Chemicals， contaminants， pollution， price: new reasons to rethink what you drink and beware of bottled water.

化學(xué)物質(zhì)、污染物以及價(jià)格，所有這些新原因使我們重新考慮我們?cè)诤鹊氖鞘裁矗?duì)瓶裝水加以關(guān)注。

Growing Thirst

日益增長(zhǎng)的用水需求

Remember the drinking fountain， that once ubiquitous， and free， source of H2O? It seems quaint now. Instead， bottled water is everywhere， in offices， airplanes， stores， homes and restaurants across the country. We consumed over eight billion gallons of the stuff in 2006， a 10 percent increase from 2005. It's refreshing， calorie-free， convenient to carry around， tastier than some tap water and a heck of a lot healthier than sugary sodas. But more and more， people are questioning whether the water， and the package it comes in， is safe， or at least safer than tap water - and if the convenience is worth the environmental impact.

還記得那些隨處可見(jiàn)的免費(fèi)直飲水嗎？如今似乎難覓其蹤了。取而代之的是瓶裝水，全國(guó)的辦公室、飛機(jī)、商店、家里和飯店中比比皆是。我們?cè)?006年消費(fèi)了800多萬(wàn)加侖的水，比05年增加了10%。清爽、無(wú)熱量的瓶裝水可以隨身攜帶到任何地方，十分方便，其口感也比自來(lái)水好許多，更比那些含糖的碳酸飲料健康多了。然而，越來(lái)越多的人開(kāi)始質(zhì)疑，這種水和其包裝是否健康，至少是不是比自來(lái)水要健康，再者就是它所帶來(lái)的便利是否值得以犧牲我們的環(huán)境為代價(jià)。

What's in That Bottle?

瓶中為何物？

Evocative names and labels depicting pastoral scenes have convinced us that the liquid is the purest drink around. \"But no one should think that bottled water is better regulated， better protected or safer than tap，\" says Eric Goldstein， co-director of the urban program at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)， a nonprofit organization devoted to protecting health and the environment.

那些引人遐想的商標(biāo)名稱、標(biāo)簽都在描述著清新的田園風(fēng)光，用來(lái)說(shuō)服我們他們賣的水是最純凈的。作為自然資源保護(hù)委員會(huì)（一個(gè)致力于保護(hù)健康和環(huán)境的非盈利組織）負(fù)責(zé)人之一的艾瑞克#8226;格德斯坦說(shuō)：“然而沒(méi)有人想過(guò)這瓶中的水應(yīng)該比自來(lái)水有更加嚴(yán)格的規(guī)范，更好的保護(hù)措施以及更安全的水質(zhì)?！?/p>

Yes， some bottled water comes from sparkling springs and other pristine sources. But more than 25 percent of it comes from a municipal supply. The water is treated， purified and sold to us， often at a thousandfold increase in price. Most people are surprised to learn that they're drinking glorified tap water， but bottlers aren't required to list the source on the label.

的確，有些瓶裝水取自泉水以及其它純凈的水源地。但是，超過(guò)25%的瓶裝水來(lái)自市政供應(yīng)，水經(jīng)過(guò)處理、凈化后賣給消費(fèi)者，然而價(jià)格通常要翻上一千倍。大多數(shù)人知道了自己在喝改頭換面的自來(lái)水后，都會(huì)倍感驚訝。但是并沒(méi)有明確規(guī)定要在包裝標(biāo)簽上要標(biāo)明水源。

This year Aquafina will begin stating on labels that its H2O comes from public water sources. And Nestlé Pure Life bottles will indicate whether the water comes from public， private or deep well sources. Dasani acknowledges on its website， but not on the label itself， that it draws from local water.

今年（百事旗下的）Aquafina牌瓶裝飲用水將開(kāi)始在標(biāo)簽上標(biāo)明該產(chǎn)品和自來(lái)水為同一水源地。雀巢也將說(shuō)明產(chǎn)品究竟是取自公共水源、私人開(kāi)采水源還是深層井水。（可口可樂(lè)公司旗下的）Dasani飲用水在其網(wǎng)站上承認(rèn)，該品牌的瓶裝水就是取自本地水源，但是這并未在標(biāo)簽上標(biāo)明。

Labels can be misleading at best， deceptive at worst. In one notorious case， water coming from a well located near a hazardous waste site was sold to many bottlers. At least one of these companies labeled its product \"spring water\". In another case， H2O sold as \"pure glacier water\" came from a public water system in Alaska.

外包裝的標(biāo)簽充其量能起到些誤導(dǎo)作用，最壞不過(guò)是商業(yè)欺詐而已。不過(guò)有種最糟糕的情況，人們買到的瓶裝水就取自井里，而那口井卻離危險(xiǎn)的廢料堆相隔不遠(yuǎn)。至少有一家公司表明了自己的產(chǎn)品就是泉水。另有一家，標(biāo)榜自己是純凈的冰川水，其實(shí)水就是取自阿拉斯加本地的公共供水系統(tǒng)。

Lisa Ledwidge， 38， of Minneapolis， stopped drinking bottled water a couple of years ago， partly because she found out that many brands come from a municipal supply. \"You're spending more per gallon than you would on gasoline for this thing that you can get out of the tap virtually for free，\" she says. \"I wondered， Why am I spending this money while complaining about how much gas costs? But you don't ever hear anyone complain about the price of bottled water.\" Ledwidge says she now drinks only filtered tap water.

