Begin to imagine going through your day without access to fresh water. The average United States citizen will use approximately 50 gallons of water each day, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. As Americans, we take what is a luxury to many around the world, and use it liberally at our own discretion. Water is the regulator of life; it regulates the temperature of the human body, carries nutrients and oxygen to cells, cushions joints, protects organs and tissues, and removes wastes. 75 percent of the human brain is composed water, reported the EPA. Nearly 97 percent of the world’s water is salty or otherwise undrinkable. Another two percent is locked in ice caps and glaciers, leaving less than one percent to the needs of humanity —  agricultural, residential, manufacturing, community, and personal needs. A person can live about a month without food, but only about a week without water. Water is the most precious resource on the planet; and human greed has begun to limit the accessibility of it to life across the globe.

 

The primary contributor to the issue at large is the bottled water industry. In terms of human health and sustainability, this industry is one of the most repulsive “business ventures” occurring today. Throughout the previous few decades, enormous corporations like Coca-Cola, Nestlé, and Pepsi have been infiltrating communities, tapping into their supply of drinkable water, bottling it, and essentially selling it back to the people, for a profit. These corporations reap massive revenue from their bottled water and quickly move on to another vulnerable population. In an effort to ensure that minimal legislation will prevent unethical business practices, special interests have been formed between elected officials and these companies. There is virtually nothing stopping this cycle from continuing, as long as consumers linger to purchase bottled water. Consumers are attracted to bottled water by effective, yet misleading, marketing leading purchasers to believe that the water is “healthier” than their tap water. Contrary to popular belief, a 2009 report by Food and Water Watch declared that nearly half of all bottled water is derived from tap water – 47.8 percent, to be exact. But now, bottled water is posing a threat to human health – and it’s not the water.

 

Plastics surround us and can take hundreds of years to degrade, or possibly never. Most plastics break down into small pieces and continue to break into smaller particles until they are not visible to the naked eye. Particles that are smaller than five millimeters in size (5,000 microns) are considered microplastics. New research done by Orb Media, a nonprofit journalism organization, gives evidence that a single bottle can hold dozens, or possibly even thousands, of these microscopic plastic particles. There has been marginal research done to conclude the effects microplastics on human health or what a safe level of consumption may be. It is known that plastics can absorb or carry organic contaminants, such as PCBs, pesticides, flame retardants and hormone-disrupting compounds that can be detrimental if consumed by mammals and fish.

 

As issues concerning water resources and plastic contamination continue to arise globally, humans need to be cognizant of future generations. We can accomplish higher stages of water sustainability on the individual level – by simple changes in daily habits, like getting a reusable bottle instead of purchasing bottled water.

 

“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” said, Jane Goodall, renowned primatologist and anthropologist. Only by changing today’s approach to our consumption of unethically produced, bottled water, can we ensure a prosperous future.