Why do people drink bottled water?

[KayossZero]

I think this sums up a big reason why.

[FuxieDK]

I generally do not mind either way, but in the UK (at least up where I live) the water is chlorinated so it has a slightly bitter taste (thus, it does indeed have added chemicals.).

Yuck.. Chlor in water is a nasty habit.
I honestly thought it was something they only used in USA..
EU needs to step up to the plate and bann chlor from drinking water completely...

[smpJest]

I either buy bottled water or filter my water because the water in my area is actually pretty bad.
I do enjoy the taste of bottled better then tap though.

[PizzaSHARK]

Because I don't enjoy putting things in my mouth that taste terrible?

So buy a purifier for your home. They got versions that fit onto your faucet, or you can get one of those pitchers that you pour water into and it filters it over time. All they do is remove any trace minerals that might otherwise affect the taste of the water.

The water certainly isn't any "cleaner" than what it came out of the tap as.

[Deleted]

Tap water isn't always safe to drink. My town has it's own underground water source with clean water so it's okay, but when I was in other cities... Tap water literally STINKS there and I would never drink it if I had a choice. And mineral water has more... minerals.

There's also a difference between mineral water and spring water, and you can get them both bottled.

And high tier bottled water is really something else, you should try it if you can.

[davesurfer]

Tap water: No chemicals added..
Bottled water: Not clean enough to be allowed in the government water supply system
.

Public drinking analysis done by experts have uncovered that tap water contains over 2000 different types of toxic chemicals.

http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/...Tap-Water.html

Chemicals in some of the cities in Denmark
http://www.hofor.dk/wp-content/uploa...erker-2012.pdf
http://www.hofor.dk/wp-content/uploa...1/Broendby.pdf
http://www.hofor.dk/wp-content/uploa...lbertslund.pdf
http://www.hofor.dk/wp-content/uploa...01/Dragoer.pdf
http://www.hofor.dk/wp-content/uploa...dovre_web5.pdf
http://www.hofor.dk/wp-content/uploa...1/Roedovre.pdf
http://www.hofor.dk/wp-content/uploa...allensbaek.pdf
http://www.hofor.dk/wp-content/uploa.../01/Herlev.pdf

[PizzaSHARK]

For convenience. If I'm out and about in the city, I get thirsty, I'll buy a bottle of water. Is that wrong?

Sort of. Bottles create a lot of unnecessary waste that only rarely gets recycled, and some companies (Nestle being a notable one, recently) aren't exactly concerned with where they pull their water from.

On a large scale, drinking bottled water at the population level could even affect the water table for an area. Normally, animals (humans included) drink water from a local source, then sweat, pee, exhale, etc it out, where it evaporates and eventually becomes rain. But bottled water changes that, because water bottled on the west coast could then be consumed (and therefore, added to the water table) on the east coast.

I don't know how important that last bit is right now, but it's something to be considered. Millions of people drinking tens or hundreds of millions of bottles of water over several years probably could impact an area's water table.

- - - Updated - - -

Tap water isn't always safe to drink. My town has it's own underground water source with clean water so it's okay, but when I was in other cities... Tap water literally STINKS there and I would never drink it if I had a choice. And mineral water has more... minerals.

There's also a difference between mineral water and spring water, and you can get them both bottled.

And high tier bottled water is really something else, you should try it if you can.

Stinky water often just means there's a bit of sulfur in it. Generally speaking, there won't be enough sulfur content in the water to be dangerous if it's from a municipal source in the developed world. It may be a little stinky or taste slightly off, but you can just buy a home purifier for that kind of thing.

[THoyt]

So, why would you use bottled water?

Chlorine, period. The taste and smell of the chlorine in the city water here in our area is far too much for me to stand -- we drink bottled water and have for years because of that. We even have the ice maker in our freezer turned off, we buy bagged ice as well.

[belli13]

i dont know which countries have problems with tap water ...

in germany the tap water is the most strictly controlled good ever - its so perfectly clean you really dont need bottled water ...

[PizzaSHARK]

Public drinking analysis done by experts have uncovered that tap water contains over 2000 different types of toxic chemicals.

http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/...Tap-Water.html

No sources are cited for this one, which makes it effectively useless. I can't talk about the others, since I don't read Danish.