38歲的麗薩#8226;里德維奇，居住在美國(guó)的明尼阿波利斯，她已經(jīng)有兩年不喝瓶裝水了，其中一部分原因就是他發(fā)現(xiàn)許多品牌都是取自本地的自來(lái)水。她說(shuō)：“每加侖的水錢比汽油還要貴，其實(shí)你可以從水龍頭里喝到同樣的水，而且還是免費(fèi)的?！薄拔揖筒幻靼琢?，為什么我一邊抱怨油價(jià)還一邊在水上面花錢?！崩锏戮S奇說(shuō)現(xiàn)在她就喝只是經(jīng)過(guò)過(guò)濾的自來(lái)水。

The controversy isn't simply about tap vs. bottled water; most people drink both， knowing the importance of plenty of water. What they may not know is that some bottled water may not be as pure as they expect. In 1999 the NRDC tested more than 1，000 bottles of 103 brands of water. (This is the most recent major report on bottled water safety.) While noting that most bottled water is safe， the organization found that at least one sample of a third of the brands contained bacterial or chemical contaminants， including carcinogens， in levels exceeding state or industry standards. Since the report， no major regulatory changes have been made and bottlers haven't drastically altered their procedures， so the risk is likely still there.

這不僅僅是一場(chǎng)自來(lái)水與瓶裝水的論戰(zhàn)，因?yàn)樯钪闹匾?，大多?shù)人自來(lái)水、瓶裝水都會(huì)喝。然而他們可能不知道的是有些瓶裝水也許沒(méi)有他們想得那樣純凈。1999年自然資源保護(hù)協(xié)會(huì)對(duì)103個(gè)品牌的超過(guò)1000瓶水進(jìn)行檢測(cè)（這是最近的關(guān)于飲水安全的質(zhì)量報(bào)告）。然而情況不容樂(lè)觀，該組織發(fā)現(xiàn)在已檢測(cè)的品牌中，至少有1/3的送檢水樣的細(xì)菌或化學(xué)物質(zhì)含量（其中包括致癌物質(zhì)）都超過(guò)了國(guó)家和行業(yè)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。該報(bào)告發(fā)布之后，并未有措施對(duì)其進(jìn)行整改，瓶裝水生產(chǎn)商并未改變生產(chǎn)工序，危險(xiǎn)似乎仍屹立不動(dòng)。

The NRDC found that samples of two brands were contaminated with phthalates， in one case exceeding Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards for tap water. These chemicals， used to make plastic softer， are found in cosmetics and fragrances， shower curtains， even baby toys， and are under increasing scrutiny. They're endocrine disrupters， which means they block or mimic hormones， affecting the body's normal functions. And the effects of exposure to the widespread chemicals may add up.

自然資源保護(hù)協(xié)會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)有兩個(gè)產(chǎn)品的水樣均被鄰苯二甲酸鹽污染，其中一個(gè)超過(guò)了環(huán)保署對(duì)自來(lái)水制定的飲水安全標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。這些化學(xué)物質(zhì)用來(lái)軟化塑料，常用于化妝品、芳香劑、浴室窗簾，甚至兒童玩具，并有待進(jìn)一步檢驗(yàn)。它們可以致使內(nèi)分泌紊亂，也就是說(shuō)它們會(huì)阻止或者復(fù)制荷爾蒙，從而影響身體的正常機(jī)能。并且如果這些化學(xué)物質(zhì)在體內(nèi)分布廣泛，其造成的影響將會(huì)加劇。

When exposed to high levels of phthalates during critical developmental periods， male fetuses can have malformed reproductive organs. Some experts' link phthalates to low sperm counts.

當(dāng)人體在重要的發(fā)育階段處于高濃度的鄰苯二甲酸鹽的環(huán)境下，男嬰可能會(huì)生殖器官畸形。一些專家將精子數(shù)量降低歸咎于該化學(xué)物質(zhì)。

Water bottles do not contain the chemical， which means the phthalates detected by the NRDC probably got into the water during processing at the bottling plant， or were present in the original water source (phthalates have been found in some tap water).

包裝瓶的成分并不含該化學(xué)物質(zhì)，也就是說(shuō)，根據(jù)自然資源保護(hù)協(xié)會(huì)的檢測(cè)，鄰苯二甲酸鹽很有可能是在瓶裝水加工時(shí)進(jìn)入飲用水的，或者在水源中就含有該物質(zhì)（在有些自來(lái)水中發(fā)現(xiàn)了鄰苯二甲酸鹽）。

Bottled water is regulated for safety， but it's a tricky thing. The EPA regulates tap water， while the FDA oversees bottled. Yet FDA oversight doesn't apply to water packaged and sold within the same state， leaving some 60 to 70 percent of bottled water， including the contents of watercooler jugs， free of FDA regulation， according to the NRDC's report. In this case， testing depends on the states， but the NRDC found that they often don't have adequate resources to oversee bottled water， in some cases lacking even one full-time person for an entire state.

規(guī)范瓶裝水的生產(chǎn)是為了飲水安全，但是這又是件復(fù)雜的事。美國(guó)環(huán)保署在規(guī)范著自來(lái)水的生產(chǎn)，同時(shí)食品藥品管理局則負(fù)責(zé)監(jiān)管瓶裝水。然而據(jù)自然資源保護(hù)協(xié)會(huì)的報(bào)告稱，美國(guó)食品藥品管理局卻忽略了飲用水包裝以及在相應(yīng)包裝下出售的問(wèn)題，這就讓60%到70%的瓶裝水，其中還包括涼水杯中的水置于食品藥品管理局的監(jiān)管之外。這樣一來(lái)，檢測(cè)就完全依賴國(guó)家，但是自然資源保護(hù)協(xié)會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)他們并沒(méi)有足夠的資源來(lái)監(jiān)管瓶裝水，在某些情況下，整個(gè)州都找不到一個(gè)全職的人來(lái)做這件事。

The FDA requires bottlers to regularly test for contaminants， but the agency considers bottled water a low-risk product， so plants may not be inspected every year. According to one FDA official， it's the manufacturer's responsibility to ensure that the product complies with laws and regulations. Some bottlers turn to NSF International， a trade group that conducts yearly unannounced inspections of plants， looking at the source of the water and the treatment process， and testing for contaminants. Other companies belong to the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA)， which also performs annual unannounced tests to ensure the plant is up to FDA standards. IBWA has its own regulations， some of which are stricter than the FDA's.

