The impacts of bottled water are significantly higher than those of tap water. In a study by the Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) conducted to determine the impact of bottled water in Barcelona. Result? It has been found that it is much more expensive both financially and ecologically when people use bottled water instead of tap water.
It is estimated that if all the people in Barcelona used bottled water there would be 3.500 higher expenses, with more costs of around 80 million euros per year. Research on this topic began after it was discovered that, despite robust investments in tap water purification in the city of Barcelona, most residents still prefer to drink bottled water.
Bottled water, also ecological bleeding
In addition to the impact on citizens' economic resources, the researchers also found that packaged water is also more expensive from an ecological point of view. They concluded that the impact of bottled water on ecosystems is 1.400 times that of tap water.
I know it may seem impossible, but this is the first study of its kind examining the impact of bottled water on a particular city. If you are not Catalan, it might be interesting to look at the statistics of your city and see what they have found. In most countries, the cost of tap water is much, much lower than bottled water.
According to the researcher Cristina Villanueva, lead author of the study, the large-scale use of bottled water in Barcelona it has no health benefits. “Health reasons do not justify the extensive use of packaged water. Yes, logically, drink thewater tap should be worse for local health. The water supply is often out of date, with all the contraindications of the case. However, if the medical and economic aspects are weighed on the large numbers, what one gains in health by drinking bottled water is practically zero. And it is quite obvious that the environmental impact of packaged water is enormously greater than tap water, ”said Villanueva.
A political and perceptive problem
Villanueva believes this study could change people's perception of bottled water, but argues that more needs to be done in the field of politics. Many people tend to use bottled water due to compelling marketing campaigns by companies. "We could have more educational campaigns to make the public aware that the health benefits of drinking bottled water are far, far less than the environmental impacts," she said.
