The following appeared in an article in a health and fitness magazine Laboratory studies show that Saluda Natural Spring Water contains several of the minerals necessary for good health and that it is completely free of bacteria Residents of Saluda the sm

The author claims that the primary reason behind the low rates of hospitalization among the residents of Saluda is due to the incredible water quality of the Saluda Natural Spring Water and then goes on to attribute the benefits to the presence of minerals and the absence of bacteria in the spring water. While this may seem to be a good argument in favor of bottling up the water and marketing it as relief from water-borne diseases, the argument fails to consider several important factors.

The author fails to consider other explanations for the good health of Saluda residents and prematurely arrives at the conclusion that their good health is solely due to the quality of the water. Since Saluda is a small town, it is quite likely that the pollution levels in the area are considerably lower than the national average. Research shows that people living in areas with lower pollution live longer and have fewer health issues due to the increased quality of air and water. While it is undeniable that bacteria-free water is good for health and responsible for preventing the onset of a variety of diseases, it would be false to claim that merely changing the water quality would reduce the frequency of hospitalization.

For example, residents of Dharavi, a low-income area in Mumbai, India suffer from several health issues due to contaminated water and air. Statistics show that Dharavi residents are more likely to suffer from water-borne diseases. An average of three thousand people fall sick in the area due to a lack of access to drinking water. Hence, supplying good quality water to people in such areas is likely to reduce suffering and hospitalization. However, it would be a logical fallacy to say that merely changing the water is going to lead to exemplary health for the residents of any region. This is because the health issues caused by other types of pollution are likely to persist even if switch to a better quality of water.

The author also fails to mention the diet or general lifestyle of the residents of Saluda. Both of these can give us further information about other possible explanations for the low frequency of hospitalization. Additionally, it is also not unreasonable to question whether a low frequency of hospitalization signals towards improved quality of life. The residents might be facing many ailments, but they aren’t severe enough to be hospitalized due to some other factors.

In conclusion, while the author provides a reasonable argument promoting the consumption of Saluda spring water, they fail to consider a variety of other factors contributing to the good health and less frequent hospitalization of Saluda residents. Hence, the argument provided is weak and unconvincing.