When you actually sit down and think about it, bottled water companies do something really peculiar. They sell a product freely available to every man, woman, and child in every home - water. And they sell it very, very successfully.

Bottled water in America comprises a multi-billion dollar industry and growing. In fact, it's the fastest growing segment of the beverage industry. And why is that?

Bottled water advertising gives many people the impression that it's safer for them and their kids to drink. Companies convince you to hand over your money for their product at the store by showing images of crystal clear water in ads and commercials, which have you believing their water provides higher quality than what comes out of the faucet at home.

Well, I've got some not-so-good news. Most bottled drinking water, at best, is as good as tap water. In fact, in the month of March in 1999, the National Resources Defense Council reported that over 40% of bottled water comes from city water systems, just like tap water. So in this case, you're unnecessarily paying for tap water wrapped in a bottle, label, and lid, not higher quality water from some natural spring.

Here's another eye opener: Companies who bottle and sell water are under the same regulations and purity standards as city water systems? if they sell their water across state lines. The key phrase being "across state lines".

Most companies get around those watchful government eyes by only selling their water within the same state they have it bottled! Because when they do that, they are pretty much unregulated by government agencies. So the next time you go the supermarket look on the label and see where it was bottled. More than likely, you'll see the same state you're currently residing in.

Here's what this all means:

City water systems that provide tap water have to test for water pathogens that can cause intestinal problems in your children, like diarrhea. Bottled water companies don't have to do this.

City tap water has to meet a specific standard for some toxic, potentially cancer-causing chemicals. Bottled water isn't held to the same standard.

City water systems must inform you about what in the water they offer you every year. Bottled water companies actively resisted the same requirement for their water, and they continue to resist this and other policies that require them to be subjected to stricter regulations and be more upfront with you, the public. And the list goes on.

Bottled water companies don't deliberately try to put the health of you and your children at risk. Nor do they outright lie to you about the safety of their water.

But if you think drinking bottled water will spare you from any possible illness associated with contaminants found in tap water, you're buying on blind faith. And joining millions of people who make many companies billions of dollars based on an unproven premise. When it comes to your kids' health, why take a chance? And why waste your money?

Kori Puckett, an obsessed bottled water buyer for over a decade, is a self-proclaimed truth seeker who resides in suburban Atlanta, GA. Discover the best way to protect your child's drinking water at home. Visit http://tapwatersafety.koripuckett.com