Bottled water is steadily gaining in popularity.
Many people purchase bottled water because they prefer the taste.
Others believe that, because of environmental pollution, bottled water is a safer choice for drinking than their own household supply. The goal of disinfection of public water supplies is the elimination of the pathogens that are responsible for waterborne diseases. The transmission of diseases such as typhoid and paratyphoid fevers, cholera, salmonellosis, and shigellosis can be controlled with treatments that substantially reduce the total number of viable microorganisms in the water. The most important safety concern is keeping water free from organisms that cause diseases. These organisms, called pathogens, are difficult to address because there are so many varieties that it would not be feasible to test for all of them individually.