Understanding the need for filtration is empowering. Even water labeled as Reverse Osmosis or Distilled in Bottled Water requires additional filtration to ensure its safety for consumption.
It's crucial to be aware of the potential dangers of bottled water, even if it's labeled as natural spring water. Water in bottles for months on shelves becomes stagnant, which breeds algae and disease, so the bottling companies add disinfectants too. Finally, the bottles themselves are plastic and leach unhealthy elements including dangerous nano-plastics into the contents. So, despite the claims of purity and healthiness by bottling companies, all bottled water, including those from natural springs, should be filtered before you drink it.
Nano-Plastics & Other Junk in Your Bottled Water
Aside from the usual water contaminants, bottled water also harbors a silent threat: Nano-plastics. These microscopic plastic particles, unavoidable in the plastic bottle, pose a significant health risk. Nano-plastics are far more dangerous to the body than most people are aware. They cause inflammation, oxidative stress, and other health conditions which underlie diseases.
PFAS (Forever Chemicals) are in the majority of bottled water brands. Read more about the dangers of PFAS, what they are, and how to filter "forever chemicals" out of your water.
The EWG Environmental Working Group recently found all kinds of other things in bottled water. They found even human wastes, bacteria, and pharmaceuticals in several bottled water brands.
The pH of bottled water is a significant concern. The bottled water industry often uses ozone, a highly acidic substance, for pathogen removal. As a result, the pH of ozone-treated bottled water is more acidic than its source water counterpart, highlighting the importance of maintaining a balanced pH in our drinking water.
The minimal filtration needed to counteract the acidity of ozone is to use an alkaline pH Pitcher (portable water filter). This will remove chemicals, chlorine, and plastic Nanoparticles and raise the pH to about 9.5.
Most Bottled Water Has an Unhealthy PH
Our body's health is intricately linked to maintaining a balanced pH. If your diet is typically acidic, as is the case with most Americans, your water should provide the necessary alkalinity.
The healthiest water to drink is alkaline water, properly filtered. It's always better to take control of your water quality by filtering it yourself, rather than relying on bottled water.
The PH of Bottled Water Brands
This video shows 20 brands of bottled water, tested for pH.
Testing the pH of 20 brands of bottled water.
Bottled Water has Low-Energy Risks for Our Bodies
Our bodies are made of energy at the source of all cells. Low-energy water (stagnant, "dead-water") makes the blood sticky and sluggish. Learn more about why the energy-levels of your water matter.
Chlorine
Of course, tap water also needs filtration. It contains chlorine and other contaminants. The PH Pitcher will work well on that, too.
Chlorine disinfects well, but it also acts as a free radical in the body and is good for filtering it out.
The pitcher also removes harmful byproducts of chlorine.
Fluoride
Fluoride is not the healthy, excellent, teeth-saving element many big companies and bureaus would have us believe. It's a potentially toxic mineral when consumed in more than trace amounts.
Fluoride is so tiny that it gets into the brain and nervous system, where it does a lot of harm. Its dangers are similar to lead's. Because of this, I take fluoride filtration very seriously. I let it slowly seep through the pitcher or another carbon filter to remove Fluoride.
There are also special Fluoride filters.
Many people buy bottled water because they think the bottling companies are removing Fluoride. In most cases, bottled water still contains Fluoride.
Here's my testing on brands of bottled water containing Fluoride.
Fluoride Testing of 21 Brands of Bottled Water vs Ionized Water
Fluoride testing of many popular bottled water brands
Do Bottling Companies Filter the Water Better than Your Municipal Water Company?
The filtration process water bottling companies use is often less than that of municipal water companies. This is because municipal water has steep regulations, while bottling companies have fewer regulations.
BOTTLED WATER DATA CHART
I visually arranged the brands on this pH chart to show their tested pH levels from lowest (most acidic) to highest. The chart below shows the brands of bottled water in alphabetical order. I also included testing I've done on tap water from several locations.
