When you pay premium price for something, you should rightly expect to get a high-quality product.
But this isn’t always what happens when you buy bottled water.
During the pandemic, bottled water was flying off the shelves.
But one company ran into problems during this time.
Starkey Spring Water was found to contain potentially dangerous levels of arsenic.
The bottled water is manufactured by Whole Foods and sold at most of its stores, including Amazon.
Federal regulations require manufacturers to limit arsenic in bottled water to 10 PPB.
During testing, Starkey Spring Water had arsenic levels ranging from 9.49 to 9.56 parts per billion – close to the line, but not over.
However, this was at least three times the level of other bottled water brands.
The thing is, in 2019, Starkey water was found to have 10.1 PPB during arsenic testing.
Drinking a single bottle of the water won’t hurt you.
Yet, if it was the only thing you drink all day long for weeks, it could lead to health issues.
That’s because even small amounts of arsenic can affect your health.
Customers who bought the Starkey water were paying a premium price for a risky product.
If someone had this water in their survival gear who knows if the arsenic levels would increase over time.
And that could be deadly, because humans can only survive about three days without water. This is why it’s vital for your survival gear.
But, as you can see, even if you have tons of bottled water it doesn’t mean it will be safe to drink.
So, here are a few factors to keep in mind if you use bottled water for your emergency supply.
Bottled water has an expiration date:
Many people may not know that bottled water has an expiration date. It is somewhat odd since you don’t think about water expiring.
The water itself doesn’t expire.
Yet, over time it can have a stale or weird taste. This is from the bottle the water is stored in.
Even bottled water stored in BPA-free bottles can leach chemicals.
The water can have chemicals or bacteria that change over an extended period. The odd taste is usually from one of these sources.
Most bottled water has an expiration date of one to two years.
Before drinking bottled water from your emergency supply you should check for any odor or discoloration and use a filter if you think it needs it.
Drinking expired water:
The problem with drinking expired water is the plastic bottle starts to breakdown.
Also, companies that sell bottled water use the expiration date as a way to help them know when to rotate their stock.
The expiration date doesn’t mean the water is unsafe to drink.
The key to keeping bottled water safe is to store it properly.
For example, you shouldn’t store bottled water in a garage where it reaches 100 degrees in the summer. This will help bacteria grow.
You should keep the bottles in a cool, dark place that doesn’t see extreme temperatures.
The best thing to do if you use bottled water for survival is to always filter the water before drinking as mentioned above.
Even if the water isn’t past the expiration date it is better to be safe than sorry.
Long-lasting bottled water:
The majority of bottled water at grocery stores will have an expiration date within two years.
But, there are a few other options that can give you much longer shelf life.
One of the most popular emergency drinking water makers is Blue Can Water.
The water from this company is packaged in FDA approved aluminum cans.
The cans have a non-BPA epoxy coating on the inside of the can to prevent leaching.
Since Blue Can water comes in an aluminum can it has a 50-year shelf life.
It can be stored in temperatures ranging from 33 to 150 degrees.
The water doesn’t contain any fluoride or chlorine. The cans are made from corrosion-resistant aluminum.
Of course, Blue Can Water isn’t the cheapest option. A 24-pack of 12 oz. cans cost about $50 on Amazon.
Just remember, water is essential to surviving.
So, if you don’t have a stockpile of water, buy some now before it flies off the shelves again.
And use these tips to store it right, so it’s safe and ready when you need it.
