Water is the source of life. As living standards improve, people's lifestyles are transitioning from subsistence to a more comfortable level. Improving drinking water quality has become an urgent goal for the general public. In recent years, the consumption of bottled water has been widely accepted by many urban residents, leading to an expanding market and intense competition. Since different types of water have their own characteristics, to know what kind of water to drink, one should have a general understanding of the various types. Below, we will introduce several main types of drinking water currently on the market: Purified Drinking Water
Purified drinking water is made from water sources that meet the sanitary standards for drinking water, using methods such as distillation, electrodialysis, ion exchange, reverse osmosis, and other appropriate processing techniques to remove minerals, organic components, harmful substances, and microorganisms. Depending on the processing method, purified drinking water is also known as distilled water, pure water, or space water, and it is a major product in the drinking water market. Over 90% of drinking water production enterprises manufacture purified water. Purified water has a clear, transparent appearance and a good taste. Because purified water contains no minerals and has an acidic pH, whether drinking it as the sole source of water in daily life affects human health has been a topic of debate among experts. Natural Mineral Water
Natural mineral water is water from a deep underground source that naturally emerges or is artificially exposed. It is unpolluted underground mineral water containing a certain amount of mineral salts, trace elements, or carbon dioxide gas. Under normal conditions, its chemical composition, flow rate, water temperature, and other dynamic factors are relatively stable within natural fluctuation ranges. Mineral water contains a higher amount of minerals, and certain specific elements have health benefits for the human body. The mineral water in the Shanghai area is drawn from deep wells and is characterized by its high content of strontium and metasilicic acid. Due to the high content of sodium and chloride ions in the groundwater in Shanghai, along with high water hardness, the mineral water has a salty taste. If heated and boiled, it can also cause mineral precipitation, leading to turbid water, which some consumers cannot accept. Mineral Water
Mineral water is produced by adding small amounts of mineral elements to purified water. The emergence of this type of water was primarily in response to the argument that purified water lacks minerals and that long-term consumption is detrimental to health. As the debate intensified, this type of water has shown a trend of further expansion. In recent years, many purified water production companies have also started producing mineral water to cater to different consumer groups. However, as mineral water has no national standards, its quality can only be controlled by standards set by the companies themselves. The types and content of mineral elements in mineral water vary from one manufacturer to another. Some companies even add chemical reagents directly to the water, while others use mineral concentrates of unknown origin. The safety and effectiveness of these added substances have not been verified, and their amounts lack a scientific basis. Spring Water (Natural Water)
The spring water (or natural water) sold in the Shanghai market is sourced from relatively unpolluted rivers, lakes, or underground water sources in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions. It is produced through deep filtration and disinfection. This type of water contains a certain amount of minerals, but the content is lower than that of mineral water and does not meet the indicators specified in the national standard for mineral water, so it cannot be classified as mineral water. Moreover, the content of some minerals in it is also unstable. Besides being sold directly in Shanghai by local enterprises, this water is mostly bottled by enterprises in other regions on behalf of Shanghai-based companies and then sold under the Shanghai companies' names. Because the production sites are in other provinces and municipalities, Shanghai does not issue production permits or conduct supervision and random inspections on this type of water. Product quality is mainly controlled by the production companies according to their own corporate standards.