WATER ON TAP
For decades we’ve turned our back on tap water, but with new reports that plastic is polluting every corner of the planet – and is even in our bottled drinking water – is it time to rethink?
TAP IT UP
In March this year, something we’d never particularly considered became a big news story; the plastic surrounding our fresh, clean spring water was now in our water. Analysis of some of the world’s most popular bottled waters found that more than 90 per cent contained tiny plastic particles, and The World Health Organization announced a review into the potential risks.
Most of us are aware of BPA (bisphenol A), a chemical found in plastic water bottles. An ‘endocrine disruptor’, it’s a chemical that can interfere with the body’s endocrine system (made up of the glands that produce hormones in our body), and have negative developmental, reproductive, neurological, and immune effects. We had, therefore, checked plastic tubs and reusable drinks containers to ensure they were BPAfree, but single-use water bottles? We hadn’t worried, especially as most of the bottled water in the UK is sold in PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles, which are BPA-free, and comply with all European and national legal requirements. We were happily glugging our BPA-free, mineral-packed water without a care in the world. Until 2018.