New Silicon Valley craze: drinking untreated water

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Rob Quinn | Newser




Is drinking "raw water" a great way to get beneficial minerals and microbes removed by filtration—or do people who pay $15 a gallon for untreated water have more money than sense? The subject has been hotly debated since a New York Times story last week looked at people—many of them wealthy Silicon Valley residents—who are "[getting] off the water grid." Some collect water from springs themselves; some buy from companies like Live Water, which charges almost $40 for a 2.5 gallon jug and $15 for refills; and others have installed expensive systems to collect water from the air.

One big fan is Doug Evans, who says he lived on Live Water for 10 days after his Juicero company, which sold a much-mocked $700 juicer, collapsed a few months ago.

"I'm extreme about health, I know, but I'm not alone with this," he told the Times. Evans and other proponents argue that "raw water" is healthier than regular water, which they see as tainted by chemicals like fluoride.

Live Water founder Mukhande Singh claims fluoride is a "mind-control drug" and describes public water as "toilet water with birth control drugs in them." Opponents, of which there are many, warn that drinking untreated, unfiltered water can be extremely dangerous because it could contain the viruses, bacteria, and parasites that filtration removes.

"It's fine till some 10-year-old girl dies a horrible death from cholera in Montecito, California," food safety expert Bill Marler tells Business Insider. He adds: "You can't stop consenting adults from being stupid. But, we should at least try."

[Goofy]

[DemonGeminiX]

I won't drink the treated water out of my own faucet. These people are fucking idiots.

[Muddy]

I drink the water out of my faucet. I try and drink the water out of the fridge dispenser that is filtered, but I have no problem with our tap water..

[RBP]

I'd tap that.

[Hal-9000]

I have a Brita water jug and drink tap water mostly.

I will not buy bottled water.

[Godfather]

I have a Brita water jug and drink tap water mostly.

I will not buy bottled water.

Same, we have some of the cleanest water in the world here at least. It's cold and delicious, and I'm pretty sure it's been proven to be cleaner than most bottled water

I only wish they'd put fluoride back in.. crazy PTA moms have it removed in cities across the countries and cavities skyrocket.

[Hal-9000]

Same, we have some of the cleanest water in the world here at least. It's cold and delicious, and I'm pretty sure it's been proven to be cleaner than most bottled water

I only wish they'd put fluoride back in.. crazy PTA moms have it removed in cities across the countries and cavities skyrocket.

I saw the report on some famous brand of bottled water (forgot the name) and they found it was tap water or the equivalent. The profits for each bottle were something like 650% because they were only producing the cheap plastic bottles and using a local water supply. No treatment or filtering at all.