Sources
Sources of Water
In the United States there began to a phenomenon which swept the nation in the middle of the 1990’s. At first the whole idea seemed quite ludicrous, but through this innovation massive amount of misinformation has been passed to the general public. This cultural change was bottled water. Through creative and smart marketing practices makers and producers of bottled water were able to charge people money, at huge markups, for a resource which cost people pennies a month. It seemed that people now had to have a bottle of water wherever they went. There was no job too large or small not to require stored water supplies which once were thought only needed for week long excursions into the wilderness.
Two unintended things occurred due to increase in the people carrying around water with them in plastic bottles everywhere they went. First, amazingly people didn’t increase the amounts of water they consumed. In fact, some studies show people suffer more from dehydration now during the bottled water culture than before the bottled water revolution. Yet, bottled water manufactures cannot be blamed for this occurrence. There is no direct correlation between having a supply of water on hand, and a lack of consuming water. Likewise, there was very little data being kept about the amounts of water, and the levels of dehydration among the general population before the 1990’s. Second, people started to questions the reliability of tap water. This second consequence can be laid at the feet of bottled water manufactures. Like most marketing, bottle watered manufactures needed to convince their consumers they were paying for a superior product. Much of this convincing was rather simple. There is a cultural belief in the United State that if a person pays money for an item or if an item is more expensive than another item, then the more expensive item is superior. This belief is often exploited by manufactures of many products. This argument that bottled water is better than tap water is the central debate in the world of water today.
The Problem of Dirty Water
Liquids are very important for the health of any person. The most basic and essential liquid source is water. Clean water is a very important and essential part of human health. The ability to get clean water to people is one of the major problems which are facing non-developed nations in the world.
Water is the most abundant natural resource on the planet. Over two-thirds of the earth’s surface is covered with some form of water. The amazing thing is the amount of drinkable water is very small in comparison to the overall water supply in the world. It is estimated that less than 1% of the Earth’s overall water supply is considered drinkable. With such a small percentage of drinkable water on the Earth many have led panics that eventually the population will run out of viable fresh water supplies. While there is reason and cause for many people to be concerned about the polluting of a fresh water streams, there is no immediate signs that the Earth will stop having drinkable water in the immediate future.
The water cycle is the manner in which water travels throughout the ecosystem. A person watching the water cycle would soon realize that water reaching the ocean, and turning from fresh water into salt water is not permanently gone from the possibility of ever being drinkable again. Through the formation of clouds, salt water is changed into drinkable water, and is then deposited back onto land. Through rain and snow water is stored and reaches fresh water sources, and the water cycle continues. While the water cycle will continue to provide fresh water for a person’s use, it is important that we guard against practices which might interrupt or destroy the water cycle. Certain forms of mining which have hazardous tailings can cause large amounts of harm to massive subterranean water supplies. Dumping of waste into rivers and streams can deposit harmful byproducts into drinking water which will affect the health of those living downstream. The polluting of coastal ocean waters also has a harmful effect on the rain water which is produced and transported onto land. The fear of acid rain is also very destructive to the continuity and health of the drinkable water supply.
The first best way to augment a person’s health through the liquids they drink is to first help to maintain the integrity of the water cycle. This will help a person to have fresh clean water to drink and replenish their bodies. The number of dirty water related illnesses and long term disorders are always rising, and can really destroy any health goals which any person might have.
Is Bottled Really Better than Tap Water?
The importance of clean water can be seen very easily for the overall health of a person. Yet, many people are throwing their money away by buying massive amounts of bottled water. In many studies it has been shown that bottled water is actually dirtier than tap water. In many states, especially in the Intermountain West, the water which is placed into bottled water is exactly the same as the water coming out of their tap water! A person is really just paying a premium to drink their water out of a thin plastic bottle.
There are locations where tap water is questionable in the United States, and it is preferable to have an alternative option. Bottled water can be beneficial in these situations; however, there are more cost effective options for people to explore. A filtration system in these areas can provide the benefits of clean water to the population, while not being as expensive as case after case of bottled water.
Getting enough water is very important, but it is also important to get water into a person’s system which is clean. The water coming out of a standard tap is cheap, and normally it is just as clean as water coming from a filtration system or a bottle. If a person is concerned about the cleanliness of the water coming from their tap then they should be sure to test it to calm their worries.
Things to Consider About Hydration
Staying hydrated is one of the best things a person can do for the overall health of the human body. With so much clean water available for consumption it really shouldn’t be a terribly difficult thing for a person to maintain adequate levels of water hydration. There is some new information a person should consider about the vitamin levels in their body.
Many of the essential vitamins in the body are water soluble. This means the body has a great amount of difficulty in storing these vitamins in the body, and the body needs to replenish its supplies of water soluble vitamins nearly daily. Increasing the amount of water a person drinks can influence the amount of water soluble vitamins in the body. Water is used to flush out excess from the body. This means that as a person increases the amount of water they drink, it also decrease the amount of water soluble vitamins the body is able to retain. Some studies have shown that an increase in the amount of water a person drinks can actually have a detrimental effect on the total amounts of vitamins in the body. The solution to this problem according to many studies is to increase the total amounts of vitamins in the body.
The best way to augment the body’s vitamin levels is to take a good healthy daily multivitamin. A daily multivitamin will increase the levels of water soluble vitamins in the body. In this way the body will be able to gain the benefits of drinking an adequate amount of water, and also maintain a healthy level of vitamins and minerals which the body also needs for health.