美國(guó)食品藥品管理局通常監(jiān)測(cè)的項(xiàng)目為污染物，但是該機(jī)構(gòu)認(rèn)為瓶裝水并非是安全隱患很大的產(chǎn)品，因此很多廠家可能一年也遇不上一次檢查。據(jù)一名食品及藥品管理局的官員稱，確保產(chǎn)品符合法律和行業(yè)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)是生產(chǎn)商的責(zé)任。一些生產(chǎn)商把注意力轉(zhuǎn)向全國(guó)衛(wèi)生基金會(huì)，該機(jī)構(gòu)每年會(huì)對(duì)生產(chǎn)商進(jìn)行突擊檢查，檢查內(nèi)容包括水源、水處理工序以及污染物檢測(cè)。另外一些國(guó)際瓶裝水協(xié)會(huì)的成員公司，每年也要按食品及藥品管理局制訂的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)接受突擊檢查。國(guó)際瓶裝水協(xié)會(huì)有自己的規(guī)定，有些甚至比食品及藥品管理局的還要嚴(yán)格。

Bottlers don't have to let consumers know if their product becomes contaminated， but sometimes they pull their products from stores. In fact， between 1990 and 2007， this happened about 100 times， says Peter Gleick of the Pacific Institute in Oakland， California. Among the reasons for recall: contamination with mold， benzene， coliform， microbes， even crickets.

包裝瓶生產(chǎn)商并非必須要告訴消費(fèi)者他們的產(chǎn)品是否受到了污染，但是有時(shí)他們從賣場(chǎng)召回產(chǎn)品。加州奧克蘭太平洋學(xué)會(huì)的彼得#8226;格雷克稱，事實(shí)上，在1997年至2007年之間，共召回大約100多次。召回原因中有模具污染、苯污染、大腸桿菌超標(biāo)、細(xì)菌微生物超標(biāo)，甚至在有的產(chǎn)品里還發(fā)現(xiàn)了蟋蟀。

The Plastic Problem

塑料問(wèn)題

Most bottled water comes in polyethylene terephthalate bottles， indicated by a number 1， PET or PETE on the bottle's bottom. (No， it's not the same phthalate mentioned earlier.) The bottles are generally safe， says Ken Smith， PhD， immediate past chair of the American Chemical Society's division of environmental chemistry. But scientists say when stored in hot or warm temperatures， the plastic may leach chemicals into the water.

絕大多數(shù)盛瓶裝水的塑料瓶中都含有一種名為聚對(duì)苯二甲酸乙二醇酯（一種環(huán)保塑料）的化學(xué)成分，用數(shù)字1來(lái)表示，在瓶底部標(biāo)明PET或PETE字樣。（這和先前提到的鄰苯二甲酸鹽可不是一回事。）即將卸任的美國(guó)化學(xué)會(huì)環(huán)境化學(xué)委員會(huì)主席肯#8226;史密斯博士稱這種瓶子一般來(lái)講是安全的。但是科學(xué)家們稱當(dāng)這種瓶子置于高溫或者溫?zé)釥顟B(tài)下儲(chǔ)存，塑料會(huì)向水中釋放化學(xué)物質(zhì)。

Brenda Decker， 45， of Lake Stockholm， New Jersey， used to buy bottled water in bulk and store it in the crawl space under her house， where it was exposed to high temperatures. But a friend who owns a natural food store recently warned her that the plastic could leach chemicals into the water. So Decker has stopped buying bottled water and is going back to the tap. \"It's a process， but I'm willing to go with it to make sure my kid is healthy. That's my biggest drive.\"

新澤西州45歲的布萊德#8226;戴克常常買大量的瓶裝水將之儲(chǔ)存在房子下面的儲(chǔ)藏空間，這樣一來(lái)，水就會(huì)置于高溫的環(huán)境中。但是最近一個(gè)經(jīng)營(yíng)天然食品的朋友警告她塑料會(huì)向水中釋放化學(xué)物質(zhì)。因此，戴克不買瓶裝水了，又重新喝起了自來(lái)水?！斑@是個(gè)過(guò)程，但是我想通過(guò)這個(gè)來(lái)保證我孩子的安全。這是我最大的動(dòng)機(jī)?！?/p>

High temperatures in your storage space aren't the only potential risk; so are the other things you keep there. Experts advise against storing water in the garage， near gas fumes， pesticides and other chemicals that could， at the very least， affect the smell and taste of the H2O.

高溫的儲(chǔ)藏環(huán)境不是唯一的潛在安全隱患，在高溫的儲(chǔ)藏環(huán)境中的其它東西同樣不安全。專家建議不要將水儲(chǔ)藏在車庫(kù)，切勿靠近汽油、殺蟲(chóng)劑以及其它化學(xué)物質(zhì)，至少這些東西會(huì)影響水的氣味和口感。

It's not just where you store your water， but what you do with it as you carry it with you. Many people sip from a bottle that's been sitting in a hot car， a potentially dangerous move. \"Leaving bottled water out in the car changes the chemical equilibrium so that the materials from the plastic go into the water faster，\" says Smith.

