TAPPED In the documentary TAPPED directed by Stephanie Soechtig the horrifying effects of plastic water bottles on our health, environment, and our economy are uncovered. The documentary starts in Maine where the citizens of Fryeburg try to fight of Nestle, who is taking their water source. Basically what Nestle is doing is taking these citizens’ water and selling in back to them for more than it is worth without being taxed. The idea of water bottles became popular around the 1980’s and erupted from there. It is said to be one of the greatest market schemes of all time. Many customers believe they are receiving more healthy water, and fail to recognize the harmful effects on the body.
The actual process of making these plastic bottles is detrimental to our environment. The amount of pollution and carbon dioxide these plants release is staggering. Families near the area of Corpus Christi, Texas are suffering from severe health issues and many fatalities due to the plant right in town. This is just one of the many examples of the effects of plastic making factories. Another issue when it comes to water bottles is the disposing of them. A good amount of all water bottles made either end up in the ocean or a land fill somewhere. Instead of being recycled, it is more convenient for people to throw them away. By filling the ocean with plastics, we are killing animals. The animals think the plastic is food, and when too much gets in their system they will die. Only 50% of Americans have recycling, which is a main reason they end up there. Also, by drinking bottled water we are also hurting ourselves. Bisphenol A is a primary component in most plastics water bottles, and many studies have been shown that is effects one’s overall health. Some health effects mentioned in the documentary were reproductive disorders, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, male impotence and many others. Knowing all these effects of BPA made me think there must be another material we can use. Personally, after watching this documentary, I will always buy BPA free water bottles. If everyone started doing this, they would be much healthier and cause the businesses that use BPA to switch over. There are also many other harmful ingredients in plastic water bottles. For example, one group of bottles was taken right from the shelves of a store and was contained toluene which is a chemical found in paint thinners and gasoline. They did another test in which they left a case of bottled water sitting in the trunk of a car for a week and the results were not what they wanted to see. The bottles contained styrene which causes cancer and phthalate which damages developing fetus. One truth that this documentary digs out is that about 40% of all bottled