Taste Test – Bottled Water Versus Tap Water
Are you hypnotized by the T.V. and magazine ads showing clear blue water cascading down a waterfall? Does it make you want to reach for the nearest container of bottled water? If you said yes, then the advertising companies have done their job. In fact, they've succeeded so well at their job that nearly everyone in the country has had at least one drink from bottled water during their life.
Quite a few consumers purchase bottled water due to its taste. Maybe because the water from their home or company tap has an after taste. Or maybe it simply has a bad smell to it.
There are various reasons for the after taste that many people experience from tap water. Most times it is because of the particular purifying agents that municipalities utilize to get rid of the bugs, bacteria, and other impurities. Disinfectants such as chlorine, particularly if used in excessive amounts, can impart a chlorine like taste to the water which makes many people nauSEOus. There are various ways to disinfect water. Municipalities usually use chlorine because it is cheap. Most bottling companies, on the other hand, use other methods that don't leave the chlorine like after taste.
In very old buildings, the bad taste from tap water may be due to the deteriorating condition of the water pipes inside the building. As the pipes slowly rot, they release contaminants into the water giving it a bad taste. Whatever the reason for the bad taste, many people find that bottled water just tastes better.
Many people, however, discover that when comparing bottled water to tap water that they actually like the taste of their tap water best. People with extremely sensitive palates, for example, sometimes complain that water in bottles has a plastic taste to it. This is because there is often some interaction between the water and the plastic bottle that it is held in.. Furthermore, the majority of bottled water is processed before it is bottled. In some cases, pollutants are inadvertently introduced to the water during the bottling process. And in other cases, the taste may come from where the water was sourced. For example, water from a mineral spring will probably reflect the taste of the minerals in the spring.
Every since bottled water has become so fashionable, there always seems to be someone comparing the tastes of it to tap water. In a large number of cases, these tests have been run by local television stations during sweeps or local newspapers. Almost inevitably, when blindfolded, the participants are unable to tell the difference between the tap water and bottled water. And almost just as invariably, they end up giving higher grades to the tap water vs the bottled water.
When we talk about contaminants the story is not too different. In the U.S. alone, you will find well over a hundred bottled water companies selling water. Therefore, it is not surprising that there would be a lot of disparity in the quality of the water produced.
Adding a little more confusion to the mix is that a large percentage of bottled water comes from the tap water of various municipalities. No one knows exactly how often it occurs, but it has happened often enough to be highlighted in a great number of new shows over the years.
Many people wonder if such a great percentage of bottled water comes from the tap, why does it cost so much? Since most of the cost of bottled water goes into the packaging – (i.e., things like the bottle, the cap, the labels, and so on) – the answer is one word. Profits.
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