Minorities are buying the bottled water

Researchers have discovered that the big buyers of bottled water are poor minority parents. They spend a sizable chunk of their income on the stuff believing it is healthier for their children.

A poll of 632 parents who entered the emergency room in Milwaukee revealed that black and Hispanic kids were three times as likely to be brought upon bottled water than the white kids.

“These are really disadvantaged people,” Dr. Marc Gorelick, lead researcher, explained. “I would argue that people should save their money and drink tap water.” The poll showed that fully 25% of black and Hispanic kids drink only bottled water. Eight percent of the white kids drink the stuff.

The driving force for the purchase ends up being health concerns. These parents believe that the water is safer, cleaner, better-tasting and more convenient than tap. In fact, many times, the bottled water is tap water.

“Most bottled water is just purified tap water – there really aren’t any more nutrients in it. There is no real advantage to bottled water, but there may be some disadvantages,” said Dr. Gorelick. That would include no fluoride which leads to healthier teeth.

“If people with limited resources are spending money on bottled water that means they might defer resources from more important things,” he concluded.

Source: Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent medicine, Reuters