Environmental Health and Bottled Water

1
Environmental Health and Bottled Water
Emily Cowan, MPH Student Walden University PUBH
6165-3 Instructor Robert Marino
2
Bottled Water and our Environment

• Introduction
• The production, manufacturing, consumption, and
  disposal of plastic water bottles in the United
  States continue threaten the health of our
  natural environments.
• The health factors surrounding bottled water are
  related to waste, regulation of plastic and water
  quality, and increased reliance on fossil fuels
  to produce and transport bottles from
  manufacturer to consumer.

3
Bottled Water and our Environment

• Objectives
• The purpose of this presentation is to increase
  your knowledge and awareness on the environmental
  risk factors associated with bottled water.
  Hopefully this presentation will motivate our
  community to decrease their water bottle
  consumption as well as to help inspire others to
  make similar positive changes to support our
  environment.
• We will be discussing plastic disposable water
  bottles as it relates to landfill waste, exposure
  to plastics, water safety (regulations), and the
  links between bottled water and fossil fuels.
• We will also discuss how to make changes to
  reduce the need for plastic bottles, in turn
  reducing the negative consequences associated
  with this product

4
Bruno, L. (2008). Old idea of using bioplastics
gets a new lease of life. Guardian.co.uk.
Retrieved July 20, 2011 from http//www.guardian.
co.uk/technology/2008/jul/10/research.waste
A truck dumps its load of plastic at a waste
recycling facility in San Francisco Photograph
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
5
Bottled Water and Waste

• Its solid landfill waste!
• According to the NYS Department of Environmental
  Conservation
• 90 percent of plastic water bottles used in the
  United States become garbage or litter.
• Incinerating used bottles produces toxic
  byproducts such as chlorine gas and ash
  containing heavy metals.
• Buried water bottles can take up to 1,000 years
  to biodegrade.
• New York State Department of Environmental
  Conservation, Bureau of Waste Reduction
  Recycling. (2011). Water bottle fact sheet too
  many bottles-it is a waste Albany, NY. Retrieved
  July 20, 2011 from http//www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/
  51377.html

6
Bottled Water and Waste

• Its a waste of money!
• According to the NYS Department of Environmental
  Conservation (2011), Bottled water costs as much
  as 10 per gallon-tap water costs less than one
  cent per gallon.

New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation, Bureau of Waste Reduction
Recycling. (2011). Water bottle fact sheet too
many bottles-it is a waste Albany, NY. Retrieved
July 20, 2011 from http//www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/
51377.html
7
Bottled Water and Waste

• Its a waste of fossil fuels!
• Crude oil is used in bottle production that
  contains polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Fossil
  fuels are also expended during manufacturing and
  transportation of bottled water.
• New York State Department of Environmental
  Conservation, Bureau of Waste Reduction
  Recycling. (2011). Water bottle fact sheet too
  many bottles-it is a waste Albany, NY. Retrieved
  July 20, 2011 from http//www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/
  51377.html

8
Bottled Water and Waste cont.

• Discussion
• The majority of plastic bottles used for water
  end up as garbage, which
• contributes to landfill waste. Because bottled
  water containers are non-refundable, consumers
  are less likely to recycle or return used water
  containers.
• The roughly 10 percent of plastic water bottles
  that do not end up in
• landfills are potentially recycled or more
  accurately down cycled. This is an inefficient
  way of recycling the bottles into other
  products. These products are of lower quality and
  durability than the original product. So unlike
  the recycling of paper to produce more paper
  plastic bottles are not being recycled to make
  more of the same which requires a great deal of
  energy not to mention cost!

9
(No Transcript)
10
Bottled Water and Water Safety

• What are the regulations on the safety of bottled
  drinking water?
• According the United States Environmental
  Protection Agency (2011), Bottled water may
  contain some contaminants. Contaminants in
  bottled water must be below the maximum permitted
  level set by the Food and Drug Administration or
  the state. However, the FDA (a federal program)
  is only required to regulate the quality of the
  water if it is sold in a state that differs from
  its manufacturing state.
• Other concerns related to regulation might
  include the privatization of the manufacturing
  industry that does not require disclosure to the
  public regarding issues such as where the water
  came from or what was in it!
• United States Environmental Protection Agency.
  (2011). Bottled Water. Retrieved July 20, 20011
  from http//safewater.supportportal.com/ics/suppor
  t/splash.asp?deptID23015

11
Bottled Water and Water Safety

• How do these regulations deviate from municipal
  water regulations?
• The Safe Drinking Water Act allows the EPA to
  closely regulate municipal water through regular
  and frequent lab testing. Bottled water
  manufacturers are not under the EPAs
  jurisdiction and testing happens on a less
  frequent basis.
• For more information on water regulations visit
• http//www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/ProductSpecific
  Information/BottledWaterCarbonatedSoftDrinks/ucm07
  7079.htm
• http//water.epa.gov/lawsregs/rulesregs/sdwa/curre
  ntregulations.cfm

12
Bottled Water and Plastic
13
Bottled Water and Plastic

• Concerns regarding the safety of the plastic that
  contains the water we drink bring up many
  questions for researchers as well as the public.
• Most bottled water is derived from 1 plastic
  which is made from Polyethylene terephthalate
  (PET). PET has been found to disrupt the
  endocrine system causing hormone related
  illnesses including cancer and developmental
  disabilities.
• More research is needed! It is unclear if the
  plastics used to bottle water are undisruptive
  and risk-free
• New studies indicate that 1 PET plastic, the
  type used in most single-use water bottles, can
  be just as disruptive as the polycarbonate or BPA
  found in the 7 plastics (Raloff, 2009, para.2).
• Raloff, J. (March 2009). Bottled water may
  contain hormones Plastics. Science News
  Magazine. Washington, DC. Retrieved july 19, 2011
  from http//www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/41
  628/title/Bottled_water_may_contain_E28098hormo
  nesE28099_Plastics