事情的關(guān)鍵并不在于你將之儲(chǔ)存在何處，而是你如何攜帶它。很多人還一小口一小口地嘬著瓶子里的水，那水已經(jīng)在悶熱的車?yán)锓帕撕芫昧?，喝這樣的水可是存在安全隱患的。史密斯說(shuō)：“把瓶裝水放在車子里改變了它的化學(xué)平衡，這樣塑料中的物質(zhì)就會(huì)快速地轉(zhuǎn)移到水里?！?/p>

When 22-year-old Amy Dowley， a senior at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie， New York， heard about these risks， she was worried. \"I never drank bottled water， because I knew the water from my tap was clean and healthy， but I used to fill used plastic soda or juice bottles with tap water to carry around，\" she says. Now she uses a stainless steel Klean Kanteen portable container or fills a cup from the sink. \"Any way we can cut back on plastic is a good thing.\"

22歲的艾米#8226;道雷是紐約波基普西的瓦瑟學(xué)院大四的學(xué)生，聽(tīng)說(shuō)了如此的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)后便憂心忡忡。她說(shuō)：“我從不喝瓶裝水，因?yàn)槲仪宄詠?lái)水是清潔、健康的，但是我過(guò)去常常用喝過(guò)的塑料碳酸飲料或者果汁瓶裝自來(lái)水?！比缃?，她用Klean Kanteen牌的不銹鋼便攜杯，或者就接水喝?！澳軠p少塑料的使用就是個(gè)好事情?！?/p>

\"Are there hazards associated with these chemicals?\" asks James Kapin， a chemical safety consultant in San Diego. \"Absolutely.\" But as with many debates on chemicals， the exact health risks are unknown. \"We very rarely get black-and-white answers for the health effects of long-term exposure. At some point， I hope， there will be a scientific consensus.\"

圣地亞哥的化學(xué)安全顧問(wèn)詹姆斯#8226;卡賓問(wèn)道：“這些危害都與化學(xué)物質(zhì)相關(guān)嗎？”“絕對(duì)有關(guān)！”但是在化學(xué)物質(zhì)方面還存在許多爭(zhēng)論，準(zhǔn)確的健康風(fēng)險(xiǎn)數(shù)據(jù)還是未知數(shù)。他表示：“如和化學(xué)物質(zhì)長(zhǎng)期接觸，對(duì)身體健康是否有影響，我們也不太能得到非黑即白的答案。一定程度上，我希望能就此達(dá)成一個(gè)科學(xué)的共識(shí)?！?/p>

In the meantime， experts have raised a warning flag about a few specific chemicals. Antimony is a potentially toxic material used in making PET. Last year， scientists in Germany found that the longer a bottle of water sits around (in a store， in your home)， the more antimony it develops. High concentrations of antimony can cause nausea， vomiting and diarrhea. In the study， levels found were below those set as safe by the EPA， but it's a topic that needs more research.

與此同時(shí)，專家們還提醒大家對(duì)具體的一些化學(xué)物質(zhì)加以注意。銻是制造PET（聚對(duì)苯二甲酸乙二醇酯）的一種有潛在危險(xiǎn)的化學(xué)物質(zhì)。去年，德國(guó)的專家發(fā)現(xiàn)，瓶裝水儲(chǔ)存的時(shí)間越久（在商店里或在家中），水中所含的銻越多。高濃度的銻可以使人惡心、嘔吐以及腹瀉。研究表明，發(fā)現(xiàn)的安全標(biāo)準(zhǔn)比美國(guó)環(huán)境保護(hù)署制定的要低，但此課題仍有待進(jìn)一步研究。

Last summer， a National Institutes of Health (NIH) committee agreed that bisphenol A (BPA)， a chemical found in polycarbonate (used to make watercooler jugs， sport-water bottles and other hard plastics， but not PET)， may cause neurological and behavioral problems in fetuses， babies and kids. A separate NIH-sponsored panel found that the risk was even greater， saying that adult exposure to BPA likely affects the brain， the female reproductive system and the immune system. The FDA has reviewed these reports and says it will keep monitoring the data to see if the agency needs to take regulatory action.

去年夏天，國(guó)家健康機(jī)構(gòu)委員會(huì)同意，在聚碳酸酯（一種非環(huán)保塑料）中的一種叫做BPA（雙酚A）的物質(zhì)（用來(lái)制造飲水機(jī)的水桶、運(yùn)動(dòng)水壺和其它一些硬塑料制品）可能導(dǎo)致胎兒、嬰兒和兒童的神經(jīng)和行為異常。一個(gè)由國(guó)家健康機(jī)構(gòu)支持的獨(dú)立課題組發(fā)現(xiàn)這類風(fēng)險(xiǎn)甚至?xí)?，BPA很可能會(huì)影響成人的腦功能、女性的生育和免疫系統(tǒng)。美國(guó)食品藥品管理局復(fù)查了這些報(bào)告稱其會(huì)繼續(xù)監(jiān)測(cè)數(shù)據(jù)以便決定是否要采取常規(guī)措施。

The potential health risks are important to understand， but bottled water also affects the health of the planet.

了解這些潛在的健康隱患顯得尤為重要，然而瓶裝水也影響著這個(gè)星球的健康。

\"Bottled water is an increasingly growing business， and with that comes a whole lot of environmental impact that can be avoided by a turn of the faucet，\" says Jenny Powers of the NRDC. While we struggle to cut down on our consumption of fossil fuels， bottled water increases them. Virgin petroleum is used to make PET， and the more bottles we use， the more virgin petroleum will be needed to create new bottles. Fossil fuels are burned to fill the bottles and distribute them. Stephen Kay of IBWA points out that it's not just bottled water， but juices， soda and other beverages packed in plastic that add to this waste.

