Many older people who grew up in developed countries will surely remember the days when most shops never even stocked bottled water. If you felt like drinking some water, you simply opened the kitchen tap, and you immediately had a glassful of good; clean and safe drinking water.
Has the quality of tap water in those countries really deteriorated so much that the water is no longer suitable for drinking? Do we well and truly have to rely solely on bottled water? It would certainly seem that way if one takes a look at statistics related to the bottled drinking water industry. People are spending what equates to millions of dollars each year, and that only includes the United States. On a global scale, that figure would run into the billions, rather than millions,
Ironically, countless studies carried out in the United States have shown that some of the country's leading brands are selling water which is significantly more "impure" than most regular tap water. Samples taken from some of the top brand names have been shown to contain a disturbing number of chemical contaminants, and even traces of some pharmaceuticals.
It's all very assuring to buy a bottle of water labeled as "Spring Water" or "Mineral Water" but in many cases these labels can be very misleading. Just because a manufacturer uses water from a natural spring, that doesn't mean it's pure. It could be contaminated with body fluids from livestock grazing in nearby fields for example. Mineral water is just as questionable because from a legal standpoint, virtually all water in "mineral" water unless it's been through an extremely vigorous filtration process.
The bottled water industry is also responsible for an incomprehensible amount of pollution.. This stems from the manufacturing of the bottles; the transport, and eventually, the disposal. No matter what argument people put forward, bottled drinking water is a bad idea. It's bad for the environment; it's bad for your finances, and it's quite often bad for your health too.
There is fortunately a solution, and one which is nowadays within reach of most people. Countertop water filters have become very affordable in recent years, and they soon pay for themselves because if you have one, you'll never need to buy another bottle of water ever again.
Not only are countertop water filters very cost effective, but they also put you in control as far as water quality and water purity is concerned. You decide when to change filters and so on, rather than having to rely on a faceless company that places more priority on profits than anything else.
The only thing which you need to keep in mind is the fact that not all countertop filters are created equal. You'll also need to take your own circumstances into consideration when shopping for a water purification system. After all, if you're married and you have a few kids, you'll need a system which is capable of filtering an adequate amount of water for the entire family. The thing to remember is that if people have to stand around and wait for ages before they can have a glass of water, they'll soon go back to buying bottled water.