14
Bottled Water and Safety

• Discussion
• Although the Food and Drug Administration and to
  some degree the U.S. Environmental Protection
  agency, have jurisdiction to maintain the safety
  of the bottled water we drink the regulations
  are not as intensive as the regulations the EPA
  requires for municipal water. Contaminants in
  bottled water have been found to be higher than
  contaminants in tap water. Quality control for
  bottled water is lacking as private manufactures
  dont have to share information with the public.
  Other safety concerns are related to the plastic
  the water is contained in. Many researchers are
  uneasy about the safety of the plastics used for
  bottling and containing water. The question
  remains, do we continue to take the risk with our
  health and the health of our environment?

15
Photos retrieved from www.treehugger.com
16
Bottled water and Fossil Fuels

• What is the link?
• The majority of energy or oil used for bottled
  water is in making the plastic bottles, followed
  by treating the water, filling and capping the
  bottles, and transporting the bottles to the
  homes or businesses that use them. Global sales
  of bottled water topped 200 billion liters in
  2007, around 33 billion liters in the United
  States, averaging almost 30 gallons of water per
  person. Using those figures, it took an estimated
  0.15 to 0.26 gallons of oil to make my gallon of
  bottled water(Schauwecker, 2009, p.46).
• The plastic used to make water bottles is made
  from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) which is
  derived from crude oil. Fossil fuels are used in
  essentially every step of producing bottled water
  for the public to consume. This has a significant
  impact on our natural environments not to mention
  our reliance on foreign oil so that we can
  consume drinking water from a single use
  pre-packaged bottle. The amount of energy it
  takes to produce bottled water is considerable
  and wasteful!
• Schauwecker, P.. (2009). Oil and Water Fueling
  Questions. Natural Resources Environment, 24(1),
   46-47.  Retrieved July 20, 2011, from Research
  Library. (Document ID 1857951161).

17
Bottled Water and Fossil Fuels cont.

• Discussion
• From cradle to grave fossil fuels are heavily
  involved in the bottled water industry. With
  greenhouse emissions, cost, and dependence
  issues, bottled water production and disposal
  continues to be a significant problem in regards
  to the use of fossil fuels and energy waste, the
  result is environmental degradation.
• For more information on fossil fuels and bottled
  water visit
• http//www.projectcensored.org/top-stories/article
  s/20-bottled-water-a-global-environmental-problem/
  
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?v72MCumz5lq4
• http//www.dec.ny.gov/docs/materials_minerals_pdf/
  waterbottles.pdf

18
(No Transcript)
19
What our community can do to help fight this
problem

• STOP BUYING AND CONSUMING BOTTLED WATER!
  (seriously)
• Get involved in making change at home, at work,
  and in the community by
• REDUCING consumption, REUSING products, and as a
  last option RECYCLING
• Recycling provides opportunities to reduce oil
  usage, carbon dioxide emissions and the
  quantities of waste requiring disposal(Hopewell,
  Dvorak, and Kosior, 2009).
• Reducing your intake of bottled water drink tap
  water
• If you are concerned about tap water safety, buy
  a water filter for your tap instead of bottled
  water
• Buying a glass or stainless steel reusable water
  container
• Recycle plastic bottles appropriately after use
• Be active in community recycling programs at work
  and in the schools
• Pick up littered bottles and recycle them
• Motivate friends and family to join you in
  reducing the mess bottled water is creating for
  our environment
• Hopewell, J., Dvorak, R., and Kosior, E. (2009).
  Plastics recycling challenges and opportunities.
  Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2009 Jul
  27364(1526)2115-26.

20
References

• Bruno, L. (2008). Old idea of using bioplastics
  gets a new lease of life. Guardian.co.uk.
  Retrieved July 20, 2011 from http//www.guardian.
  co.uk/technology/2008/jul/10/research.waste
• Hopewell, J., Dvorak, R., and Kosior, E. (2009).
  Plastics recycling challenges and opportunities.
  Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2009 Jul
  27364(1526)2115-26.
• Moeller, D. (2005). Environmental Health.
  Cambridge, Mass Harvard University Press
• New York State Dept. of Environmental
  ConservationBureau of Waste Reduction
  Recycling, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-7253.
  Retrieved July 20, 2011 from http//www.dec.ny.gov
  /docs/materials_minerals_pdf/waterbottles.pdf
• Schauwecker, P.. (2009). Oil and Water Fueling
  Questions. Natural Resources Environment, 24(1),
   46-47.  Retrieved July 20, 2011, from Research
  Library. (Document ID 1857951161).
• United States Environmental Protection Agency.
  (2011). Bottled Water. Retrieved July 20, 20011
  from http//safewater.supportportal.com/ics/suppor
  t/splash.asp?deptID23015
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2011). FDA
  Regulates the Safety of Bottled Water Beverages
  Including Flavored Water and Nutrient-Added Water
  Beverages. Retrieved July 20, 2011 from
  http//www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/
  ucm046894.htm

21
Thank you
22
Useful Links

• http//www.cleanair.org/Waste/wasteFacts.html
• http//www.recycling-revolution.com/recycling-fact
  s.html
• http//www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/rrr/
• http//www.nrdc.org/thisgreenlife/0802.asp
• http//www.plasticsinfo.org/beveragebottles/apc_fa
  qs.html

More information about what you can do locally
can be found at http//www.recycletompkins.org/