自然資源保護(hù)協(xié)會(huì)的珍妮#8226;鮑爾斯稱：“瓶裝水是一個(gè)日益增長(zhǎng)的產(chǎn)業(yè)，隨之而來(lái)的是對(duì)環(huán)境的極大沖擊，而使用自來(lái)水就會(huì)使這些沖擊迎刃而解?！碑?dāng)我們竭力削減在石油方面的消費(fèi)時(shí)，瓶裝水卻使其消耗量有所上升。原油是制造聚對(duì)苯二甲酸乙二醇酯塑料的原料，我們用的瓶子越多，就要用更多的原油去制造更多的瓶子。原油就這么用在了這些瓶子身上。國(guó)際瓶裝水協(xié)會(huì)的史蒂芬#8226;凱指出，不止是瓶裝水，果汁、蘇打水和其它任何用塑料包裝的飲料都增加了石油能源的浪費(fèi)。

Some brands of water come from islands and countries thousands of miles away， and shipping bottles can cause carbon pollution to spill into the water and spew into the air.

有些品牌的水取自千里之遙的島嶼，甚至國(guó)外，在運(yùn)輸過(guò)程中瓶子可能會(huì)導(dǎo)致碳污染水體并揮發(fā)到空氣中。

Then there's the waste of water itself， says Todd Jarvis， PhD， associate director of the Institute for Water and Watersheds at Oregon State University. According to his calculations， it takes about 72 billion gallons of water a year， worldwide， just to make the empty bottles.

俄勒岡州立大學(xué)水和分水嶺研究所副主任托德#8226;賈維斯博士稱，水本身就存在浪費(fèi)。根據(jù)他的計(jì)算，每年在世界范圍內(nèi)單單制造空瓶的水就達(dá)720億加侖。

Treating and filtering tap water for bottling creates even more waste. By some estimates， it takes about two liters of water to make every liter you see on store shelves. \"Bottled water has a significant environmental burden，\" says the NRDC's Goldstein.

處理并過(guò)濾自來(lái)水來(lái)生產(chǎn)瓶裝水會(huì)造成更大的浪費(fèi)。據(jù)估計(jì)，每生產(chǎn)一升瓶裝水大概要消耗兩升自來(lái)水。自然資源保護(hù)協(xié)會(huì)的格德斯坦說(shuō)：“瓶裝水對(duì)于環(huán)境是個(gè)極大的負(fù)擔(dān)?！?/p>

A big part of the appeal of bottled water is those convenient single-serving bottles. Yet fewer than 20 percent of them ever make it to a second life， according to estimates by the Container Recycling Institute. The rest are tossed onto beaches and roadsides and into landfills， where they could be around for a thousand years. Nestlé Waters， Dasani and other bottlers are trying to be greener， introducing lighter-weight bottles that use up to 30 percent less plastic.

對(duì)瓶裝水的投訴中一大部分是方便的簡(jiǎn)裝水。然而根據(jù)容器回收機(jī)構(gòu)的估計(jì)，其中只有不到20%曾回收再利用。剩下的就被丟棄在海灘、路邊和垃圾堆了，他們可能要在那里呆上上千年。雀巢公司旗下的Dasani和其它一些生產(chǎn)商正在試圖采用更加環(huán)保的生產(chǎn)工藝，引入更加輕質(zhì)的瓶子，這種瓶子最多會(huì)減少30%的塑料使用量。

It's a good start， but more needs to be done - by them， and by us.

這是個(gè)好的開(kāi)始，然而需要做的還很多，包括生產(chǎn)商，還有我們消費(fèi)者。

What You Can Do

你能做些什么

Worried about the toll your bottled water habit has on you or the earth? Take these steps.

擔(dān)憂飲用瓶裝水的習(xí)慣對(duì)于你、對(duì)于地球的消耗？看看下面的內(nèi)容吧。

Try the Tap Again

回歸自來(lái)水

First， check it out. If your water comes from a public source (rather than a well)， you should get a water-quality or consumer-confidence report from the water company once a year. It's also available at any time from the local water utility. Read the report carefully， making sure not only that your water has received a passing grade overall but also that contaminants haven't exceeded the maximum allowable levels， even for a short while. If you have well water， get it tested every year. For more information， call the EPA's toll-free Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791， or visit the website for the Campaign for Safe and Affordable Drinking Water.

首先，進(jìn)行一下確認(rèn)。如果你的水來(lái)自公共水源地，而并非是從井里抽出來(lái)的水，那就應(yīng)該每年從自來(lái)水公司拿到一份水質(zhì)或者消費(fèi)信譽(yù)報(bào)告。從本地的自來(lái)水公司任何時(shí)候都可以拿到上述報(bào)告。認(rèn)真閱讀檢測(cè)報(bào)告，不止是保證你所飲用的水合格就行，還要保證各項(xiàng)污染物項(xiàng)目未超過(guò)允許的最高值，哪怕是一小段時(shí)間。如果你飲用的是井水，那就每年都需要送檢了。更多信息，請(qǐng)咨詢美國(guó)環(huán)保署的免費(fèi)飲水安全熱線800-426-4791，或者登陸為“買得起的安全飲用水運(yùn)動(dòng)”專門(mén)建立的網(wǎng)站。

Get a Canteen

買一個(gè)水壺

Carry your plain or filtered tap water in a reusable stainless steel drinking container， and clean it between uses. Some come with an easy-to-tote strap. We like the stainless steel versions from Klean Kanteen and New Wave Enviro， and the colorful bottles from SIGG.

