8
October ^ 0 8
Bottled water presents health,
environmental, pocketbook risks
M ax H ays
.
Staff Reporter
bottled water. Even though
some of these chemicals are
found in tap water, they
should not be in water that
we are often paying several
dollars for.
The best health,
to them and to the
environment according to
Hartmann.
Although water bottles
are recyclable, they often find
their way into the landfill. In
2006, the state of California
It is a common
misconception that bottled
water is clean and safe when
compared to water that comes
from the tap. In fact, one
fourth of the time, bottled
water is just tap water in a
bottle. If the label of the bottle
says the water is "from a
iere needs to be a real awareness
municipal source" or "from
about where to recycle and what
a community water system"
then the bottled water you
goes in the recycling.”
paid for is no more than tap
Richard Craghead, custodian
water. It may not even be as
clean as West Linn's water
and costs nearly 4,000 times
environmental and money
alone had 18 million gallons
the price.
saving option might be to
of water shipped in from Fiji,
Bottled water can also
purchase stainless steel water
creating 2,500 tons of global
be a health risk. In a recent
bottles or water bottles that
warming pollution. In 2005,
study by an environmental
are bisphenol (BPA) free
nearly two million tons of
advocacy group, 38 different
and refill them using West
plastic water bottles were
chemicals were found in the
Linn tap water, unfiltered
thrown into landfills instead
ten bottled water brands
or filtered according to Jim
of being recycled.
they tested. Some contained
Hartmann, environmental
At WLHS, only one
caffeine, fertilizer and even
science teacher. He does
eighth of water bottles are
the radioactive element
caution, however, that you
recycled according to Richard
strontium. The plastic bottles
know where your water is
Craghead, custodian. The
also pose a health risk. The
coming from as Wilsonville
majority of the water bottles
plastic contains chemicals
residents are drinking water
that are thrown away are
called phthalates that can
taken from the Willamette
disrupt testosterone and other
River which prior to treatment
hormones.
contains a long list of
According to the National
chemicals and pollutants.
Resource Defense
In W est L in n , the
Council a study found
tap water comes from
that bottled water stored
the Clackamas River.
for ten weeks contained
If people knew about
phthalates, leading
where their tap water
C hristopher E rbin
researchers to believe
was coming from,
Staff Reporter
that the chemicals
they would be more
came from the plastic
willing to drink
container. There are
Gas prices are down at
water from the tap
regulations for
the moment, but prices on
as opposed to
phthalates in
a much more vital resource
bottled water
tap water, but
are soaring upward. As if
which
strangely
we didn't have enough to
could
there are
worry about, it has become
be more
'#***(
* -s m
y
; - v ■■--■■m
none for
evident to research experts
harmful
around the world that
the global supply of clean
water is quickly running
out, and soon, even the
wealthiest countries such
as the United States, will be
paying ridiculous amounts
of money for a resource we
simply cannot live without.
"Flow" is a documentary
film that was screened in
Portland during the first two
weeks of October. Multiple
classes took field trips to see
the film to educate students
on the worlds dwindling
clean water supply. Among
the classes that viewed the
film were Jim Hartmann's
AP Environmental Science
and Jonathan Davies'
biology classes.
In short, the documentary
is an investigation into
what experts label to be the
most important political
and environmental issue
of the 21st Century— the
World Water Crisis. The
film builds a case on the
out of 8 are recycled
growing problem of the
world's dwindling fresh
water supply with an
found on the athletic fields
and in the gyms, or in other
places where there are no
bins for recycling such as in
the halls.
Although the school
has recycling bins in
most classrooms, there
is always more that can
be done to improve the
amount of water bottles
that are recycled according
to William Ray, Head
Custodian.
"There needs to be a real
awareness about where to
recycle and what goes in
the recycling," Craghead
said. In order to recycle
water bottles, they must
be cleaned out, the neck of
the bottle must be smaller
than the body of the water
bottle and the cap must be
removed and thrown away.
If there were more
recycling bins on the fields
and in the gym's, it would
help encourage students to
use these recycling bins and
reduce the amount of water
bottles that find the trash.
War over water? How water prices
might start looking like gas pifces
7 out
of 8
bottles
are not
recycled
at
WLHS
unflinching focus on politics,
pollution, human rights, and
the emergence of a possible
world water cartel.
The film opens with a
mm
KOB
Day Fundraising
shot of various Middle
East water pools, billboard
images for polluted
water, and information
which relates that water
borne diseases kill more
people annually than any
of the hundreds of wars
being fought around the
world. The film goes on to
explain that these extreme
water hazards are not
only affecting developing
countries, but also the more
predominant world powers,
including the U.S.
"Flow " makes it clear
that the war for water has
already begun in many
third world countries. The
film examines the bitter,
conflicts that erupt when
major corporations have
tried to privatize water
in parts of Bolivia, South
Africa and other countries.
W hile "Flow " identifies
m any concerns about the
dwindling water supply,
there is one subject matter
that especially relates to
W LHS students. One of
the most intriguing aspects
of the film is the concerns
about bottled water, one of
the most profitable global
products. It is a liquid
that turns out to be less
regulated and possibly
less safe than what
comes through the tap. In
addition, we're told, society
could provide pure water
for everyone on the planet
for what we pay for the
bottled kind. It's something
to think about, as is this
entire film.
Beyond identifying
the problem, "Flow " also
gives viewers a look at the
people and institutions
providing practical
solutions to the water crisis
and those developing new
technologies, which are
fast becom ing blueprints
for a successful
econom ic turnaround.
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