Bottled Water - Facts and Fiction Quiz

Answer: Prior to the 1800s

Sources vary as to the date of the first bottling of water for sale, but it occurred at least prior to the 1800s. The website "Bottledwaterweb" noted that spa water in Belgium was bottled for export in 1583. Other sources credit Jackson's Spa in Boston for being the first to offer bottled water for sale in 1767.

Answer: Distilled water

Distilled water has been processed through distillation to have the impurities removed. The distillation process, which involves boiling the water and then condensing the steam, removes the minerals that can lead to build-up in machinery, which is why distilled water is often used for industrial purposes.

The removal of the minerals is one of the criticisms raised against drinking distilled water. The argument is that not only does distilled water have a bland taste, it can actually draw minerals out from your body.

However, supporters of drinking distilled water point out that there is no reliable science supporting those claims. Sources such as Dr. Andrew Weil maintain that distilled water "is as pure as water can reasonably be" and that minerals are actually obtained by the body through food, not water.

Answer: Mineral water must contain a specific amount of minerals.

Spring water is water that has risen from aquifers beneath the surface and absorbed minerals along the way. The amount and type of minerals can vary depending on the source of the water. Mineral water also has absorbed minerals, but it must have a specific percentage of them - 250 parts per million total dissolved solids, according to the U.S. Federal Drug Administration.

Answer: It was purified tap water.

Much like the water that can be purchased in five gallon bottles for water coolers, Aquafina is regular tap water that had been purified. The artwork on the bottle, however, may have led people to believe that the water was spring water. PepsiCo maintained that they had never tried to hide the fact that Aquafina water was actually purified tap water, but to prevent any confusion, they began putting a disclaimer on the label in 2007.

Answer: Reverse osmosis

Whether the water coolers are linked directly into a water line or are filled by large bottles of water, the process used to purify the water is usually reverse osmosis. In this process, tap water is filtered through a pressurizer that separates impurities from the water. Reverse osmosis is also used for personal-size water bottles that are sold as "purified water".

Answer: Indefinitely if kept sealed and out of direct sunlight

Some municipalities require that all products have expiration dates, thus bottled water may have one, but water itself doesn't expire. The U.S. Federal Drug Administration maintains that if the water is kept unopened, it will remain safe for drinking indefinitely.

However, the taste may diminish over time, particularly if the bottle is exposed to direct sunlight or heat which can break down the plastic. The water may also develop a slight smell. Many sources recommend therefore, that if you are storing water for an emergency, you should periodically use that water and replace it with a new batch. Additionally, if a water bottle has been opened, it should be used within two weeks as algae or bacteria can begin to grow in the water.

Answer: Most bottled water doesn't contain more minerals than tap water.

Minerals such as calcium and magnesium are beneficial to human health, and they occur naturally in water, but they can be removed during the reverse osmosis process which is used by the most popular purified bottled waters. Although quantities of the minerals can be added back to the water, the amounts tend to be lower than those in tap water.

For example, Crystal Geyser, a popular bottled water in the United States, was found to contain only one percent of the recommended daily allowance of calcium and magnesium per bottle, while the city of San Diego's tap water contained nine percent of the calcium and six percent of the magnesium recommended allowances for the same amount. Water in other metropolitan areas compared favorably to the most popular bottled waters, although bottled spring water tended to outperform tap water for these minerals.

Answer: Bisphenol A (BPA)

BPA has been the subject of numerous studies because of its alleged link to a variety of health issues, including cancer, diabetes, obesity and neurological disorders. Of particular concern was its impact on babies and children, leading a number of countries and municipalities to ban its use in baby bottles. Producers of other plastic products took note, and the number of products advertised as "BPA-free" increased exponentially in the first decade of the twenty-first century.

Answer: Frozen water bottles release dioxins.

The supposed source of the information was a study by John Hopkins University, but the director of the university's Center for Water and Health denied that such information came from the university. Additionally, she stated in an article posted on the university's website that freezing actually prohibits the release of dioxins.

However the entire issue is apparently moot; although dioxins are toxic pollutants that occur naturally in the environment, they aren't likely a component of plastics, according to the university and the American Cancer Fund.

Answer: Plastic has a limited recycling life and will eventually end up in a landfill.

Although plastic water bottles can be recycled, the plastic isn't usually used to make more plastic water bottles; it instead is used for other applications, such as carpets and clothing. The concern is that these items won't be recycled and will end up in landfills. Additionally, some plastic can't be recycled at all.

Incidentally, although sources vary on the exact number, the recycling rate for plastic water bottles was under 30 percent throughout the first decade of the 2000s.