Berkeley ESPM H196 - Patterns of Bottled Water Consumption: a Review and Analysis

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MethodsResultsMost UC Berkeley students drink bottled water on a regular basis. Of those surveyed, 89% drink bottled water at least monthly, 68% drink bottled water at least weekly, 39% drink bottled water daily, and 11% never drink bottled water.Figure 1. Source of knowledge by genderTable 1. Average drinking water knowledge scores by frequency of bottled water consumptionSource of KnowledgeTable 2. Average drinking water knowledge scores by source of drinking water knowledgeDiscussionPatterns of Bottled Water Consumption: a Review and Analysis Laura Martin Abstract The bottled water industry has experienced dramatic growth over the past decade. Currently, bottled water is the second most popular beverage behind soft drinks. In California, water quality standards for bottled water and tap water are comparable. Yet, the majority (70%) of Californians drink bottled water at least monthly, and one-third of Californians use bottled water as a primary source of drinking water. This study examines perceptions and knowledge of drinking water among a sub-population of Californians: undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley. The percentage of students that drink bottled water, knowledge of water quality, source of student’s knowledge, and reasons for drinking bottled water were assessed. A self-administered survey of 300 UC Berkeley undergraduate students was employed to acquire this information. This survey concluded that most (89%) students surveyed drink bottled water at least monthly. Respondents were given knowledge scores based on six questions concerning safety, composition, and source of tap and bottled water. Advertising is the most common source of bottled and tap water knowledge. Source of knowledge is independent of both gender and major. No significant relationships were found between gender and source of knowledge or major and source of knowledge. Significant relationships were found between knowledge score and frequency of bottled water consumption and between knowledge score and source of knowledge. Students that never drink bottled water have the highest knowledge scores. Scientific literature is the least biased source of bottled and tap water knowledge. Among those surveyed, convenience is the most common reason for bottled water consumption and high price is the most common reason for non-consumption.Introduction Over the past twenty-five years, bottled water has climbed into a position of power in the U.S. beverage market (Gabriel 2001). Today, bottled water is a $6 billion industry nationwide (Lucas 2003). The general interest in bottled water began in the late 1970s, at a time when alcohol consumption was moderated; a fitness craze swept the country, and concerns about tap water safety developed (Hunter 2002). By the 1980s, with a vigorous promotion campaign by processors of bottled water, retail sales increased (Hunter 2002). The bottled water market grew faster than any other major beverage category, and created a multibillion-dollar industry (Hunter 2002). The majority of consumers were in California, Texas, New York, and Florida, but bottled water was consumed throughout the country (Hunter 2002). Bottled water sales have been growing at roughly 10 percent each year through the 1990s (Lucas 2003). By the late 1990s, the bottled water market was growing three times faster than soft drinks, the major beverage seller (Hunter 2002). Americans like bottled water for what the product lacks: caffeine, calories, pollutants, and chlorine taste (Gabriel 2001). Health-conscious consumers view bottled water as a healthy alternative to diet soda (Gabriel 2001). Restaurateurs noted the rising interest in bottled water, and realized that such products could provide a growth area to make up for slackening profits from alcoholic beverages (Gabriel 2001). Bottled water boosts their dwindling bar sales and has higher profit margins than wine (Gabriel 2001). Currently, bottled water is the fastest growing segment of the beverage market (Gabriel 2001). By the end of 2003, bottled water will have moved past milk, coffee and beer to become the second most popular beverage behind soft drinks (Lucas 2003). As consumption of bottled water increases, so does concern over whether this water is an adequate source for mass consumption. Periodic analyses of the chemical composition of bottled water have indicated that the majority of bottled water meets applicable standards (Allen 1994). However, in some samples, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including toluene and benzene were identified (Allen 1994). This contamination, most likely introduced during processing, was attributed to inadequate process control (Allen 1994). The equipment and handling-intensive processing of bottled water provides many opportunities for the introduction of contaminants (Allen 1994). For instance, operation and maintenance of equipment (e.g., ozonators, pumps,deionizers, bottle fillers) requires the use of lubricants and cleaning solvents which, if not adequately controlled, will contact the water product (Allen, 1994). Most bottlers use processing methods like reverse osmosis, filtration, ultraviolet light and treatment with ozone gas (Bogo 2001). Although ozone does create far fewer byproducts than chlorine, one of these byproducts is bromate, which has been shown in EPA studies to cause cancer in rats (Bogo 2001). Even though bottled water is disinfected, the microbes, nitrogen, pesticides, solvents and arsenic that have been detected throughout groundwater supplies can still be found in water bottles (Bogo 2001). In California, water quality standards for bottled water and tap water are comparable (Allen 1994). The primary difference is that many of the organic standards for bottled water are applicable only to the source water (Allen 1994). Well water (available to 15% of Californians) being the exception, tap water is generally safe to drink (Keough 1999). Public water is tested, analyzed, and treated so that it is safe for human consumption (Keough 1999). The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention says that in most years fewer than 10,000 people report getting sick from drinking tap water in the U.S. (Sullivan 1995). Fluoride, a water additive that promotes strong teeth, is also present in tap water (Kuritzky 2000). Water systems are required to issue annual reports, called Consumer Confidence Reports (Keough 1999).


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