用可再利用的不銹鋼水瓶帶些白開(kāi)水或者經(jīng)過(guò)濾的自來(lái)水，每次用的時(shí)候先清洗一下。有些還有便攜的挎帶。我們喜歡Klean Kanteen和New Wave Enviro的不銹鋼水瓶，還有SIGG的彩色水壺。

Think Twice about the Office Watercooler

公司的飲水機(jī)，三思而后飲

If it's made of polycarbonate， it has the potential to leach BPA， a chemical that can cause neurological problems， among other things. And have you ever seen anyone actually clean the watercooler? Probably not.

聚碳酸酯是制造飲水機(jī)的材料，這種材料會(huì)向水中釋放雙酚A，該物質(zhì)會(huì)導(dǎo)致神經(jīng)系統(tǒng)問(wèn)題。另外，你見(jiàn)過(guò)有誰(shuí)真正清潔過(guò)飲水機(jī)嗎？大概沒(méi)有吧。

Shop Smart

聰明購(gòu)物

When you must have bottled water， look for brands that have NSF certification or belong to IBWA. Check out the lists at nsf.org or bottledwater.org， or look at the bottle itself (the NSF logo appears on labels of tested brands). If the brand you're looking for isn't there， contact the bottler. Ask where the water is bottled and what exactly is in it.

當(dāng)你必須要選用瓶裝水，要選擇那些有NSF（美國(guó)全國(guó)衛(wèi)生基金會(huì)）認(rèn)證或者國(guó)際瓶裝水協(xié)會(huì)的會(huì)員品牌.可查詢NSF的官方網(wǎng)站nsf.org或者bottledwater.org，也可以檢查瓶子本身（已經(jīng)過(guò)NSF檢驗(yàn)的品牌會(huì)印上其標(biāo)志）。如果那里沒(méi)有你找的品牌，請(qǐng)聯(lián)系生產(chǎn)商。詢問(wèn)水是在何處包裝，還有里面究竟是什么水。

Keep It Cool

低溫保存

Don't drink from a bottle that's been subjected to high temperatures (sitting in your car， for example)， don't store it anywhere it will be exposed to heat or chemicals， and don't reuse plastic bottles.

不要飲用置于高溫環(huán)境中的瓶裝水（比如汽車?yán)铮灰阉胖迷跁?huì)被加熱或有化學(xué)物質(zhì)的地方，并且不要重復(fù)利用裝水的瓶子。

Go with Glass

使用玻璃容器

Choose glass containers (Eden Springs and Voss are two popular brands) over plastic whenever possible. When you're done， recycle!

盡可能地選擇玻璃容器來(lái)替代塑料瓶（Eden Springs和Voss是兩個(gè)比較著名的品牌）。使用完之后，將其重復(fù)利用。

Do You Need a Filter?

你需要過(guò)濾器嗎？

The water that comes out of your faucet is probably safe. In general， toxins in drinking water don't exceed EPA limits， but there are still legitimate concerns. From a funny taste to lead contamination from aging pipes， your tap water may have picked up some unsavory additions along the way.

從自來(lái)水管道流出的水基本是安全的。一般來(lái)說(shuō)，飲用水中的有毒物質(zhì)沒(méi)有超過(guò)環(huán)保署的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，但這仍讓人有些憂慮。從老化的管道中流出的水會(huì)有種怪怪的味道，自來(lái)水會(huì)帶走管道中一些難聞的物質(zhì)。

What's in your water? Certain areas of the country are subject to particular toxins， such as runoff from farms and by-products of industry， like arsenic， which can also occur naturally in the environment.

那水中都有些什么呢？某些特定地區(qū)的水質(zhì)受到某種特別毒素的影響，比如農(nóng)業(yè)和工業(yè)廢料，比如三氧化二砷，這種物質(zhì)是可以在自然環(huán)境中生成的。

Have It Tested

檢測(cè)水質(zhì)

If you're concerned， have your water tested by a lab that's certified by the state; the EPA has an online listing of certification officers， or call your health department for recommendations. Choose a filter. Choices range from tabletop containers， such as a carafe with a carbon filter (Brita and PUR are popular brands)， to devices that purify the water as it enters your home. Look for one approved by NSF， Underwriters Laboratories or the Water Quality Association， and clean it as recommended by the manufacturer. Do it yourself. Some water is treated with chlorine to kill bacteria， but the taste turns people off. The fix? Pour water into a clear glass container and leave it uncovered in the refrigerator for 24 hours to let the chlorine dissipate into the air.

如果你不放心就去國(guó)家認(rèn)證的實(shí)驗(yàn)室；美國(guó)環(huán)保署有一個(gè)在線的認(rèn)證官員名單，打電話給健康部門(mén)尋求一個(gè)推薦。選擇一個(gè)過(guò)濾器，選擇的品種小到臺(tái)式凈水機(jī)，比如玻璃水瓶里加入活性炭過(guò)濾器（Brita和PUR 是兩大受歡迎品牌），大到在自來(lái)水入戶管道處安裝的過(guò)濾裝置。要選擇經(jīng)過(guò)美國(guó)全國(guó)衛(wèi)生基金會(huì)、美國(guó)保險(xiǎn)商實(shí)驗(yàn)室或者水質(zhì)協(xié)會(huì)認(rèn)證的產(chǎn)品，并按廠家推薦方法進(jìn)行清理。自己動(dòng)手來(lái)做。有些水使用氯化物殺菌，但是口感卻不盡如人意。如何搞定怪味道？把過(guò)濾好的純凈水放進(jìn)一個(gè)干凈的玻璃杯里，敞口放在冰箱中24小時(shí)，來(lái)讓氯氣揮發(fā)到空氣中。

