One fifth of the brands tested positive for the presence of synthetic chemicals, such as industrial chemicals and chemicals used in the manufacturing process.
Bottled water companies, are not under the same accountability standards as municipal water systems, and may provide a significantly lower quality of water than the water from the tap.
Rather than deriving its water from natural springs, Coca-Cola has actually been filling its Dasani bottles with filtered tap water.
Bottled water, depending upon the brand, may actually be less clean and safe than tap water.
Many people do not like the taste of their tap water.
For example for about $30 you can put a filter on your faucet that will take away the chlorine taste, and many potential contaminates as well.
An estimated 4 billion PET bottles end up in the U.S. waste stream each year, costing cities some $70 million.
Most recycling is down-cycling: making lower quality products than the originals, and requiring the addition of virgin plastics and toxic chemicals in the process.
Bottled water produces up to 1.5 million tons of plastic waste per year.
According to Food and Water Watch, that plastic requires up to 47 million gallons of oil per year to produce.