According to the Archives of Family Medicine, you can save a bundle
by drinking plain tap water. Water from the faucet is more likely to offer
you health benefits and even be more "pure" than many bottled
water brands. For one, tap water contains fluoride, which helps prevent
tooth decay and osteoporosis. Only 5 percent of bottled water companies
adhere to public water fluoride standards. Secondly, tap water is regulated
by the Environmental Protection Agency, which requires municipalities
to follow strict safety regulation in water quality bottled water companies
are not required to follow the same rigorous quality standards. What's
more, controlling some substances in bottled water may be more difficult,
because bottled water tends to be stored for longer periods of time and
at higher temperatures than tap water.
-Adapted from the Harvard Medical School Consumer Health Web Site