Peter Gleick: "Bottled and Sold: The Story Behind Our Obsession with Bottled Water" (Island Press)
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2010-05-27/peter-gleick-bottled-and-sold-story-behind-our-obsession-bottled-water-island-press
Water went from being a free natural resource to one of the most successful products of the last century. The story of why that happened and how the daily choices we make about water affect our future and that of others around the world.
Guests
Peter Gleick
President, the Pacific Institute in Oakland California.
Recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship for his work on water issues.
Joseph Doss
President, International Bottled Water Association
Comments
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Municipal water treatment systems where not designed to treat the pharmaceutical waste (i.e. medicine) and other chemicals (solvents, cleaners) that are routinely poured down the drains of businesses & homes. Moreover municipal water systems are not required to test for or remove these contaminants; and the long term medical implications of ingesting these chemicals (especially in combination with one another) has yet to be studied. If the reports in the news, including on NPR, about pharmaceutical waste in the municipal water supply are true, how can the consumer criticized for opting not to drink municipal water or even bottled water sourced from a municipal supply? I drink water sourced from rain and filter through a volcanic aquifer.
Jade Jones
Baltimore, MD
Good point J. A. Jones - perhaps a reason so many American and European men are becoming more and more 'feminized' these days is because they are constantly drinking water laced with female hormones from all of the birth control pills modern women take. Studies have shown that these hormones, pharmaceuticals, and pills are negatively affecting fish and other aquatic animal life, so it makes sense that all of these chemicals are changing the internal chemistry of many humans too.
Check out FLOW, an important, depressing, but somewhat hopeful documentary: http://www.flowthefilm.com/
How can you compare tap water with so much not filtered out to triple filtered, reverse osmosis type bottled water?
Tap water is often referred to as "clean and free". The "clean" part can vary from place to place and from day to day. Free, clean water is a notion from the past. Cheap, clean water is getting hard to find.
Waste water treatment in this country is underfunded and not up to the tasks that lay ahead. Like cheap gasoline, cheap water is just a system that passes the cost on to someone else.
Bottled water passes costs on as well. Oceans and landfills are full of oil based plastics that will be haunting us for generations to come.
Charlie
My Grandma and Grandpa told me that when they were stationed in France, my Grandma refused to drink the tap water because it was slightly cloudy and only drank the bottled water. Turned out that some tests were done and the tap water was safer than bottled water was.
What about chlorine byproducts?
Plastic! All that waste - heading to the landfill -
Use a glass water bottle, wash it, refill it. It doesn't taste, leach harmful chemicals, or use foreign oil for its production. Head to the tap and stay off the bottle!
Fluoride is the reason that I will not use municipal water. Fluoride taken internally does not reduce cavities, it is when fluoride is used topically, not when it is ingested. It takes a very special and expensive filter to remove fluoride and the typical ones on the faucets will not remove fluoride. Ms. Rehm, please have someone from the Fluoride Action Network on your show to address this and discuss the facts. I agree that bottled water is an environmental disaster but we must have better, cleaner and purer water.
It is Calcium and Magnesium that prevent cavities. Flouride is NOT necessary, despite the industry's claims, and studies show that virtually all Americans are horribly deficient in Magnesium! I have a house filter and if I do buy bottled water it is in glass bottles.
Several years ago, about 8 I moved from Dayton Ohio to DFW (Dallas Ft Worth area) and the first thing I noticed aside from the weather was the smell from any water source such as a bathroom, kitchen, etc. It ALL smelled of sewage and it took me several years to get used to it so at first I did drink bottled water whenever I could, but the cost eventually drove me back to drinking tap water and now I am used to it, but my health has gone down hill and I believe the local water source is the culprit, but this is Texas where industry rules EVERYTHING. Ordinary citizens have no voice in this state so it's either drink the sludge or buy unhealthy bottled water. Half dozen of one, six of the other.
I noticed that when my family travels to different states or countries and drink the local water we always get sick reason why we stick to bottle nowadays.
In addition, once the water leaves the treatment facility we do not know if the path to our houses its clean or clear of bacteria.
Anybody that tells you to drink tap water must be working for the government to make sure you are death before collecting social security.
Tell your guess to give tap water to any new born or elder in his family.
I often have discussions with individuals in our office that say they only drink bottled water. Many times I find out that they do not know where the bottle water comes from as stated by your guest. But what is more interesting is when I mention to my friends that the food we eat is prepared using tap water they do not realize that fact and they just walk away. Some of this is image and has little to do with health.
David
In full disclosure I want to state that I work for a company where my key responsibility is selling ready to drink beverages including bottled water. However my primary reason for supporting bottled water is the fact that when I go into a convenience store for something to drink I prefer buying a bottle of cold water rather than a sugar laden carbonated drink. Its far more refreshing and healthy for me. I can appreciate the environmental concerns as with all consumable products and I am careful to recycle. And by the way, after drinking bottled water, I can no longer stand the smell of tap water in my community. However for health reasons, we must have this convenience option.
I am an avid Bottled Water Girl in a Coastal Region that many times issues "boiled water advisories" and "water studies." Namely the Lejune Water Study.
I am not going drink tap water if I have to give up everything else.
