Singapore is known to be of high standards when it comes to being clean and green and most or if not all would consider Singapore a place where water contamination would be a rare scenario. This is by far true as the Singapore government has invested heavily in water purification technologies given that the country basically lacks many natural resources including clean potable water.

Singaporeans are also known to be globe trotters. As more and more Singaporeans travel abroad for leisure or for business, they often fall victim to consuming less clean water or contaminated food sources. Food contamination can be avoided most of the time by making sure the food is cooked well and most Singaporeans would tackle the contaminated water problem by buying bottles mineral water for consumption and some even use them for brushing teeth.

Consuming bottled mineral water is the most convenient way for avoiding consumption of contaminated water. But are we really safe? There was a recent report by CNA that top brands of plastic bottled mineral water such as Aquafina, Evian, Aqua, Dasani etc were found to contain plastic contaminant.

The way to get around this problem is first to be aware of such issues and its harmful effects on your body and always protect yourself with personal water filters which are specifically design to provide you with safe water at point of use. Some may say that these personal bottled filters are expensive ranging from 40 to 50 USD per bottle, but consider the amount of money you can safe from potential hefty medical bills. These personal bottle filters usually have a life span of at least 2 to 3 years with a capacity to filter at least 4000 litres of water. Since it is reusable, think about the amount of plastic waste (report show that 20,000 plastic mineral water bottles are bought every minute! )  you can help save if you can cut down on the amounts of plastic water bottle bought? Anyway, the body is yours, and of course the decision is ultimately yours too!

Stay safe and act responsibly!

Telvin Goh, Senior Manager
Community Outreach & Development