It's not surprising that chlorine is found in tap water, because it's commonly used to sanitize it. Fluorine is also an element that can be extremely deadly, far moreso than even cyanide, yet you'll also find it in municipal water sources... because it's good for your teeth. While both elements will often be present in municipal water, they won't be present in amounts large enough to be considered dangerous for consumption or use; believe me, you'd know if there was too much chlorine or fluorine in your water in a hurry. Both elements, in the right forms, can cause some nasty burns, much less what happens if you ingest them in those amounts...

Lead is even less likely to be a concern in the developed world. Protozoans are definitely a concern, and outbreaks can happen, but there are multiple failsafes in place to prevent a generalized outbreak from occurring, and it makes the news very quickly when one does happen.

[Deleted]

Because having access to a tap while on the go isn't always possible, if I was driving I'd fill a bottle up, but when using public transport I'd rather spend a £1 on 1.5 litre bottle than carry it round all day (plus it'll be straight out of the fridge)

[PizzaSHARK]

Chlorine, period. The taste and smell of the chlorine in the city water here in our area is far too much for me to stand -- we drink bottled water and have for years because of that. We even have the ice maker in our freezer turned off, we buy bagged ice as well.

Why not just buy a water filter? Save you a lot of trouble and money.

[freezion]

I doubt people in civilized, enlighted countries think bottled water is cleaner than ap water..

no offence, but this absolutely reeks of ignorance.

denmark has some, if not the most clean ground & tapwater in the world.
even in a lot of the developed countries, it's not possible to drink the tapwater without getting sick. there's quite a risk of getting legionnaires disease in a lot of the southern countries due to the heat.
the tap water in some countries are filled with disinfecting chemicals due to bad ground water to start with (i've experienced tap water that reeked of chlorine)

bottled water are convenient, especially for impulse buys.
but in some countries it's a darn need to buy it (but it's also cheap in those countries, i remember buying a 5l jug for 2 euros in spain).

[PACOX]

I have very shitty pipes leading to my house. Had a water bottle with a filter but it was a pain in the ass half the time. Water bottles are convenient, ultra portable, disposable. If its not little water bottles then its jugs and good places to refill jugs can be hard to find in some areas.

[Heathy]

when i went to spain we were told it was probably safer to drink bottled water, although if i have the choice at home i won't buy bottled water ill take Ribena over the plain water any day. same as tap water, plain water is well very plain i prefer mixing in some cordial.

[Mercarcher]

My tap water tastes like shit. I don't drink much bottled water either, but when I do drink water it is bottled.

[Bolson13]

no offence, but this absolutely reeks of ignorance.

denmark has some, if not the most clean ground & tapwater in the world.
even in a lot of the developed countries, it's not possible to drink the tapwater without getting sick. there's quite a risk of getting legionnaires disease in a lot of the southern countries due to the heat.
the tap water in some countries are filled with disinfecting chemicals due to bad ground water to start with (i've experienced tap water that reeked of chlorine)

bottled water are convenient, especially for impulse buys.
but in some countries it's a darn need to buy it (but it's also cheap in those countries, i remember buying a 5l jug for 2 euros in spain).

Same here in the Netherlands. There are actually fancy brand names that sell tap water in bottles except that they don't even filter it as much.
Dutch people know for instance Bar le Duc brand which is basically tap water that the people in Utrecht get. But hey, it sounds fancy and French

[Valech]

Because against common belief diffrent waters taste diffrent.

For cooking purposes or if I have to take any medication I will use tap water.
If I feel thirsty due to physical work or workouts I will use still water.
For everything else I´ll use sparkling water.

Deal with it.

[ihateyouall]

When I lived in the country we had well water, and man it was good. Most cities I've lived in have had very sour tap, though. I envy you!

Used to drink tap water quite often where I used to live, it was fine. Current home has well-water and it's got a bad taste to it. Water's been tested, it's fine for consumption and such, but it's just not very good tasting. Neighbor's water is fine. /shrug

As far as bottled, I just get the store brand. 24 bottles for $3 typically. $2.50 on sale right now actually.

[Ryme]

I pay for the convenience of not having to carry a bottle with me and having it chilled when I'm out and about, it's expensive for what it is, but I'm willing to pay the price.

Plus, I prefer the taste of some bottled waters to my own tap.