Why did Americans spend nearly $11 billion on bottled water in 2006, when tap water costs only one ten-thousandth the price of bottled? Elizabeth Royte examines the phenomenon in her book “Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale and Why We Bought It.”

Part of the reason is simple marketing; in 2006, Pepsi, which owns Aquafina, spent $20 million suggesting that Americans “drink more water.”

But another factor, according to Royte, is the failure of the public sector; the United States may need to invest $390 billion in its failing water infrastructure by 2020. In 42 states, tap water contains at least 10 different pollutants on the same day. Bottled water, however, is no panacea for purity issues; it is also loosely regulated and just as hazardous.

Source  New York Times