Function

• Without water, there is no life. Water is involved in every process of the body, from the movement of nutrients through the bloodstream to the removal of waste and everything in between. Hearing, sight, touch, taste and even smell are all reliant on the presence of water in our system. The levels of water in our body are important for everything from skin softness, to tears, sweat, and energy. As the amount of water decreases, tiredness and confusion take over and eventually unconsciousness sets in. Water is life to the human body.
  
  

Geography

• Water is found on many levels on our planet. From the sky in the form of clouds and the raindrops that fall, it is found deep in the ground under tons of layers of rock in rivers that flow beneath our feet. One example of an underground lake is the Ogallala aquifer that stretches under the Great Plains for approximately 225,000 square miles. Glaciers are another source of drinking water, supplying almost 40 percent of the world's population in Asia who live downstream of the glacial tributaries and are melting faster than in any recorded history. Reservoirs like Lake Kariba, the largest man-made lake that holds over 200 billion tons of water, supply vast amounts of drinking water to the world.
  
  

Features

• Besides hydrogen and oxygen, there are a few other things that can float along in our drinking water--microorganisms, disinfectants, disinfection byproducts, inorganic chemicals, organic chemicals and radionuclides. Some of these are just part of nature and are harmless to our bodies, but most of these are dangerous and are strictly regulated by the EPA. There is also another set of chemicals that affects the taste and smell of the water and can cause tooth discoloration. Finally, there is a list of unregulated contaminants that either are considered safe or are in the process of being regulated. All tap water is regulated by the EPA while bottled water is regulated by the FDA.
  
  

Considerations

• Based on the idea that our drinking water is highly regulated and that it is considered safe to drink, the usual reason someone might not want to drink tap water is for medical reasons. For instance, if you find that you are overly sensitive to chlorine in tap water, you might want to install a filter to remove the chlorine before you drink it. Another common problem is when someone whose immune system is compromised as with cancer patients and they are advised not to drink the tap water as even the low levels of contaminants might prove to be harmful to their recovery. Personal taste preference might be a reason to use bottled or filtered water especially in areas with high sulfur content where the smell and taste of the water is disagreeable, but safe.
  
  

Misconceptions

• One of the biggest misconceptions is that tap water is unhealthy and bottled water is safe. After a lengthy period of marketing and propaganda, huge segments of the population are convinced that they need to drink only bottled water. This has been based mostly on emotionally driven marketing, and not scientific fact. Both tap water and bottled water are considered safe. The biggest difference is the cost, both in the purchasing and in the footprint of plastic bottles on the environment. Tap water costs the consumer pennies for a gallon and leaves almost no footprint, while the plastic bottle industry costs upwards of 100 percent more per gallon and leaves a huge carbon footprint. This misconception is currently being changed as activists for a healthier planet work to educate our population.