Qatar residents should drink tap water and shun the bottled stuff, which can cause “tremendous harm,” a new study found.

The study, which was conducted by two high school students who interviewed experts at the Qatar Science and Technology Park’s sustainable water research center and a desalination plant, found that mineral water:

• Contained a high level of chloride, increasing the risk of kidney stones;
• Had low levels of bicarbonate, increasing the risk of tooth decay;
• Contained high pH levels, which can cause digestion problems;
• And were at risk of improper storage and exposure to heat during summer months.

The Peninsula reports:

“The use of tap water is healthy. The water is very good as compared to bottled water,” Ras Abu Fantas plant official, Riyadh Othman was quoted as saying…

The only problem with the tap water is that the pipelines which channel it is made of copper and iron and have insulation materials inside that erodes and pollutes the water.

Pipelines made of PVC were tested and water was taken directly from the desalination plant. Experiments have shown that the tap water remains unpolluted when channeled through PVC pipelines.

What do you guys think?

Will you be switching to tap water, or holding off a while longer?