Fluoride Facts

氟化物

Most bottled water doesn't contain added fluoride (if it does， it will say so on the label). Kids are drinking more bottled water and less fluoridated tap， and some say that's behind the recent rise in dental decay. While the cavity link hasn't been confirmed， pediatric dentist Mary Hayes， DDS， says， \"I tell parents that if they choose bottled water without fluoride， they're losing an opportunity to protect their child's teeth. We know fluoride has a great track record in diminishing the risk of decay.\"

絕大多數(shù)的瓶裝水并不含人工添加的氟化物（若含有氟化物，須在標(biāo)簽標(biāo)明）。兒童相對(duì)添加氟化物的自來(lái)水而言，飲用的瓶裝水越來(lái)越多，有人說(shuō)這就是近年來(lái)蛀牙兒童增多的背后隱情。然而蛀牙的原因并未確定，兒科口腔醫(yī)生瑪麗#8226;海茲稱：“我告訴孩子的家長(zhǎng)，如果選擇飲用不含氟化物的瓶裝水將失去保護(hù)孩子牙齒的機(jī)會(huì)。眾所周知，氟化物可以有效地降低患齲齒的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)?！?/p>

If your tap water is fortified， you probably don't need fluoride in bottled. But if your family has well water without fluoride， drinks only bottled or uses a filter that removes fluoride (many do)， ask your dentist about supplements for your child.

如果自來(lái)水經(jīng)過(guò)了氟化處理，你也許就不再飲用含氟的瓶裝水。但是，如果你家用的是未經(jīng)氟化處理的井水，僅僅是飲用瓶裝水或者使用濾除了氟化物的過(guò)濾器（許多過(guò)濾器都會(huì)濾除氟化物），那你就要向牙醫(yī)為孩子尋求一些額外的保護(hù)了。

Bottled Water's Environmental Toll

Eco Footprint

瓶裝水的環(huán)保與經(jīng)濟(jì)賬

The energy used each year making the bottles needed to meet the demand for bottled water in the United States is equivalent to more than 17 million barrels of oil. That's enough to fuel over 1 million cars for a year.

美國(guó)每年制造瓶裝水而生產(chǎn)出的瓶子相當(dāng)于1700萬(wàn)桶原油。這足夠100多萬(wàn)輛汽車一年的油耗。

If water and soft drink bottlers had used 10% recycled materials in their plastic bottles in 2004， they would have saved the equivalent of 72 million gallons of gasoline. If they had used 25%， they would have saved enough energy to electrify more than 680，000 homes for a year.

倘若礦泉水和其它一些軟飲料的瓶子在2004年就是用了10%的可回收物質(zhì)的話，那么就相當(dāng)于節(jié)省了7200萬(wàn)加侖的汽油。如果將這個(gè)百分比增加到25%，節(jié)約下的能源足夠?yàn)槌^(guò)68萬(wàn)戶家庭全年供電。

In 2003， the California Department of Conservation estimated that roughly three million water bottles are trashed every day in that state. At this rate， by 2013 the amount of unrecycled bottles will be enough to create a two-lane highway that stretches the state's entire coast.

2003年，加州環(huán)保署估計(jì)每天在該州產(chǎn)生的廢棄礦泉水瓶大約有300個(gè)。以這個(gè)速度發(fā)展下去，到2013年，這些瓶子的總量足夠碼一條延伸到該州整個(gè)海岸線的雙車道高速公路。

In 2004 the recycling rate for all beverage containers was 33.5 percent. If it reached 80 percent， the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions would be the equivalent of removing 2.4 million cars from the road for a year.

2004年，飲料瓶的回收再利用率為33.5%。如果達(dá)到80%，那么減少的溫室氣體量相當(dāng)于每年從公路上減少了240萬(wàn)輛汽車。

That bottle that takes just three minutes to drink can take up to a thousand years to biodegrade.

喝完一瓶水僅需三分鐘，然而降解一個(gè)塑料瓶卻需要1000年。

Links：

1. NRDC

The Natural Resources Defense Council自然資源保護(hù)協(xié)會(huì)

該機(jī)構(gòu)成立于1970年。今天，它已經(jīng)成為世界上最卓有成效和最受尊重的環(huán)保組織之一。它發(fā)起于美國(guó)，擁有120萬(wàn)余支持者。NRDC在中國(guó)的項(xiàng)目已經(jīng)開(kāi)展了多年，2006年，他們?cè)诒本┰O(shè)立了環(huán)境友好的“綠色”辦公室。

NRDC在技術(shù)，科學(xué)研究和法律方面與當(dāng)?shù)氐恼?、企業(yè)和社區(qū)進(jìn)行合作，不斷尋找更好的方法來(lái)削減污染、減少浪費(fèi)、節(jié)省能源——使每個(gè)人都從中獲益。目前，NRDC的300名工作人員為全球各種環(huán)境保護(hù)問(wèn)題而奔走，他們的主要項(xiàng)目包括：全球變暖、清潔能源、空氣污染、有毒化學(xué)物質(zhì)與人體健康

2. BPA

碳酸酯是生產(chǎn)硬塑料水瓶（太空杯）時(shí)廣泛采用的化學(xué)材料，該材料中有一種重要物質(zhì)為雙酚A（簡(jiǎn)稱BPA）。BPA雖然給人類帶來(lái)方便，但美國(guó)和加拿大的一些專家也指出，它會(huì)對(duì)人體的免疫系統(tǒng)造成傷害。而這一結(jié)論已成為廣泛共識(shí)。

