Spring water is defined as water which naturally flows from an underground source to our planet’s surface, traveling through cracks and underground caves in the rock formation.

Artesian spring water wells are those where the water is forced to the surface because the sources are higher than the outlet or at least the groundwater which recharges the source is at a higher level and creates the pressure. Non-artesian spring are usually where water falls at a high level, soaks into the ground and then flows down through underground channels to emerge at a lower level as a stream. Hot springs are created where volcanic or other underground pressure is exerted on the water.

As the water travels through the underground rock formations, it picks up minerals in the form of dissolved mineral solids which can add to the flavor of the water and in some cases add bubbles or effervescence in the form of dissolved carbon dioxide to produce natural sparkling water.

Bottled spring water is often described as mineral water which can in a lot of cases be deceptive. Those springs that produce water which is high in dissolve minerals, ‘mineral springs’ are fine, but a good deal of springs known as ’soda springs’ actually contain dissolved sodium rather than minerals. Mineral springs are those where ‘resorts’ or ’spa towns’ have grown around the site, for example Bath in England, Saratoga Springs in New York and Fontaine de Vaucluse in France.

Is bottled Spring Water safe to drink?

A bottle of quality spring water containing various dissolved minerals can indeed be extremely safe and even healthy for our bodies. Drinking beverages rich in dissolved minerals can help our bodies maintain their natural balance. The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has strict guidelines and regulations as to what constitutes ‘bottled spring water’ to safeguard the public. It is water which is naturally occurring and flows from its underground source to the surface where it is bottled. If it is collected by sinking boreholes or by the use of additional force then the composition of the water should be exactly the same as that which flows naturally.

There are countless brands of spring water available through retail outlets and even for delivery to home and office. It’s therfore difficult to recommend one over another as it will invariably come down to personal taste. Other considerations other than taste are the bottler/manufacturers reputation for eco-friendly processes and what effect the plastic they use for bottling has on the environment and our health. This sort of information is usually freely available and if not, we should ask ourselves why and perhaps look to a different beverage bottler.

Bottled water is predominantly available in plastic bottles, usually PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) while the water cooler companies tend to use high density polyethelene containers. This tends to be the biggest public criticism of bottled water – that it creates so much waste plastic and that chemical contaminant leaching from the plastics can do us harm in the form of cancer and other undesirable complaints.

However, recent studies have shown that the level of recycling of used, plastic water bottles has risen by over 20% since 2006 in the United States to a rate of over 23%. When you consider that globally, our consumption of bottled water is forecast to rise by over 50% from 2006 until the end of the decade, where we will be drinking nearly 175,000 million liters, you can see that that is a huge amount of recycled plastic.

Bottling companies led by the big beverage brands are also doing their bit for the environment by reducing the amount of plastic they put into each bottle, creating a more eco-friendly product. With an estimated 200 million bottles of water consumed throughout the world every year 50 billion of those within the United States), whatever we can do to conserve energy and reduce waste is going to help the environment substantially.

OK, so what processes are used to produce our bottled water and what effect does the water really have on our health?

Apart from natural mineral and spring waters which are bottled at source, the vast majority of our bottled water is processed and created using reverse osmosis and distillation processes. (A lot of the big brand water products are taken from our own municipal supplies). These create an extremely pure water, probably the purest with the least risk of contaminants, but most of the natural minerals which our bodies need are also filtered out. Fluoride is also filtered out which some blame for an increase in tooth decay.

Much research has been done and many test reports have been commissioned and written on the subject of the bottled water market, the standards and the quality of our bottled water with the general concensus of opinion being that they are generally free of bacteria and that levels of harmful chemicals are well below the standards set making them safe for consumer consumption.

Bottled mineral waters, while containing the minerals and dissolved solids which help our bodies, can also contain high levels of calcium which if consumed excessively could increase the risk of conditions such as gallstones and kidney stones.

So, tap (faucet) water or bottled water drinks?

Much of the argument comes down to the environmental effects of producing the plastic bottles and the other associates packaging. Globally, we drink more bottled water than tap but we also pay a huge amount more for it. Arguments for and against one or the other will rage for eternity. Mostly it is down to personal preference, price and taste. Tap water in certain areas can be of just as good a standard as the purest distilled or filtered water.

The National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR) completed a major bale study last year in 15 locations in 14 states. NAPCOR took actual bales of collected recycled PET plastic materials from study locations ranged from Jacksonville, Florida, to Boston, Massachusetts and from San Antonio, Texas to Dawson, Minnesota – each site being representative of collection methods and geographic regions for the vast majority of PET bottles collected for recycling in the United States.

For the whole story…IBWA

High risk of heart disease in women, breast cancer, diabetes and reproductive and fertility issues are among the possible side effects of exposure to bisphenol A say the experts. An associate professor of epidemiology at Harvard University said that based on the study, bisphenol A should be removed from plastic bottles immediately and in fact many manufacturers have already begun producing BPA-free alternatives.

Pending federal legislation would ban it from food and beverage containers.

For the full story…. BostonHerald.com