Updated: Apr. 15, 2024
Some brands of bottled water are doing more damage than you may realize.
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Drinking water and staying hydrated is an essential part of being healthy, but picking up any brand of bottled water to reach your suggested daily intake might not be the smartest move. Many bottled water brands have acidic pH levels and added fluoride, which can be damaging to your teeth.
Augusto Robles, DDS, MS, DMD, and assistant professor at the UAB School of Dentistry, conducted a study to assess the pH levels and fluoride content on various brands of bottled water. In case you’re curious, this is why bottled water has an expiration date and why different water bottle brands are priced so differently.
“If the bottled water has a pH lower than 5.5, then it has the ability to dissolve enamel, which is the hard protective outer layer of your teeth and the hardest substance in the human body,” Robles says. That pH level varies between brands because of the different processes each company uses to make the water clean enough to drink. The added chemicals and filtration systems used ultimately affect how the water tastes and its final pH level.
The study concluded that four (yes, only four) bottled water brands have a pH and fluoride level completely safe for your teeth: Fiji, “Just Water,”Deer Park Natural Spring Water, and Evamor.
“Both EPA and FDA have deemed those cleaning processes safe for human consumption, but from the dentistry point of view, it can have an impact on the health of teeth,” Robles says.
Other brands that you can also feel safe drinking, even though they weren’t included in Robles’s study are Aqua Hydrate, Essentia,Icelandic, andReal Water. They also have a high pH level and a safe amount of fluoride.
The issue of erosion has increased over the last 20 years, Robles continues. Even if you make the healthy choice to switch from soda to water, the wrong kinds of water can still have damaging effects on your teeth, just at a slower rate. A small amount of fluoride is necessary to make our teeth more resistant to cavities, but it’s important to know which brands have too much so you can keep your teeth healthy.
NEXT: Discover how to clean a water bottle the right way.
FAQs
Glass is the safest material for water bottles. It's non leaching, won't change the taste of your water and is 100% recyclable, forever. While there are concerns around glass breaking and causing injury, this is by far the healthiest choice for your reusable water bottles.
Which bottled waters have no PFAS? ›
Bottled Waters without PFAS
- Arrowhead Spring water.
- Boxed Water.
- Waiakea Hawaiian Volcanic Water.
- Good & Gather (Target) Purified Water.
Ice Mountain® Brand 100% Natural Spring Water.
What is the safest bottled water in 2024? ›
1. Mountain Valley Spring Water. Mountain Valley Spring Water tops the list for being one of the healthiest bottled water brands in 2024. The water has a naturally balanced pH between 7.3-7.7 which makes it slightly alkaline which can help neutralize acidity in the body.
Which brands don t have PFAS? ›
This is a problem that many outdoor brands like Keen, Kari Traa, Picture Organic, Patagonia, Deuter, Jack Wolfskin and Fjallraven saw coming for years. Keen has been PFAS-free since 2018 and Jack Wolfskin began its phaseout in 2012, with plans to be PFAS-free by 2025.
Does boiling water remove PFAS? ›
Boiling water will not remove PFAS. While many homes have whole-house water softening or iron filtration systems, sampling data indicate that those systems do NOT remove PFAS. Reverse osmosis uses energy to push water through a membrane with tiny pores.
What is the healthiest water to drink? ›
Mineral water and alkaline water may be some of the healthiest types of water because they provide your body with essential nutrients, but simply drinking safe, uncontaminated water should be your number one priority.
Is Dasani real spring water? ›
Dasani is largely sourced from municipal supplies and then filtered in bottled water plants before being bottled. Places Dasani sources its water from include: California, Minnesota, Arizona, Colorado, and Michigan.
Which water brand is actually spring water? ›
Crystal Geyser® Alpine Spring Water® is the only major U.S. bottled water that's captured directly at authentic natural springs — naturally.
Which brands of bottled water are actually tap water? ›
***Keep in mind, there are even brands of bottled water that are actually just filtered tap water – like Aquafina and Dasani. The best way to conclude something so heavily swayed by opinion is to conduct a blind taste test.
Another important question: Which has fewer nanoplastics and chemical residues, bottled or tap water? “Several studies have reported lower microplastic levels in tap water. Hence, it's plausible to expect lower nanoplastic levels in tap water as well, considering their common sources,” Yan said.
What's better, purified or spring water? ›
Purified water is of significantly higher purity than spring water, tap water or ground water. There's no right answer. Still, to put it simply, spring water and purified water can come from the same source, but purified water undergoes a more rigorous purification process.
Is Fiji water safe to drink? ›
Yes, FIJI Water conforms to all of the FDA's requirements.
