::..WHAT YOU DRINK? ..::

BOTTLERS DON’T HAVE TO LET CONSUMERS KNOW IF THEIR PRODUCT BECOMES CONTAMINATED

What can you do?

Worried about the toll your bottled water habit has on you or the earth? Take these steps.

Try the tap again. First, check it out. Municipal water supplies in some Asian countries have made great progress in meeting, and exceeding, WHO standards for drinking water quality. If your water comes from a public source (rather than a well), you should check your faucet water quality for lead and other contaminants from the pipes at least once a year. Make sure not only that your water has received a passing grade overall but also that contaminants haven’t exceeded the maximum allowable levels, even for a short while. If you have well water, get it tested every year.

Get a canteen. Carry your plain or filtered tap water in a reusable stainless steel or lined drinking container, and clean it between uses. Some even come with an easy-to-tote strap.

Think twice about the office water cooler. If it’s made of polycarbonate, it has the potential to leach BPA, a chemical that can cause neurological problems, among other things. And have you ever seen anyone actually clean the watercooler? probablly not.

Shop smart. When you must have bottled water, look for brands taht havebNSF certificaion or belong to IBWA. Check out nsf.org or bottledwater.org, or look at the bottle (the NSF logo appears on labels of tested brands).

Keep it cool. Don’t drink from a bottle that’s been subjected to high temperatures (sitting in your car), don’t sore it any where it will exposed to heat chemicals, and don’t reuse plastic bottles.

Go with glass. Choose glass containers over plastic whenever possible. And when you’re done, recycle!