硬塑料水瓶中的少量BPA成分是否會(huì)對(duì)人體造成傷害呢?這個(gè)問(wèn)題仍存在爭(zhēng)議，美國(guó)食品和藥品管理局的觀點(diǎn)是，含BPA的制成品不會(huì)對(duì)人體健康造成威脅。但在美國(guó)政府大會(huì)上，多名專家組成的研究團(tuán)卻提出：人體中含有的BPA水平足以給實(shí)驗(yàn)室中的動(dòng)物造成傷害。

研究人員將少量的BPA注射到動(dòng)物體內(nèi)，其結(jié)果令人大為吃驚：即使是少量的BPA依然會(huì)使動(dòng)物患上各種疾病，如乳腺癌、前列腺癌、肥胖、活動(dòng)亢奮、流產(chǎn)及其它生育疾病等。這樣的結(jié)果足以令人們提高警惕。

3. NSF

美國(guó)全國(guó)衛(wèi)生基金會(huì)（National Sanitation Foundation）成立于1944年，是一個(gè)獨(dú)立的，不以營(yíng)利為目的的非政府組織。NSF專致于公共衛(wèi)生、安全、環(huán)境保護(hù)領(lǐng)域的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)制訂、產(chǎn)品測(cè)試和認(rèn)證服務(wù)工作，是公共衛(wèi)生與安全領(lǐng)域的權(quán)威機(jī)構(gòu)。每年有數(shù)以百萬(wàn)計(jì)消費(fèi)品、商業(yè)和工業(yè)產(chǎn)品被印上NSF的標(biāo)識(shí)，多年來(lái)被消費(fèi)者、行內(nèi)人士和生產(chǎn)制造單位所信賴。NSF 的宗旨在于制訂公共衛(wèi)生以及服務(wù)、研究與教育環(huán)境方面的管理規(guī)劃并加以實(shí)施。作為一個(gè)可靠的中立組織，NSF為政府、產(chǎn)業(yè)界以及廣大消費(fèi)者提供解決有關(guān)公眾健康與環(huán)境問(wèn)題的服務(wù)。

NSF的技術(shù)資源包括測(cè)試設(shè)備和分析的化學(xué)和微生物學(xué)實(shí)驗(yàn)室。NSF的專業(yè)人士包括有公眾健康、食品安全、水質(zhì)質(zhì)量和環(huán)境等方面有著廣泛經(jīng)驗(yàn)的工程師、化學(xué)家、毒理學(xué)家、公共衛(wèi)生學(xué)家和計(jì)算機(jī)科學(xué)家。NSF 簽發(fā)的認(rèn)證被美國(guó)國(guó)家標(biāo)準(zhǔn)協(xié)會(huì)（ANSI）和加拿大標(biāo)準(zhǔn)委員會(huì)（SCC）所承認(rèn)。

4. IBWA

International Bottled Water Association 國(guó)際瓶裝水協(xié)會(huì)

國(guó)際瓶裝水協(xié)會(huì)（International Bottled Water Association，IBWA）成立于1958年，是世界瓶裝水行業(yè)最具權(quán)威性的行業(yè)組織，成員包括超過(guò)1200家的瓶裝水廠商、分銷商及供貨商，在美國(guó)、南美、澳大利亞、加拿大、歐洲及亞洲都設(shè)有分會(huì)。國(guó)際瓶裝水協(xié)會(huì)的職責(zé)是制定嚴(yán)格的產(chǎn)品標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，為會(huì)員提供瓶裝水行業(yè)信息，促進(jìn)全球瓶裝水行業(yè)的發(fā)展。IBWA長(zhǎng)期與美國(guó)食品藥品管理局（FDA）及其它國(guó)家的政府部門(mén)合作，制訂安全、高質(zhì)的瓶裝水標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。

2004年，國(guó)際瓶裝水協(xié)會(huì)通過(guò)了最新的質(zhì)量與安全標(biāo)準(zhǔn)守則。該標(biāo)準(zhǔn)守則向所有國(guó)際瓶裝水協(xié)會(huì)成員提出了必須遵守的要求。依照國(guó)際瓶裝水協(xié)會(huì)的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)守則，所有通過(guò)IBWA認(rèn)證的裝瓶飲料企業(yè)每年都必須接受由一家獨(dú)立的、國(guó)際認(rèn)可的第三方組織進(jìn)行的無(wú)預(yù)先通知的突擊檢查。該組織負(fù)責(zé)審查質(zhì)量和測(cè)試記錄，還要檢查從貨源到成品的各個(gè)生產(chǎn)環(huán)節(jié)是否符合IBWA的規(guī)定。一旦在檢查中發(fā)現(xiàn)污染情況，IBWA將立即通告銷售商將被檢查企業(yè)所有同期制作的瓶裝水收回報(bào)廢。為了確保對(duì)產(chǎn)品分類的準(zhǔn)確，IBWA對(duì)瓶裝水的成分也進(jìn)行嚴(yán)格測(cè)定。如果在檢查中發(fā)現(xiàn)產(chǎn)品添加劑超過(guò)總水量1%，該瓶裝水也會(huì)被責(zé)令收回。IBWA認(rèn)為，過(guò)多的外來(lái)添加成分會(huì)改變水的成分，使標(biāo)簽上注明的“礦泉水”、“深井水”或“蒸餾水”名不副實(shí)。

通過(guò)國(guó)際瓶裝水協(xié)會(huì)的檢測(cè)，并達(dá)到質(zhì)量與安全標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的瓶裝水產(chǎn)品，被授權(quán)可以使用IBWA標(biāo)志。