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Researchers urge consumers in Spain and other developed countries to stop drinking bottled water due to health and environmental risks.
Are the Spanish government and big businesses listening to scientists? Researchers urge consumers in Spain and other developed countries to stop drinking bottled water due to health and environmental risks. Experts say tap water is safer, more cost-effective, and better for the planet, debunking common myths about bottled water.
Researchers Agree: Time to Stop Drinking Bottled Water
In yet ANOTHER effort to persuade governments and industry leaders to react, researchers from Weill Cornell Medicine have published a study in the scientific journal BMJ Global Health, cautioning against the widespread consumption of bottled water. They believe governments, regulators, and industry leaders should be doing more to disclose the risks of bottled water in developed countries like the US, UK, Spain, Italy, Germany, Norway, Finland, and France, among others.
“Nearly 2 billion people worldwide, with limited or no access to safe drinking water, rely on bottled water. For these people, there’s no alternative. “
But for the rest of us, it largely boils down to convenience and the ingrained belief – driven by industrial marketing – that bottled water is safer and healthier than tap water. “But this is not the case,” explain the experts. Specifically, the Weill Cornell researchers highlight that between 10% and 78% of bottled water contains contaminants such as microplastics, phthalates, and bisphenol A. Chemicals that leach directly from the plastic bottles used to store the water.
According to scientists, these contaminants break down in the bottles, especially when stored for long periods or exposed to heat. From an environmental perspective, the experts also stress that it’s far better to drink tap water. “The reliance on bottled water comes with significant health, economic, and environmental costs, making an urgent reassessment of its widespread use necessary,” the researchers concluded.
Does the Spanish Government Do Enough?
Scientists have once more pleaded with governments and industry regulators in developed nations to inform the public of the possible dangers of bottled water.
Have their pleas once more fallen on deaf ears? We’ll have to see, but what we do know is that bottled water is big business. Worldwide revenue for bottled water is in the billions.
To be exact, it’s a jaw-dropping US$244.60bn in 2024 in supermarkets alone, and it amounts to US$120.20bn in bars and restaurants. That’s a lot of profit and a lot of jobs on the line.
Spain is no different. According to the latest data from Statista, Spanish supermarkets and shops will sell US$2.49bn worth of bottled water in 2024. Restaurants and bars will serve a whopping US$4.37bn in bottled water. This is a combined revenue of US$6.85bn in 2024. The market shows no signs of slowing down.
The amount of bottled water sold in supermarkets and shops is expected to grow by 2.08% every year between 2024-2029. Again, this is a lot of jobs feeding money into the economy and a lot of money on the line for investors.
Do the government and regulators really want us to stop drinking bottled water and start drinking tap water?
If you’re interested in learning more, find out about the truth behind tap water in Spain. Is it safe? Can you drink it?
