companies is the
purchase of an environmentally and socially harmful product, such as bottled water, [and
it is] a legitimate and ethical route towards alleviating the world water crisis (Hawkins).

The water world crisis is one such problem used by the company Ethos Water.
Bought in 2005 by Starbucks, Ethos Water, has stated the problem as this, according to
their website:
Despite the apparent abundance of clean water in the US and most of the
developed world, more than 1 billion people around the world lack clean, safe
drinking water and more than 2.6 billion lack adequate sanitation services. The
problem affects children most. Indeed, the world water crisis is one of the largest
public health issues of our time (Ethos Water).
One major flaw present is suggesting that the entirety developed world has access to
water. Most other statistics used on the website are from the World Health Organization
and UNICEF.
With this picture painted, it appears to be true: buying bottled water will help
developing countries gain access to clean water. Not only that, but because this water is
natural spring water, is must be safer and healthier than regular tap water. But this may
not be the case. Scientists have studied this supposed healthy water and discovered
something shocking. Out of most bottled water samples, they found chemicals that can
interfere with estrogen and androgen receptors, a region of tissue, or a molecule that
responds specifically to a particular hormone. The chemicals to blame are two different
classes of maleates and fumarates, molecules that contain acid. These chemicals are
known to cause potency in the endocrine receptors. When the same tests were used on
regular tap water, none of these chemicals were present. Other contaminants can affect
the waters quality: compounds present in the aquifer, external contamination at the

bottling plant, and contaminants migrating from the packaging material. With these
stakes on the line, does it seem really safer and healthy?
While bottled water puts harm onto our bodies, it also puts harm into the
environment. putting drinking water into disposable plastic bottles consumes an
enormous amount of energy to produce, package and transport. The energy consumed is
estimated to be the equivalent of more than 17 million barrels of oil annually (Dolesh).
The main ingredient in the production of bottled water is a special plastic called
polyethylene terephthalate. While this plastic has been manufactured to be recyclable,
more than 85% of these bottles just end up in landfills (Dolesh). Also, these bottles can
end up being incinerated, where it will release toxic chemicals into the air, where we
breathe it in. These chemicals can also harm plants and animals in the same way.
Bottled water seems to be more of a hazard than it is helpful. But there are
alternatives. Many companies have manufactured reusable plastic water bottles, where
you can fill these with tap water over and over again without stopping by the local
vending machine to buy another dangerous bottled water. Not only does this solve the
problems of our health and the environment, it can help save money in the long run. Is
bottled water really all that much safer and efficient for us and the environment? Should
we sacrifice our health and our world for hydration that we can find at the nearest faucet?
Is the convenience of bottled water really worth the harm? Let the evidence do the
talking.

Works Cited
Diduch, Malwina, aneta Polkowska, and Jacek Namienik. "Factors Affecting The
Quality Of Bottled Water." Journal Of Exposure Science & Environmental
Epidemiology 23.2 (2013): 111-119. Academic Search Premier. Web. 18 Nov.
2014.
Dolesh, Richard J. "The Problem With Bottled Water." Parks & Recreation 49.5 (2014):
36. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 18 Nov. 2014.
"Ethos Water Fund." Starbucks Coffee Company. Starbucks Coffee Company, n.d.
Web. 15 Nov. 2014.
Hawkins, Roberta, and Jody Emel. "Paradoxes Of Ethically Branded Bottled Water:
Constituting The Solution To The World Water Crisis." Cultural
Geographies 21.4 (2014): 727-743. Academic Search Premier. Web. 18 Nov.
2014.