Advantages and Disadvantages of Bottled Water

Water is a basic commodity that every human being or even living thing depends on to

survive. Many people would wonder if bottled water is a matter of discussion in any way given

that several communities and households across the globe have access to tap water. It is,

however, important to note that there are certain areas without any access to clean and usable

water or even water at all. Due to this, the aspect of having bottled water comes into the picture

as this would be the best way for them to store water. This essay will focus on the advantages

and disadvantages of bottled water.

One advantage of bottled water is of guaranteed quality. Bottled water undergoes a very

rigorous manufacturing process that involves quality control. Every bottling industry just like

any other manufacturing company has a quality assurance department which ensure that their

product is safe for consumption (Miller, 2020). The whole manufacturing process is regulated

closely to ensure that it does not contain any contaminants that could harm a human being.

Therefore, anyone who has no access to clan and running tap water can rely on bottled water

without any fear of any water borne diseases as bottled water is clean and safe for drinking and

any other domestic use. Different countries have different regulations and standards that ensures

every product in the market is of good quality. For example, the United States of America have

put in place standards that acknowledges the presence of water contaminants that include

salmonella among many others (Miller, 2020). This has helped in ensuring that bottled water is

of guaranteed quality and safe for every human being.

Another advantage of bottled water is the product’s convenience. Bottled water is

available in different quantities ranging from as little as 500 milliliters to as much as 20 liters.

Therefore, one can purchase any amount depending on the need and whatever they might be
doing at the time. For example, when travelling one can purchase a 1-litre bottle of water which

they can easily carry around and quench your thirst at any time anywhere. Another good example

that depicts convenience of bottled water is exercising. Whenever a person is doing some work

outs, they can carry along bottled water with easy to help them quench their thirst as they

exercise (Dang, 2021). These and many other instances depicts how bottled water is a very

convenient product compared to tap water which cannot be relied on at all time.

One disadvantage of bottled water is relatively expensive compared to tap water. Many

countries across the globe have passed legislations banning the use of plastics to avoid the

environmental effects of plastics and any other non-biodegradable products (Impacx, 2021). As a

result of these policies, taxes imposed on plastic materials used to bottle water have been

increased thus making the manufacturing process very expensive. With the manufacturing

process being expensive, it has resulted in the increased prices of bottled water. At the moment,

bottled water is approximately 2000 times more expensive than tap water which makes people

feel as if they are pouring their money down the drain by purchasing bottled water despite very

minimal differences between bottled water and tap water. It is, therefore, crystal clear that

bottled water is relatively costly.

Another disadvantage of bottled water is that bottled water can pose health hazards to

some extent. Plastics used to package water contains certain chemicals which might be released

into the water with time under certain conditions such as high temperature. Some of these

chemicals are carcinogens and thus may cause cancer after a prolonged intake of bottled water

(Sunshine, 2017). It is, therefore, clear that despite all the health merits that bottled water have, it

can still pose great dangers to the human health in one way or another.
 In conclusion, water is a precious commodity. Bottled water has been common today

because of their benefits such as convenience and quaranteed quality among many others not

discussed. On the other hand, bottled water also has certain disadvantages as they are relatively

expensive as well as its capability to cause health effects to human beings. Generally, bottled

water has more pros than cons thus a very important commodity.
 References

Dang P. (23rd February 2021). What are the advantages and disadvantage s of bottled water?

Retrieved from https://uniduc.com/en/blog/what-are-the-advantages-and-disadvantages-

of-bottled-water

Impacx (2021). Tap Water Vs. Bottled Water. Retrieved from https://impacx.io/blog/tap-water-

bottled-water/

Miller K. (2020). 18 Advantages and Disadvantages of Bottled Water. Retrieved from

https://futureofworking.com/6-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-bottled-water/

Sunshine Plumbing Heating Air (12th April 2017). The Pros and Cons of Bottled Water.

Retrieved from https://www.sunshineplumbingheating.com/blog/2017/april/the-pros-and-

cons-of-bottled-water/