Raw Water

About

Raw Water is natural, unfiltered water collected from rain, the ground and bodies of water. Unlike treated water from a tap or bottle, this water does not include chemicals, such as fluroide. Additionally unlike traditional methods of obtaining pure water without chemicals through reverse osmosis, there is no sterilization processes which means it also contains microorganisms. In 2017, raw water became the subject of criticism after companies such as Live Water began selling untreated water, which some experts say could be dangerous to consumers.

History

On September 8th, 2017, the "raw water" startup Live Water published a video on YouTube ^[12] explaining their process and history. The video (shown below) received more than 14,000 views in less than four months.

On December 29th, 2017, the New York Times^[1] publsihed an article entitled "Unfiltered Fervor: The Rush to Get Off the Water Grid." The piece focused on "Live Water," a water company that sold unfiltered, untreated, unsterilized spring water for $36.99 for 2.5 gallons.

The company, founded by Mukhande Singh, began in 2014, when Singh began selling spring water in Culver, Oregon. In the article, Singh states that he believes public water is "toilet water with birth control drugs in them." He also questions the inclusion of fluoride in tap water. He says, "Chloramine, and on top of that they’re putting in fluoride. Call me a conspiracy theorist, but it’s a mind-control drug that has no benefit to our dental health."

Additionally the piece showcased other companies in the Raw Water movement, including Maine's Tourmaline Spring and Arizona's Zero Mass Water. According to the Times, these companies have raised more than $20 million in venture capital.

Reception

Shortly after the article people online, began mocking the idea of drinking untreated water. Twitter ^[2] user @biocuriosity quote the article, particularly the quote from another Silicon Valley health company "Juicero ":/memes/events/juicero-juicer-controversy. They tweeted, "you guys this story about “raw water” is so funny, every sentence is a gift." The post (shown below, left) received more than 80 retweets and 200 likes in less than four days.

Others criticized the price of the water. Twitter^[3] user @Jason tweeted (shown below, center), "If you’re spending $36 on two gallons of 'raw water' you’re an idiot."

On January 3rd, following the publication of a piece in Business Insider^[4] that details a price increase in raw water, the Times' article author Nellie Bowles tweeted,^[5] "What have we done" (shown below, right). Bowles quoted the Business Insider piece, which showed a price increase from $36.99 to $60.00.

Others online mocked the appearance of the Live Water founder Mukhande Singh, who in the article appears seated on piece of beach wood staring at the ocean. Twitter^[6] user @notwokieleaks posted the pictures (shown below) along with the caption "Raw water enthusiasts look exactly like I expected."

Criticism

Some publications have reported that drinking "raw water" can be dangerous. Food-saftey expert Bill Marler told Business Insider that "Almost everything conceivable that can make you sick can be found in water." The article also reports that drinking "raw water" can can "spread bacteria and diseases including cholera, E. coli, Hepatitis A, and Giardia."

Media Coverage

Several media outlets covered the health trend and the adverse effects, including USA Today,^[8] The Guardian,^[9] Ars Technica^[10] and more.

On January 3rd, Twitter^[11] published a Moments page to archive the response to the articles and price increase.

Search Interest

External References