As plastic pollution continues to harm the overall oceans, there is not much recognition on how the plastic impacts the overall economy of well established nations. More specifically, plastic bottled water has a drastic effect on the economy. The distribution of these bottles had not only impacted the economy, it harms the health of many individuals and animals when disposed off. Before going into the direct correlation between the economy and plastic bottled water, the connection between bottled water and human health should be introduced.

There is a common misconception, as many believe bottled water is safer and healthier to drink than tap water. However, this is not the case, as plenty of research was conducted to discover that bottled water is detrimental to the human body. Evidence of “many brands of bottled water were deficient of essential minerals such as magnesium, potassium and calcium”, and that “20% of the bottled water samples had concentrations of chlorine, fluoride, nitrate and other harmful compounds” (The University of Queensland). Plastic bottled water seems to be less healthy than the average tap water. The health risks can be prevented if more awareness was applied to this issue, but this isn’t the case. The health risks involved should be mentioned as not there is a lack of awareness to this obscure issue.

Bottled water is shown to be more harmful than tap water, but what makes the matter at hand worse is the cost difference between the two. This is where the economy becomes affected, as the cost difference between the two sources are quite noticeable. One gallon would cost $0.002 for tap water, meanwhile bottled water costs $0.89 to $8.26 per gallon. (Riverkeeper). Plastic bottled water costs more and contributes to potential health risks, which is unacceptable considering many go to bottled water for their main source of drinkable water. The economy is affected by plastic bottled water as many are forced to pay for more when there is no reason to. People are misinformed and must be aware of the health and cost differences between the two water sources. The economy can be changed if there are enough people willing to change, as these prices for these water sources are not acceptable considering the amount of people being misinformed.