Blue Gold. That is the nickname that mineral water receives, referring to the usual color of the bottles that contain it, but also to the enormous business that has been mounted around it.
A surprising business, where tap water is potable throughout the country, and significantly cheaper . Are there then reasons to pay for drinking bottled water?
The panorama of water
According to a technical report from the Ministry of Health, which was echoed 99.05% of the water that comes out of the tap is potable, and the remaining 0.5% is due to specific cuts and incidents in the supply.
But that does not mean that the water is equal to where you open the tap. Although always potable, it can have different flavors and odors depending on the substances that are in it, such as calcium or bicarbonates.
Is the tap water healthy?
Drinking tap water is perfectly healthy , since it is a water that passes strict health controls. The presence of chemical elements in it is normal and does not detract from its quality, and in fact it is something that bottled water does not get rid of either.
Can mineral water be better?
Some bottled waters indicate that they are “of weak mineralization”. That means they can be especially low in mineral elements, and may be especially appropriate for people with kidney stone problems.
However, it is not a magic solution, it does not cure or totally avoid the formation of those kidney stones. In general, it can not be said that drinking bottled water is in any way healthier than drinking tap water.
What are the advantages of tap water?
Drinking tap water has some advantages, beyond the effects of some and other waters on health.
For starters, as we said, it is much cheaper , especially where we pay for tap water much less than what is paid in other countries.
On the other hand, its environmental impact is much lower . The plastic bottles in which the mineral water is sold are waste that take a long time to decompose, and if they are not recycled properly they can end up contaminating seas and oceans for years.
Finally it is important to point out the possibility that some compounds pass from the plastic of the bottles to the water they contain , although most of the studies carried out to date indicate that they do so in such small amounts that they do not pose any risk to health.