Bottled water has been making inroads in Hong Kong and on the mainland. It is convenient for people who do not trust their water sources and drink only boiled water.
Hong Kong and the mainland lead the global pack in drinking bottled water. For several years, percentage growth of bottled water drinkers on the mainland has registered double digits, and it has continued to increase in Hong Kong, too.
The issue of bottled water is controversial, however. Some believe it is not well regulated and has pollutants or bacteria. Others warn that the plastic bottle may emit toxic substances.
Yet others worry about the lack of minerals in distilled water, the carbon footprint of the product and the potential for pollution by the bottles.
According to a study published last November in US magazine Environmental Health Perspectives, endocrine disruptors - chemicals that act like hormones and harm other hormones in the body - may infiltrate the content of bottles made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
Another study, at the Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany, arrived at the same conclusion. The topic needs further research.