Dasani is a bottled water brand with a lot of bad press. Some news publications suggest that it’s just bottled tap water, and consumers are often curious about whether it’s bad for you or a waste of money.
But does Dasani water have any ingredients that are actually unhealthy? How is it made and is it safer than tap water? Does it taste bad? And what’s the healthiest type of filtered water?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more as we analyze the ingredients in Dasani water based on medical studies to give our take on whether or not it’s bad for you.
We’ll also share our thoughts on whether its plastic packaging is unhealthy, explain why tap water may be unsafe in many American states and explain the best way to filter water to remove contaminants.
Ingredient Analysis
The ingredients in Dasani water are shown above.
Magnesium sulfate and potassium chloride are electrolytes added for taste, and are entirely safe and non-toxic. Filtered water can sometimes taste “flat” which is why Dasani’s manufacturer adds these ingredients.
Our concern about the health effects of Dasani water is related to the plastic packaging rather than the actual ingredients.
Dasani is packaged in soft plastic, and this type of material requires a class of chemicals called plasticizers (the most common is BPA) to make the plastic soft. A medical review published in the Toxicology Reports journal found that BPA ingestion is associated with increased risk of cancer.
And BPA alternatives are no better. A medical review published in the Environmental Health journal reports that estrogenic chemicals leach from BPA-free packaging and that it’s no better for human health.
As we documented in our review of blk Water, medical research has shown that microplastic contamination is higher in single-use bottled water like Dasani than in tap water.
So it seems logical to avoid single-use bottled water brands like Dasani, but is tap water a better option? We’ll review in the next section.
Is Tap Water in the US Unsafe?
Unfortunately, the infrastructure for clean municipal tap water in the US is degrading, and high levels of heavy metals are found in some areas. A VICE News exposé reports on the lead pipe issues faced by many Americans:
Does Dasani’s Low pH Matter?
There’s a lot of misinformation and unscientific advice online about the relatively low pH of Dasani water. pH measures the relative acidity of water. Lower levels are more acidic and higher levels are more alkaline.
While there are some research-backed alkaline water benefits, we haven’t come across any convincing medical evidence that more acidic water within a normal range is unhealthy.
The most important factors for the healthiness of water are contaminant levels and packaging. Low or nonexistent heavy metal contamination and plastic-free packaging equals healthy water in our opinion. The pH level is less relevant.
The low pH does make the water taste bad in our opinion, and many online reviewers say similar, but this is not a health issue.
Dasani actually publishes annually-updated test results proving that their water is free of harmful contaminants.
But if low contamination and plastic-free packaging are the most important criteria for healthy water, what are the best filtration options? We’ll share our picks in the next section.
Our Clean Water Picks
We recommend drinking filtered water, because this is the only method that we've seen proven to reduce contaminant levels in drinking water.
An extensive medical review published in the Science of the Total Environment journal documented how many different toxic compounds exist in tap water, from bisphenol A (BPA) to perfluorooctanoic acids (PFOAs) to even residual drug ingredients like ibuprofen.
The Brita Soho (Amazon link here for those interested), is proven in studies conducted by ConsumerLab (an independent research firm) to significantly reduce heavy metal levels and entirely eliminate microplastics from drinking water.
For consumers with higher discretionary income, we recommend Aquasana's Rhino Whole-House Water Filter as a comprehensive solution that can filter all sources of water in the house. When you install a whole-house filter, it filters water in all taps and all showers throughout the house, so it's the most thorough way to ensure a reduction in contaminants and to ensure purity of drinking and bathing water.
The Aquasana Rhino Whole-House Water Filter costs around $2,400, which equates to pennies per glass after 10 years of use.
