Soft drink is purified tap water

[maxterpiece]

i hear ya. tap water isn't that nice in my opinion. where i used to live in england, the tap water is sooo chalky, and here in nyc, well, it scares me the amount of rusty cruddy piping it has to go through. i buy bottled water all the time, it does confuse me though how they sell a half gallon bottle for $1.29 and a gallon bottle for $1.49. still can't work that one out.

Hey just look at soda - the 16oz. bottles are always $1.29. The 2 liter bottles are often 99 cents. Who buys a 2 liter when they are on the go though??

 

[Datazoid]

The tap water where I live (Davis, CA's untreated (except for chlorine) groundwater) has a faint bluish tint — quite noticable when filling a tub or the like. It also tastes absolutely horrid, bad enough that I've seen several newspaper reports on it (eg. this one). Add to that the fact that we have a known problem with selenium and nitrate contamination in the water (although in recent years it has gone under the MCL, there have been many violation years, and our arsenic levels may be in violation when new state regs go into effect), boron levels high enough to kill plants, preliminary state water surveys have shown very high chromium-6 (anybody seen Erin Brockovich?) concentrations, and there is a known Superfund site in town that, according to the EPA, does not have groundwater migration under control. Thirsty? Neither am I.

 

[G4scott]

Heh, I just talked to my brother about bottled water... He did a case study for some class. He said that here in Texas, a regional chain of grocery stores has their own brand of 'spring water', imported from Alaska to compete with evian. Then, they use San Antonio tap water to compete with something that comes from Houston's tap water (I might be wrong on this, but I think it's right...)

I just can't see who would pay so much for something like evian, which is just french water. If you have a good water filter in your house, or wherever you live, you can usually take all the bad taste out of the water... That's what I do with my Brita filter in my dorm, and it works great.

 

[wdlove]

I use a Brita water filter at home also. Boston water is claimed to be petty safe. The main problem that I have is an old lead pipe that brings water into my house. I plan to replace it the nest time some needed work is done on my house.

 

[MrMacMan]

You are all lame.


Water is not good untill you have ATLEAST 2% Lead in your water.


Every 4 cups of water I drink I get my 100% daily requirement of Lead!



Come on guys where is the fun?

 

[Awimoway]

Brita only filters out the chlorine, making the water taste better. It won't do anything for lead or other serious contaminants. You need to get a heavy duty filter for that.


I like bottled water because it tastes better than most tap water.

 

[thecow]

In my house I have a reverse osmosis filter and the water from that tastes a lot better than the tap water. It is $300 to $450 if you install it yourself and it filters out almost everything.Reverse osmosis

 

[takao]

hmmthis thread makes me wonder again... i can't imagine not being able to drink tap water....
arsenic,chlorine,lead,flouride in the water ? urgh sounds terrible

i guess i'm spoiled by our tap water which is quality wise not very different from the water sold in bottles..(BTW evian tastes not very special ...try instead some
real 'mineral water' , ....the got bought by Coca-Cola Company sadly enough perhaps they will export them around the world who knows)

 

[idkew]

It's not like you're the first guys to do that. There's a company that bottles Houston tap water and the sells it, but I don't recall if they filter it any more before bottling.

I know what you mean. The water in my town always has a faint taste and odor to it.

The tap water where I live (Davis, CA's untreated (except for chlorine) groundwater) has a faint bluish tint — quite noticable when filling a tub or the like. It also tastes absolutely horrid, bad enough that I've seen several newspaper reports on it (eg. this one).

mmmmmm Chicago water is good. Good old Lake Michigan.

 

[Flynnstone]

All this talk of bottled water is making me thirsty ... for a beer
To go to the other extreme, pure 100% H20 is not good for you either. I'm not talking distilled be cause it still has some "impurities", but high "scrubbed" water using for (typically) the electronics industry. This water, which is very close to "pure" water is harmful in that it will "suck" the metals right out your cavities.

 

[themadchemist]

Nothing new really. Bottled water is truly a ripoff, whether purified & healthy or not.

Yeah, I'm with you...Especially in the US.

