Everyone loves to get water bottles at the grocery store because 1) they're pretty cheap and 2) you can take them anywhere, but did you know that most of the water in there is unregulated tap water, meaning that it might not be as good for you as you think?

25% or more of water in a water bottle comes from tap and is sold at 1,900 times the price of regular tap water. In fact the tap from the water bottles is uncontrolled and is not strictly checked by the government. What is more concerning is that there is no guarantee that it gets additional treatment. Tap from the city is more regulated than bottled water, so that means you could be getting extremely cheap water right from home instead of playing water bottle roulette at your expense.

The EPA regulates tap water, but the FDA regulates bottled water and they can't check bottled water sold and packaged within the same state. The FDA requires the companies to test for contaminants, but because it is considered a low-risk product, plants are inspected every year. In fact, no one is really checking to see if they are complying to laws and regulations set up by the government, it is up to the manufacturer to check for any sort of infractions.

So, you might be wondering what the things are inside your bottled water. Well, based off a test The Environmental Working Group conducted on 10 water bottle brands, there are 38 low-level contaminants such as caffeine, Tylenol, nitrate, arsenic, and bacteria.

Now, if you've ever looked at the label on your water bottles, you've probably seen things like salt, magnesium sulfate, potassium chloride, and sodium bicarbonate, but never arsenic or bacteria.

According to the IBWA (International Bottled Water Association), "All information on bottled water labels, as with all other food products, shall be truthful and substantiated with facts. It is inappropriate to single out one food product for possible additional consumer information requirements when there is no public health or public policy basis. Indeed, many foods contain water as a primary ingredient, including soft drinks, juices, bottled teas and canned vegetables, among many others."

Notice how they said inappropriate, not illegal. Yet again, how do you get business when your product says that it has arsenic in it?

Companies also glorify where they get their water. That glacier water that your water bottles swear it contains may just be an exaggeration; it could just be tap water from Alaska. That's like saying you've traveled around the world, but, really, you were just on the plane the entire time. It's a lie, and your water bottle is full of it.

But if you think the water is bad, just wait until you hear about the actual plastic bottle it comes in. Chemicals trapped inside the plastic such as bisphenol-A (BPA) can leach into the water, especially if you leave your bottle in the heat where the plastic is more likely to let go of its contents. Keep that in mind the next time you drink that pack of water bottles you've kept in the back of your trunk on a hot summer day.

So, instead of buying into the water bottle company's lies, consider buying one good plastic bottle and filling it with tap water from home, especially if you have that filtered machine you attach to the sink head. You will be exposed to fewer chemicals and have a purer water. And remember: city water may be more regulated, but water fountains are dirtier than a toilet seat and unless you have a high immune system you should just avoid them at any cost.

Sources:

http://www.bottledwater.org/newsroom/policy-statement/labeling

https://www.institutefornaturalhealing.com/2012/11/the-dirty-truth-about-whats-really-in-bottled-water/

https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/09/26/drinking-fountain.aspx