The bottled water industry is booming which is worth about £11 billion a year. People clutching their water bottles and taking incessant sips from them have become common sights. But is this easily transported beverage really any better than the tap water we get at home?

To date, no independent investigation has shown that bottled water passes more safety and health checks than tap water. In fact, the National Resources Defence Council (NRDC) tested 103 brands of bottled water and concluded there was no assurance that water out of a bottle is cleaner or safer than water from the tap. They also estimated that 25 percent or more of bottled water is nothing more than tap water.

The World Wildlife Fund backed this up by saying "Bottled water may be no safer, or healthier, than tap water in many countries while selling for up to 1,000 times the price,"

The group added that 1.5 million tons of plastic are used to bottle water every year.

"Toxic chemicals can be released into the environment during the manufacture and disposal of bottles," it said.

Furthermore, a quarter of the 89 billion liters of water bottled worldwide annually are consumed outside their country of origin. Emissions of the green house gas carbon dioxide, caused by transporting bottled water within and between countries, contribute to the global problem of climate change.

Given the lack of objective research or evidence to favour bottled water over tap water, the decision on which to drink comes down to an individual choice. However, two things we know for certain: bottled water is of course more convenient but it is also more expensive and harmful to the environment than tap water – it’s your choice.

What’s in your bottle:

Natural Mineral Water is an official designation which was originally set down in UK law in 1985. New regulations were introduced in June 1999, consolidating the regulations covering Natural Mineral Water, Spring Water and other Bottled Waters and this legislation is derived from a European Directive covering all Natural Mineral Waters and Spring Waters extracted within the European Union. These require the water to meet certain requirements.

Natural Mineral Water must:
• come from a specified underground source which is protected from any kind of pollution
• be stable in its chemical and physical composition
• satisfy microbiological criteria and be free of any harmful bacteria
• receive no treatment other than filtration (to remove items such as sand particles) or carbonation by the addition of carbon dioxide (although some waters are naturally carbonated)
• be bottled at source and fitted with a tamper evident seal
• undergo regular analyses after recognition by an approved laboratory to ensure that these exacting standards are maintained

Under the new legislation outlined above, Spring Waters must also come from a single underground source but may undergo permitted treatments that do not alter the composition of the water, such as filtration and carbonation. Spring Water must also comply with the Drinking Water Regulations.

Bottled Drinking Water, sometimes called Table Water, is the description given to water that may come from more than one source or not from a single underground source. It may include the public water supply or be transported from the source to the bottling plant. Bottling companies may carry out filtration and treatment processes on the water to amend its constituents before the water is distributed for sale. Some companies may also add mineral salts and carbon dioxide to their water. 

The difference between still and sparkling:
Sparkling water has carbon dioxide in it.  That carbon dioxide may be naturally occurring or it might be added during the bottling process.  Adding carbon dioxide to the water does not make it harmful to bones or to teeth, contrary to some urban myths.