• In the 19th century contaminated water from taps and pumps spread the killer disease
cholera. Bottled water became popular as a safe alternative.
• In 1741 the English scientist Dr. William Brownrigg created the first artificial
mineral water. He added health giving minerals and carbon dioxide for fizziness.
Dr. Brownrigg was also the first scientist to extract the element platinum.
• In 1792 Joseph Schweppe moved from Vienna to London and began to produce his own
brand of artificial mineral water. His company grew to become one of the world’s
most famous manufacturers of soft drinks.
• French doctor Louis Perrier gave his name to Perrier water, which became the best
known mineral water in the world. In the 1960 James Bond novel For Your Eyes Only,
Bond insists on drinking only this brand of water.
• Many people choose bottled water over tap water because it lacks substances, such
as chlorine, which affect the flavor of tap water and bottles are portable. Bottled
water is also produced to strict safety standards, so in some places it may be safer.
• Bottled water removes billions of liters of underground water, while making and
transporting the bottles uses huge amounts of energy. Over 2.5 million tones of
plastic go into the bottles every year and this has to be disposed of. Bottled water
may also lack fluoride and other useful minerals found in tap water so may be less
healthy than the water on our homes.
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Types of Bottled Water:
Bottled or Table Water can come from underground springs and wells, or taps. It
is purified before it is bottled. Natural Mineral Water and Spring Water are types
of underground water that contain naturally occurring minerals. Sparkling Water
has carbon dioxide added to make it fizzy. If this occurs naturally, it is often
removed and replaced to ensure that it is always at the same level.