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We know water's great for weight-loss, appearance and overall mental and physical performance. But can this simple beverage also make you sick? This week, AOL Health takes a look at what's lurking in your tap and what you can do to discover the quality of water -- and what, if any, changes in regulation we can help make happen. Plus, discover the 10 dirtiest tap-water states.

I've been carrying my reusable water bottle around with me for quite some time now. I fill a pitcher with tap water and keep it in my refrigerator so I always have nice, cold water, and I really try to do my best to avoid drinking bottled water. However, a lot of people stick almost exclusively to water from a little plastic bottle, and while there are a multitude of reasons for this, a lot of these reasons don't have much basis in fact.

Marie Claire recently exposed six of the most common bottled water myths -- even if you're not a bottled water devotee, some of these busted myths might surprise you.

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When I gave up nearly all artificial sweetener ingestion a few months ago -- fyi ... I have raised a diet soda to my lips at a party or two -- I was comforted by the fact if I did down a soda, chemicals such as Splenda and Nutrasweet would leave my system shortly thereafter. But kiss away any clean start if artificial sweeteners are in tap water.

AP investigators have found trace pharmaceuticals in tap water, and now researchers from Sweden and Norway have measured sucralose (e.g., Splenda) in wastewater effluent and surface waters. Great. Even worse, sucralose has a long half-life, up to several years based on pH and temperature. This stuff sticks around.

One participating scientist, Henrik Kylin of the Norwegian Institute for Air Research, is concerned a sugarlike compound in the environment could change organisms' feeding patterns or even worse, mess with plant photosynthesis -- sucralose interferes with sucrose transportation in sugarcane. The inventors of sucralose claim the sweetener is not "biologically active' and poses no environmental risks.

Medications and now possibly Splenda in my tap water. Makes me nervous. Even if I stay away from these chemicals, I'm forced to drink them from my tap. Thanks to Julie's Health Blog for her coverage on the story.

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They say you are what you eat, but it turns out that you are what you drink as well, at least when it comes to tap water. Scientists have discovered that they can determine where a person lives by studying hair samples. Hydrogen and oxygen left behind in hair samples were similar to those found in local tap water supplies. Even when researchers allowed for the fact that some people drink bottled water, the results stuck. These findings may be helpful in solving certain types of crimes.

Because the lake where our water comes from is quite polluted, drinking water is a big issue for me, big enough that I use an on-the-tap filter for cooking and drinking. If you ever wonder what's in your tap water and how it may affect your health, you'll want to read this series of posts over at Green Daily. It's chock full of good information about drinking water.

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It just makes sense -- you want to boil a pot of water so you fill the pan with hot water from the tap, right? Wrong, say health experts. That's because contaminants dissolve more quickly in hot water and that means that you could be serving up a side of lead with your meal.

Though lead is rarely found in source water, it can creep into your water supply from old pipes or corroded plumbing. By cooking, drinking, and preparing baby formula with cold water, you're reducing your risk of exposure to lead.

If you live in an older home, it's also a good idea to let your tap run every morning until the water runs its coldest, a minute or so. That way, you aren't drinking water that's been sitting in older pipes overnight. You can save this water to use on your plants, though, so that it doesn't just go down the drain.

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Did you know that roughly only one out of four plastic bottles get recycled? The rest find their way into landfills and just sit there for generations to come. And when you think about it, it's kind of silly. We use oil and energy and create pollution for a plastic bottle that's filled with something we can get at our own tap. (Not to mention that bottled water is outrageously priced when you compare it to pouring your own glass.)

I know, I know. It was hard for me to give up my bottled water habit too. They're so convenient, after all. But when you think about it, really think about it, it just makes since to carry a reusable bottle instead. One option is to order a plastic reusable bottle from Tappening, a website and blog that hopes to carry the message "Think Global, Drink Local" to the masses.

For more stylish and Earth-friendly water bottles, check out the gallery below.

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If you're a fan of your local water supply, the added fluoride used to help prevent tooth decay in kids may in fact be just as good for teeth in older adults, according to a new study.

The study revealed that fluoride levels in ordinary tap water may be preventing tooth decay in American adults as well. The only problem is that many municipalities use fluorosilic acid instead of fluoride.

Want to know where it comes from? I suggest you obtain that information from your local water authority. In fact, demand that information, then make your decision on whether tap water -- fortified or not -- is the best choice (adult or child).

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What's your water -- tap, filtered or bottled? I've been a long-time tap drinker -- the tap water in my area is perfectly fine and I hate the waste that bottle water generates. But believe me when I say that I am one of the few -- in fact, I think I might be the only person I know who drinks tap water.

But that all could change -- according to this article, people in Britain are starting to trade in bottled water for tap water, both because of the waste issue and because it's less expensive. And I'd say it's about time -- the amount of damage that those little plastic water bottles do to the environment is astounding.

If you can't stomach the tap water, consider getting a filter and buy a bunch of those reusable water bottles for one-the-go hydration.

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I am and have always been a tap water drinker. I have friends who will gasp at this admission and tell me I'm nuts, that I'm putting myself in danger, but honestly, I don't see anything wrong with tap water. Water is water, right? And unless my local government issues a water warning, I don't see any need to filter my water, and I've yet to get sick from it.

According to this article, I'm not doing myself any harm, because tap water doesn't appear to be any less or more healthy than bottled water. So save your pennies and fill up at the sink. Unless you like bottled water for the taste, but that article points out that in a blind taste test, tap water fared quite well, while Evian was described as tasting like toilet water.

Which do you prefer -- tap or bottled?

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