In a country like India, it is wise to boil & filter your own water...Otherwise, you'll get all sorts of nasties. Bottled water doesn't work, because lots of it is just regular water put into brand-name bottles.

 

[Abstract]

Its strange how people buy tap water because it contains less minerals in it. That's actually not true. Lots of the minerals found in water are good for you, so the more of it found in water, the better. Why are people trying to get rid of it? Is it the media, or is because people don't know anything about it and are just gullible? Lots of these "impurities" are good for you.

Anyway, some places have higher demands of their tap water than they do for the bottled water industry, so buying bottled water doesn't mean anything. Germany is an example of such a country.

I've neutron irradiated tap water in Toronto at a nuclear reactor (some elements can grab an extra neutron to become radioactive, and you can look at the radiation energies emitted to determine the minerals in the water, and how much of it is present...), and compared the mineral content of 6 types of minerals in the water, and I can honestly conclude that Toronto's tap water is just as good as most bottled water from around the world. I compared it to around a dozen different bottled water companies from over 8 different countries. I can't remember the details, and am too lazy to check, but I can say that San Benedetto (sp?) of Italy has 2 or 3 times the amount of minerals than the tap water in most countries.

 

[MrMacMan]

Water is priced to kill... for no reason at all.


How about you just put your water through a normal filter, and then boil it just in case...

Bottled water is for suckers. Please.

 

[Sun Baked]

Microwaving pure H2O can be hazzardous to your health, since it won't boil.

It will heat up past the boiling point and instantly boil (aka explode) the second you drop anything into it.

 

[jsw]

Bottled water is for suckers.

Especially with those pull-out "nipples". Yum!

Of course, some people do pour the water into their mouths, but you're right - most suck it.

 

[jsw]

Microwaving pure H2O can be hazzardous to your health, since it won't boil.

It will heat up past the boiling point and instantly boil (aka explode) the second you drop anything into it.

Well, it's hard to find water thatpure in your house. And "explode" might be a wee bit of an exaggeration.

But, yeah, it's cool to see.

 

[2jaded2care]

Actually, I believe that the superheated water "exploding" is a pretty accurate description, based on eyewitness accounts. The problem is usually when water is microwaved in a smooth container (smooth ceramic coffee mug). It does get hotter than its boiling point, without being able to boil. Apparently, when something triggers the boiling action, it is pretty violent. (Don't try this at home.) I've heard you should put a wooden coffee stirrer in the cup before heating to avoid this.

Also, at risk of telling people what they already know, you shouldn't refill regular bottled water bottles too much. Not only does bacteria breed, but the plastic begins to break down from reuse and can release unhealthy chemicals into your water:

http://www.hsibaltimore.com/ea2003/ea_030213.shtml

Use bottles intended for frequent use, such as a Nalgene.

 

[jsw]

Actually, I believe that the superheated water "exploding" is a pretty accurate description, based on eyewitness accounts. The problem is usually when water is microwaved in a smooth container (smooth ceramic coffee mug). It does get hotter than its boiling point, without being able to boil. Apparently, when something triggers the boiling action, it is pretty violent. (Don't try this at home.) I've heard you should put a wooden coffee stirrer in the cup before heating to avoid this.

I stand corrected. I still say it'd have to be pretty pure liquid and a pretty smooth cup to get the rapid reaction you describe - enough to justify "explode" - but I see that it's possible. I guess that, without any catalyst like a small particle or rough surface, nothing seeds the boil. Presumably, even a toothpick would fix this.

 

[2jaded2care]

Link: http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/~jw/superheating.html

Interesting video of the "superheated water" phenomenon.

I thought most people already knew Dasani was "purified" tap water. Interesting that the bromate levels were too high for UK standards, but not for the rest of the "continent" or US.

Mmmm...bromate...

 

[jsw]

Link: http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/~jw/superheating.html

Interesting video of the "superheated water" phenomenon.

I thought most people already knew Dasani was "purified" tap water. Interesting that the bromate levels were too high for UK standards, but not for the rest of the "continent" or US.

Mmmm...bromate...

Cool! Again, I'd say "explode" is too extreme, but it's a decided danger. Guess I'll wear oven mitts all the time (the nifty new silicone ones that are waterproof ).