Tap or Bottled Water?

[hpfanfiction]

At home: Filtered Tap Water
Overseas: Only bottled water

[Christopher]

Your country sucks if you can't drink tap water. There's little point in having tap water if you can't drink it. Then again, bottled water is tap water.

[Asthaloth]

Buxton spring water is spring water.

I now, ive bathed in the fountain (... Yeah, dont ask)

[bodmod87]

I only drink bottled water because the tap water where I live (Northern Virginia) is the nastiest I've ever tasted. I've had tap water in several other states and they are marginally better. My favorite kinds of bottled water are (1) Dasani, (2) Aquafina, and (3) Pure Life (forget the company who makes it.)

There is only place that I know of where I actually like the tap water (no filter). That's in Bridgewater/Mt Solon, VA and about 240 miles southwest of where I live. I've never actually had tap water with a filter, so I can't comment on how that tastes.

I would drink tap water if it tasted good (i.e. like Dasani). I know that tap water (without the filter) is better for you because it has some minerals or something that your body needs. I'd rather just buy them in the Health aisle at my local supermarket.

As for the environmental impact of the plastic water bottles, it would be nice to see longer-lasting, attractive (as in goes with the clothes one wears), affordable, and virtually non-breakable bottles for drinks. It would cut down on what Americans and the rest of the world spends on bottled water.

Just some facts on what we spend on water:

- The average American drunk 27.6 gallons of bottled water last year.
- Americans spent $10.8 billion on bottled water last year.

That's just over 8,311,462,537 gallons of bottled water that Americans consumed last year.

Sources:

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/lifestyle/orl-bottledh2o07aug07,0,7309354.story?track=rss

[Mongrel]

I know that tap water (without the filter) is better for you because it has some minerals or something that your body needs.

Ours is fluoridated, which is probably one of the many reasons it's undrinkable.

[bodmod87]

The ADA (American Dental Association) said that all of the bottled water that they tested didn't contain the amount of fluoridate that the teeth need to help protect them from decay. Fluoridate helps the teeth by keeping in place tooth enamel. Think of tooth enamel as plastic and if the plastic wears thin or is removed it exposes the tooth to everything you eat and drink. If there is no fluoridate left on your teeth then the gums can recede and your teeth can wear down from the chewing and from drinking. That's why soda is so bad for the teeth. It helps in removing the enamel from the teeth. If you left a tooth submerged in Cola for a week, there would be nothing left of the tooth.

Having no enamel over your tooth hurts. I had a baby tooth that never fell out and my adult tooth started growing in my gums. I went to the dentist about 3 years ago thinking they would remove the adult one because my baby one was in good shape (if a little small), but they removed my baby one. My adult one is totally in my gums with only the first half showing. It looks weird and gives almost daily headaches. It also has no enamel on it. I can't afford to get it removed. The insurance considers it 'cosmetic surgery.' Wish someone would punch me hard on that side of the mouth. Nobody is willing to do it even though I said I wouldn't press any charges.

[Mongrel]

Considering that A) Tap water tastes so bad that it's not something I'd voluntarily drink if there were any other options for beverages, and B) Fluoride is bad for your body, can cause fluoride poisoning, and can bond with the calcium in your teeth, thus destroying enamel, I'll take my chances with unfluoridated water and just brush my teeth with a toothpaste that has fluoride. And as for cola, well, there's a reason you don't leave it in your mouth for a week.

I had a baby tooth that never fell out and my adult tooth started growing in my gums. I went to the dentist about 3 years ago thinking they would remove the adult one because my baby one was in good shape (if a little small), but they removed my baby one.

Baby teeth have much weaker roots than adult teeth. Removing an adult tooth is harder and much more painful, and the baby tooth would likely have fallen out by your late twenties anyway(though not always, as my grandmother can testify).

[mogster500]

I might have what you call fluorosis, when you get too much fluoride when your young. My teeth just look mottled white, but I think also it ate away a little at my enamel, since I take good care of my teeth and I still get cavities... You don't need extra fluoride when you're little, you get enough in your toothpaste and treatments at the dentist.

[Cassi]

There's a difference between "bottled water" and "spring water". (Mainly that the first tends to taste vile...like tap water with even more added junk.)

I drink filtered tap water. Or if I'm buying a bottle, I make sure it's spring water and not something I could get from the tap at home...

At my dad's, I drank the water from the tap unfiltered, but he has a well. Tastes much better than tap water of any kind, but as I don't intend to live that far out ever again I doubt I'll ever have a house with it.

[Kugetsu]

I hate most bottled water, it doesn't even TASTE like water and has more of a metallic taste. But... a lot of tap water sucks (Especially at our new place), but I would only drink tap water when I lived in East Peoria. Now I just drink that water that you can fill in jugs at certain stores instead... whatever that is. xD

[Byakuya San]

Since water currently costs more per gallon than gas does here, I drink filtered+refrigerated tap water, but sometimes I have Fiji water.

[3lla]

If I drink tap water I use the filter that I have, old prejudices that i have from living in the middle east i always have a filter over my tap. But in general I drink the bottled stuff.

[Cerise]

When Im at work, I drink about 2 liters of whatever kind of water they keep in their water coolers. The label claims its some kind of spring water, but who knows. It tastes fine, and Im not picky. The tap water is tolerable when unfiltered around here anyway. When I actually buy bottled water, I go for Fiji. Honestly, I only like the shape of the bottles, and cant taste any difference between it and anything else.

[Zilary]

I only drink wine.

(....kidding. I drink filtered tap )

[munduses]

Our tap water is really good. It's fresh, cold, and tastes basically nothing (as water should). So I only buy bottled water if I'm out and didn't take a tap water filled bottle with me.