by TD Small

Created on: March 04, 2009

We all know how important it is to drink water. Bottled water is a convenience that has grown in popularity as more and more people have joined the healthy lifestyle band wagon. While being able to grab a bottle of water as we leave the house is quick and simple, does it really matter whether we drink tap or bottled water?

If your tap water comes from a municipal water system chances are its quality is regulated by the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. This means your municipal water department is always testing your drinking water looking for harmful substances and treating it as needed. Unless, your water department issues a warning about the safety of your tap water, you can feel assured it is safe to drink.

Fluoride has been proven to not only help in the prevention of tooth decay, but also helps build strong teeth. Most bottled water does not contain fluoride, but many communities add fluoride to their drinking water. Look for the words fluoridated, fluoride added, or with added fluoride, on your bottled water if this is a concern for you. Fluoride supplements can be prescribed by dentists or doctors if they feel your child needs it. If your children are drinking mainly bottled water make your dentist aware of this.

Tap water contains nutrients such as calcium and iron while bottled water removes many natural minerals with filtration, but don't think that that means tap water isn't filtered as well. The EPA requires that tap water be filtered and/or disinfected. Certified labs are used to test public utilities water and any problems have to be reported to the state or federal officials.

Bottled water is less regulated and there are no federal filtration or disinfection requirements. Water bottlers are not required to have their water tested by certified labs and are not required to report problems to state or federal officials.

Tap water costs just pennies a day, but bottled water can cost everywhere from 80 cents to $4.00 a gallon. Tap water allows you to be "green" by reusing a water container again and again, rather than tossing your empty plastic water bottle in the trash, where many of them end up. It has been estimated that 22 billion water bottles are used each year. That's a lot of additional trash, not to mention the millions of barrels of oil used to produce the disposable plastic water bottles.

Many people complain that tap water tastes funny, and in some areas it does, and in some areas it does during certain times of the year. If you smell chlorine in your tap water it is just a residual amount that helps to prevent bacteria growth in the water. There is nothing to kill bacteria in bottled water. If you just can't get beyond the chlorine taste, try this simple trick. Fill an empty water bottle with tap water and put it in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours. This should allow the chlorine taste to dissipate and you can enjoy refreshing, cold water without any added cost.

Deciding whether to drink tap water versus bottled water is often based on convenience, but with a little foresight, you can have fresh filtered tap water available at a moment's notice to take with you as you leave the house. Not only will you be assured that this water has been tested and treated to federal standards you will also be making a "green" choice. Give tap water a chance and you just might discover it's just what the dentist and Mother Nature ordered.

Learn more about this author, TD Small.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.