Brands Tested: Absopure, Amway Perfect Water, Aquafina, Aqua Hydrate, Arrowhead, Super Chill, Chippewa, Core, Crystal Geyser, Culligan, Dasani, Deer Park, Evian, Essentia, Eternal, Evamore, Fiji, Function, Gerber Pure, Great Value, Hilton Head Tap, Ice Canyon, Ice Mountain, Icelandic, Ionized Water, Lassens, Life Water, Los Angeles Tap, New York City Tap, Northern Chill, Penta, Perrier, PH Pitcher, Poland Spring, Propel, Gerber Pure, Nestle Pure Life, Real Water, Smartwater, Soda (canned), Spring Water by Walmart, St. Louis Tap, Vitaminwater, Volvic, Voss, and Zephyrhills.
Environmentally, Here's More Frightful Truth About Bottled Water
We ship hundreds and thousands of square miles worth of plastic wastes around the world (to 3rd world countries) because our landfills cannot contain them all.
We need to wake up and become responsible for our planet.
Clear, Pliable Plastics Present Serious Dangers to Us and Our World
BPA is not the only chemical of concern in bottles. There are many potentially disease-causing agents in the make-up of plastic bottles.
Water, the universal solvent, has the ability to leach all kinds of chemicals into itself. So, there's an issue with leaching of the harmful chemicals too.
Do Popular Brands of Bottled Water Taste Better?
Bottled Water Companies spend millions of dollars to make you believe bottled water tastes better than tap water.
The absolute truth is the opposite. The fresh taste of filtered tap water and more thorough filtration have been proven many times.
ABC's Bottled Water vs Tap
Extreme Filtration, Like RO and Distilled, Are Unhealthy
Extreme filtration removes healthy electrolytes from the water. We need these electrolytes for our cells to function correctly, and they often take time to come by. It's far better to consume the electrolytes naturally dissolved in water.
Trace Minerals
Many trace minerals found in water should stay in the water. If you remove them with extreme filtration then the water will act as a sponge for minerals later on.
Bones, joints and muscles need the dissolved minerals from the water, and they certainly do not need to lose their minerals.
Drinking a lot of highly purified water could cause issues.
Dental Health
A recent research study by the Dental Hygienists' Association showed that bottled water tested even more acidic than the bottling company reported. The study showed that dental health relies on a balanced pH diet.
Hard Water - Good or Bad?
Hard water is healthier for you than soft water. It contains lots of dissolved calcium and other minerals. In fact, people who live in hard-water areas are less likely to get heart disease. Hard water has a positive influence on cardiovascular health, liver health, and general body health. Here are a couple of reports about it:
BEST WAYS TO FILTER WATER
A slow-flow through activated carbon filters will remove a fair amount of most contaminants, even Fluoride. Some filters even rated for 99.99% removal of contaminants (see #1, below).
WATER IONIZERS: For Those Who Want the BEST
A water ionizer is a unique machine, with many health benefits associated with it.
For more information about me, here is my testimonial. I urge you to study this subject further by clicking this button. It changed my life. Here's a few examples of what customers say.
"My family of 7 loves our ionizer! We can taste the difference and I personally can tell how much more quickly my body hydrated with this water. Am considering buying a second machine since we go through so much water. I highly recommend getting these ionizers for your family’s best health!" Tehane B.
"I used to feel so bloated when I drank water, I actually feel hydrated by ionized water. I was so happy I found this company. They answered all of my questions, were super knowledgeable and answered the phone right away! This seems so rare now and I so appreciate their service and all of the information on their website." Kara B.
"I have been receiving excellent results from my alkaline water system. My health is excellent because of alkaline ionized water. Thank you very much!" Maurice W.
Comparing The Cost of Water Filters vs Bottled Water
"My family of 7 loves our ionizer! We can taste the difference and I personally can tell how much more quickly my body hydrated with this water. Am considering buying a second machine since we go through so much water. I highly recommend getting these ionizers for your family’s best health!