Problem and solution
The Problem:
There is not enough safe bottled drinking water in the world. Bottled water sometimes has high levels of bacteria, lead, silver, nitrates, PH, uranium, arsenic, ammonia, barium, and fluoride in some bottled water we drink. These chemicals are all harmful things that might hurt you very badly. High levels of these chemicals can hurt your brain, organs, and other parts of your body. Bottled water is sometimes contaminated with these things and is dangerous to humans. Bottled water is not as regulated as tap water is and doesn’t go through all the same type of testing. About 40% of bottled water is just tap water which may or may not have received additional treatment.
What is Currently Being Done:
A lot of bottled water is just tap water. Some people have now stopped buying bottled water. They are realizing bottled water isn't the best water. They are figuring out bottled water is just tap water, it's sometimes just purified more and sometimes not. They realize that they use a lot of chemicals that could hurt you. The FDA doesn't even tell you what they find in it because they are not required to release their findings to the public because of loopholes in federal laws. Companies have created testing strips to test your water, but sometimes it takes a while for the results to tell you the findings.
Our Solution:
The theme this year is HydroDynamics and we are looking up facts about water and how safe it is to drink. We made an app called BBW (Better Bottled Water) and it tells you about how safe the water is. When you go to the store or buy a product that contains water, all you have to do is scan the bottle and the app will tell you if it is safe to drink or not. Our prototype says either “Watch out!” or “You’re good" from the water bottle you scan. If it says "Watch out!" then the water is not safe to drink and contains contaminants. If is says "You're good" then the water is safe to drink and doesn't have high levels of contaminants in it. Our app will also update you about new findings through the app like an app alert message if a brand of bottled water is now selling safe or unsafe bottled water or if the chemicals in the water have changed. So if you want to buy the same brand of bottled water that you bought before, you will now know new information to be more informed about what you are buying.
Check out our solution at: https://snappy.appypie.com/appbuilder/appystore/bbw-better-bottled-water7u
Why would People want to use our Solution?
Anyone in the world who has an Android or Apple device can scan the bottled water that you buy at the grocery store, gas station, supermarket, mall, vending machine, concert, sports event, etc. A group of people will run this app and be in charge of it. They will not be from the FDA because the FDA already doesn't share its findings with the public. We don't want there to be any misunderstandings. This group of people will be responsible for the BBW app. They will put data into the app by testing the bottled water. These people might be hydrologists, scientists, environmental engineers, or people passionate about safe bottled water.
Why is this Important in the World?
This is important in the world because of health hazards. Everyone needs safe water to drink. Tap water is regulated by the EPA, while bottled water is regulated by the FDA. They don't work together. 18% of bottled water brands don't tell you where their water comes from. 40% of bottled water is just tap water, which may not have any other treatment. In the US, tap water is regulated by the EPA which requires doing multiple tests every day for bacteria and informs the public. Public water systems are required to do tests for chemical water contaminants four times as much as bottled water companies. Loopholes in the FDA's testing laws don't require bottled water companies to tell the public what they find. About 11 billion dollars are wasted on bottles in 2007 in the US. Around 1 billion people don't have access to clean water. In 2003, Americans alone spent over 7 billion dollars on bottled water on an average that each bottle costs more than 1 dollar. Organizations found a sample of 1/3 of bottled water brands contain chemical contaminants including carcinogens (things causing cancer) that exceeded state or industries standards. The plastic bottles of water we buy every week in the USA alone could circle the globe 5 times. Some bottled water comes from sparkling springs, but 25% of it comes from a municipal supply.
There is not enough safe bottled drinking water in the world. Bottled water sometimes has high levels of bacteria, lead, silver, nitrates, PH, uranium, arsenic, ammonia, barium, and fluoride in some bottled water we drink. These chemicals are all harmful things that might hurt you very badly. High levels of these chemicals can hurt your brain, organs, and other parts of your body. Bottled water is sometimes contaminated with these things and is dangerous to humans. Bottled water is not as regulated as tap water is and doesn’t go through all the same type of testing. About 40% of bottled water is just tap water which may or may not have received additional treatment.
What is Currently Being Done:
A lot of bottled water is just tap water. Some people have now stopped buying bottled water. They are realizing bottled water isn't the best water. They are figuring out bottled water is just tap water, it's sometimes just purified more and sometimes not. They realize that they use a lot of chemicals that could hurt you. The FDA doesn't even tell you what they find in it because they are not required to release their findings to the public because of loopholes in federal laws. Companies have created testing strips to test your water, but sometimes it takes a while for the results to tell you the findings.
Our Solution:
The theme this year is HydroDynamics and we are looking up facts about water and how safe it is to drink. We made an app called BBW (Better Bottled Water) and it tells you about how safe the water is. When you go to the store or buy a product that contains water, all you have to do is scan the bottle and the app will tell you if it is safe to drink or not. Our prototype says either “Watch out!” or “You’re good" from the water bottle you scan. If it says "Watch out!" then the water is not safe to drink and contains contaminants. If is says "You're good" then the water is safe to drink and doesn't have high levels of contaminants in it. Our app will also update you about new findings through the app like an app alert message if a brand of bottled water is now selling safe or unsafe bottled water or if the chemicals in the water have changed. So if you want to buy the same brand of bottled water that you bought before, you will now know new information to be more informed about what you are buying.
Check out our solution at: https://snappy.appypie.com/appbuilder/appystore/bbw-better-bottled-water7u
Why would People want to use our Solution?
Anyone in the world who has an Android or Apple device can scan the bottled water that you buy at the grocery store, gas station, supermarket, mall, vending machine, concert, sports event, etc. A group of people will run this app and be in charge of it. They will not be from the FDA because the FDA already doesn't share its findings with the public. We don't want there to be any misunderstandings. This group of people will be responsible for the BBW app. They will put data into the app by testing the bottled water. These people might be hydrologists, scientists, environmental engineers, or people passionate about safe bottled water.
Why is this Important in the World?
This is important in the world because of health hazards. Everyone needs safe water to drink. Tap water is regulated by the EPA, while bottled water is regulated by the FDA. They don't work together. 18% of bottled water brands don't tell you where their water comes from. 40% of bottled water is just tap water, which may not have any other treatment. In the US, tap water is regulated by the EPA which requires doing multiple tests every day for bacteria and informs the public. Public water systems are required to do tests for chemical water contaminants four times as much as bottled water companies. Loopholes in the FDA's testing laws don't require bottled water companies to tell the public what they find. About 11 billion dollars are wasted on bottles in 2007 in the US. Around 1 billion people don't have access to clean water. In 2003, Americans alone spent over 7 billion dollars on bottled water on an average that each bottle costs more than 1 dollar. Organizations found a sample of 1/3 of bottled water brands contain chemical contaminants including carcinogens (things causing cancer) that exceeded state or industries standards. The plastic bottles of water we buy every week in the USA alone could circle the globe 5 times. Some bottled water comes from sparkling springs, but 25% of it comes from a municipal supply.