According to the Associated Press (AP) which recently tested the tap water in 24 major metropolitan areas, there are prescription drugs in the drinking water. The report stated “A vast array of pharmaceuticals — including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones — have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans.” It went on to add “…the presence of so many prescription drugs — and over-the-counter medicines like acetaminophen and ibuprofen — in so much of our drinking water is heightening worries among scientists of long-term consequences to human health.”

According to the National Graphic News there are already enough pesticides in some tap water to hinder our ability to populate the earth. They also stated that researchers also “found that women who drank tap water with elevated levels of certain chlorination by-products had higher miscarriage rates.” As for solutions, their advice for what kind of water was the safest to drink was very grim, "The quality of bottled water is very inconsistent…Tabletop filters get out some chemicals but not others. From a public health perspective, it's very difficult to recommend what people should do."

The Environment Protection Agency listed a few of the potentially life threatening agents that are found in our tap water. Such as; Adipate, Alachlor, Aldicarb/Aldicarb Metabolites, Atrazine, Carbofuran, Chlordane, Dalapon, Dibromochloropropane, Dioxin, Diquat, Endothall, Endrin, Ethylene Dibromide, Glyphosate, Heptachlor/Heptachlor Epoxide, Hexachlorobenzene, Hexachlorocyclopentadiene, Lindane, Methoxychlor, Oxamyl , Pentachlorophenol, Picloram, Polychlorinated Biphenyls, Simazine, and Toxaphene. Many people do not know what any of these words mean or even heard of them. However everyone is familiar with the affects these agents can have on individuals. To name a few, anxiety, birth defects, blurred vision, cataracts, central nervous system destruction, chest pains, cancer, cardiovascular impairment, convulsions, fertility reduction, diarrhea, gene mutations, headaches, immune system suppression, intestinal lining damage, kidney disease, heart problems, leg weakness, liver afflictions, nervous system damage, nausea, nasal problems, reproductive trauma, respiratory system impairment, spleen afflictions, sweating, stomach and gastrointestinal tract disease, and thyroid damage. That is pretty scary when all people are trying to do is better themselves by drinking water of some kind.

People hear these types of facts and think I will just buy bottled water. Is that really any safer? We think of bottled water as tasting better than some tap water, it is convenient, more thirst quenching that soda, and of course we are improving our health by drinking it.

A lot of bottled water comes from good sources such as sparkling springs. But more than 25 percent of it comes from a community supply. The water is treated, purified and sold to us. Most people would never know that they are drinking glorified tap water. There would be no way for people to know, because bottling companies aren't required to say where the actual water came from on the labels. NRDC completed a study of more than 1,000 bottles of 103 brands of bottled water. Most of the waters that were tested were found to be of high quality, some brands were contaminated. Actually about one-third of the waters tested contained levels of contamination including synthetic organic chemicals, bacteria, and arsenic. Two brands actually contained phthalates, that is know to soften plastic, which came from the bottle. Some of the most popular bottled water sold will soon be adding to their labels the source of their water; public, private or deep well sources. The facts are vague in regards to the hazards that the actual plastic can cause to individuals. It is very dangerous to leave plastic bottles in direct sunlight or in warmer temperatures due to the plastic leaking into the water. Not only is the plastic harmful to humans, but where do the bottles go when the water is gone?Americans went through about 50,000,000,000. plastic water bottles last year; 167 plastic bottles for each person. Our recycling rate for these bottles is only 23%, which means we pitch 38,000,000,000. bottles a year into landfills. Plastic water bottles are not bio-degradable and nobody knows how long it takes for a plastic bottle to degrade, but estimates seem to vary between a thousand years and forever. These bottles are filling up our land fills. After water is drunk from plastic bottles and they are disposed of plastic bottles become responsible for the production of toxic compounds such as chloric acids, heavy metals and dioxins in the atmosphere. More than one third in weight of the plastic waste remains in form of ash, which still contains these harmful toxins.

Also because these bottles float, and they make it to the ocean, they can be mistaken as food by birds & fish. If these animals eat them, this has now become part of the food chain. Which means is has the potential to harm those who don’t or can’t afford to drink from plastic bottles.

Another option in disposal of plastic water bottles is burning them. Anyone who has seen a plastic bottle melt knows of the toxic smoke and fumes it can create. These fumes not only pose health risks, they create “green house gases” that attack the ozone layer.

We all know how important water is to us. Water is necessary in order for your body to digest foods and absorb vitamins and nutrients. These vitamins and nutrients increase your mental and physical performance, remove toxins and waste from your body, keep skin healthy and glowing, help in aid with weight loss, reduces headaches, and detoxifies the liver and kidneys.