However, Mr Gleick has convinced me in a very enlightening and non-threatening way, why I do need to switch to Filtered Tap Water.....ie petroleum bottles, inadequate labeling in the US, landfill waste etc etc etc.
I am switching to Filtered Water Today and will begin enjoying the savings.
Thank you Mr Glick
I think most use of bottled water is for convenience and although a tax on bottled water might be called regressive, it will discourage use of disposable convience items. I would support this kind of tax on all disposable or convenience items that are used once and discarded. All of us, municipalities and our shared environment, bear the costs and a tax could help discourage this kind of use and help pay for recycling.
I think most use of bottled water is for convenience and although a tax on bottled water might be called regressive, it will discourage use of disposable convience items. I would support this kind of tax on all disposable or convenience items that are used once and discarded. All of us, municipalities and our shared environment, bear the costs and a tax could help discourage this kind of use and help pay for recycling.
Fascinating show on the bottled water today. There is a new company started by a couple of graduates of University of Penn. that provides solution to the bottled water dilemma. They have designed a bottle with an integrated filter that can be carried with you like a water bottle. It is re-usable bottle, BPA free. The bottle is at www.hydrosbottle.com.
Why is it in Italy 2 liters of natural or naturally carbonated water costs only $0.14 at the supermarket while it's hard to find it for less than $0.50 for 8 oz in the USA?
The gentleman from the bottling association mentioned that consumers have a choice in the market. I do not find this the case. Most distribution rights are oligarchies. I was traveling through airports yesterday and there were no water fountains and the only water i could buy was Dasani from a major bottling concern.
From: Jim Neustadt, Director of Communications at WSSC, providing water and wastewate services for Montgomery and Prince George's County:
Two comments on topics you discussed earlier...
First: As do all water utilities, we do hundreds of tests every month to ensure water quality. Every year we issue a Water Quality Report as required by EPA. It is on our website and available to the public. WSSC has never had a water quality violation.
Second, in order to maintain our service we must replace our underground pipes. They are failing at record rates in our area...around 2,000 per year. The infrastructure issue is crucial. But this is a national problem as well. We need to address this issue.
Be careful with the word "TAX"..Republicans will hunt you down to shoot you with their many guns, but if you use the term, "Usury Fee" you'll be OK. A FEEE is the vogue term they love, but Tax is just another dirty word to the right wingers.
A usury fee on every bottle of water sold could easily repair every corroded pipe, but a "tax" has as much chance of getting passed as making a municipal water system into a socialist concept.. No wait...
Yeah..just shut off all the local water systems.. That's to socialist. Make everyone purchase water from your local, independent, piped in water supplier..
Gee...It's just to easy to pick on them, ain't it?
There is an excellent article about water filters and "what's in your water" in this month's Consumer Reports.
In '89 I met a man who had just been fired from his job as city chemist who had tested the city water for chemicals which he found... and for which he was not commissioned to look for... in his alarm he notified the boss and was promptly fired for looking for stuff that wasn't in his job description. I don't believe the water is all that safe just because it is tested for some stuff. Especially when all the new chemicals combine in new and unpredictable ways.
that's enough, thank you
In '89 I met a man who had just been fired from his job as city chemist who had tested the city water for chemicals which he found... and for which he was not commissioned to look for... in his alarm he notified the boss and was promptly fired for looking for stuff that wasn't in his job description. I don't believe the water is all that safe just because it is tested for some stuff. Especially when all the new chemicals combine in new and unpredictable ways.
that's enough, thank you
I am a big fan of your show, and I agree with the majority of what I hear from your guests. In most cases they are very well informed and knowledgeable on the subjects at hand. However, Mr. Gleick’s sounded as though he was speaking more from opinion rather than true information on this topic, which is very unlike the way these types of subjects are usually handled on NPR. His information about fluoride in particular was grossly misinformed. On that note I think that plastic bottles should be banned or taxed out of existence whether it holds water or other. I highly suggest to everyone that they avoid the use of plastic. Get a good reverse osmosis system at home and use your own non-plastic bottles!
Let US have more fun with our water treatment and public services. As noted in the show, part to the success of bottled water is in its version of transparency. You see the clearly treated water. You see the models. You see the waste collect.
If our public water outlets were transparent, eventful sources they may be more popular. The filters might be made as integral parts to public parks where ancient water fountains did once supply the only source. Let these be revamped and made appealing again to consumers.
I have been studying diet & health for decades. I agree with the guest somewhat. However I am concerned with assertions that certain people may have problems with chemicals like fluoride and chlorine, but the levels in tap water are safe for normal people. The vast majority of my drinking water is used from glass or stainless steel or other containers designed for drinking and reuse. My local health food store sells osmosis water & reusable containers, and the water is relatively cheap. I routinely recycle. I never buy small bottles of water at convenience stores unless I need something to drink and my options are chemical-laden soft drinks. There is a big difference between getting fluoride on your teeth routinely and constantly filtering it through your body. Chlorine is used to kill living things, and that is good in some situations. I recommend the book "The Blue Death." Some people (not NPR & Diane Rehm types) are familiar with prime-time TV or sports info. I made up my mind to study diet & health when young, and it paid off. The guest and I agree about much with bottled water, but I have far less faith in tap water than he does, even when home filtered.
Regarding Fiji Water:
http://motherjones.com/politics/2009/09/fiji-spin-bottle