Forget drinking out of the big water jugs. They are bad for your health and the environment.
The hard plastic is bad
An array of serious reproductive disorders in people are caused by a chemical found in the hard plastic of large water cooler tanks. The chemical bisphenol A (BPA) has been linked to female reproductive tract disorders, although earlier studies have found early-stage prostate and breast cancer and decreased sperm counts in animals exposed to low doses.
Source: Scientists issue warning about chemical in plastic
Bacteria grows in water cooler tanks
Next time you replace the tank on your water cooler, do two things:
Wipe bottom part of the tank with a paper towel. Now look at all the dirt that comes with each “new” bottle.
Now look at holding tank. When was the last time that was cleaned? Years, probably. Yeah. And you are drinking water out of that.
Transporting water wastes gas, releases more exhaust
Water weighs so much, they can’t even fill up an entire 18-wheeler truck with water. How much sense does it make to haul water around in a truck? You are wasting gas. You are adding more exhaust into the air.
Solution
Use filtered water. No BPA plastic to kill you. No growing bacteria on unclean bottles. No wasted gas. No exhaust. Just turn the handle, and look! Water comes out.
My experience
On the 14th floor of the Tribune Tower where I work, we have a water station on each side of the floor. One is filtered. The other is bottled. I sit on the bottled side of the floor and people think I’m crazy for preaching how bad the bottled water is. There are three solid good reasons for not using it. Ug.
Hear hear! Same goes for any bottled water, no matter how big or small.
Uh, “here here!”? I dunno …
Even Cathy the comic strip is against bottled water: http://www.amuniversal.com/ups/newsrelease/?view=682 If even Cathy (of all comic strips) can support this cause, then you can too.
While I understand your argument, the only bottled water that is effected is contained in bottles made out of polycarbonate. So, not all bottled water bad. As for the bacteria issue, please be sure to change the charcoal filter in the filtered water on a regular basis, as it also holds bacteria. That’s why they tell you to change your Brita filter on your faucet or pitcher monthly. I have to agree with you on the waste of gas and the exhaust fumes. And don’t think I’m knocking your opinion, as I am a filtered water drinker, but I just wanted to play the devil’s advocate. Have a great day!
Building management changes the filters in the TT on a regular basis. 🙂 I stroll to Lake Michigan and take a big gulp! That E. Coli sure is tasty, no?
You know what would be the worst of the worst? A bottled water cooler that uses only Styrofoam water bottles. Granted, the logistics are a little iffy, as Styrofoam punctures more easily than plastic, but can you imagine? Ick!
P.S. We don’t think you’re crazy for going ALL THE WAY over to the other side of the floor to get water. I do think it’s funny, though, that it was set up that way as an experiment to determine which system worked better. Yet, how many years later, the experiment is forgotten and we’re stuck here with bottles upon bottles of toxic water reservoirs teeming with bacteria and who knows what else. I think what Matt is trying to say is don’t come crying to him when you suddenly sprout a third arm.