THURSDAY, July 9, 2009 (Health.com) — Although you may think that bottled water is a safer option than tap, two new reports show that the store-bought stuff is actually less regulated than the water you get out of your faucet for free.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has little authority to regulate bottled brands, according to a recently released U.S. Congressional report.
While municipal water utilities are required to provide public reports of test results, bottled-water makers are not. (On the other hand, well water, which is found in many rural areas, isn’t regulated like water provided by towns and cities.) So although you may fork over a pretty penny for bottled water, that doesn’t mean it’s any better than what’s coming out of your faucet. In fact, it could be worse and you’d never know it.
The new research is backed by a second report from the Environmental Working Group (EWG). The nonprofit advocacy organization surveyed the labels and websites of nearly 200 popular bottled-water brands and found that less than 2% disclosed three important facts that can affect safety: the water’s source, purification methods, and chemical pollutants in each bottle. (See the full report on bottled water at EWG.)
“We’re really pushing for a consumer’s right to know what’s in their water,” says Nneka Leiba, an environmental health researcher at the EWG. “This isn’t a doomsday scenario. It isn’t that the claims are false; it’s just that they are misleading.”
Reaching for the most popular bottled brands isn’t necessarily a solution. In fact, the EWG report found that some of the best-known brands—like Whole Foods and San Pellegrino—are the least likely to report where the water comes from and what it contains.
“This probably has to do with the fact that they’re imported, so the regulations are different,” says Leiba. “Some of the brands you think wouldn’t be as transparent, like Walgreens or Sam’s Club, scored higher than many of the popular brands.”
Next page: So what’s a safety-conscious shopper to do?
Comments (10)
Drinking bottle water which more than week old is dangerous. Tap water is fresh when filtered by filters.
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I would certainly hope my bottled water is safe…bottled water is big business – about $11.1 billion in the US in 2008. While there are certainly self-imposed and federal regulations that govern the industry and product, many feel that not enough is being done. There’s a great debate going on at economixt on this topic right now –
Good for bundanoon!
Bottled water is big business – about $100 Billion globally. It’s going to take small steps like these to begin to restore the focus on municipal water systems. There’s a great rundown of the bottled water industry in the US over at economixt –
http://www.economixt.com/2009/07/in-context-the-bottled-water-industry
I would certainly hope my bottled water is safe…bottled water is big business – about $11.1 billion in the US in 2008. While there are certainly self-imposed and federal regulations that govern the industry and product, many feel that not enough is being done. There’s a great debate going on at economixt on this topic right now –
Good for bundanoon!
Bottled water is big business – about $100 Billion globally. It’s going to take small steps like these to begin to restore the focus on municipal water systems. There’s a great rundown of the bottled water industry in the US over at economixt –
http://www.economixt.com/2009/07/in-context-the-bottled-water-industry
P.S. – Sorry, forgot to tell you great post!
Tap water is safe when filtered by aquaguard filter
its quiet safe than tap water………..
but we need better hygiene in municipal water…
People should be aware of what’s in their water. That’s why Nestlé Waters North America lists the sources of our bottled waters either on label or online, and publishes water quality reports that show exactly what is and isn’t in our bottled waters. We do this for all of our brands – including San Pellegrino.
More info about our sources and quality reports is available here:
http://www.nestle-watersna.com/Menu/OurBrands/Quality+Process/Quality+Reports.htm
What has been overlooked in coverage of last week’s reports is that FDA regulations for bottled water must be as stringent as EPA regulations for municipal drinking water. And at Nestlé Waters, we test our waters more than 200 times per bottling line every day to ensure our product meets FDA and EPA standards, as well as our own internal quality standards. Gallon for gallon, our water is tested over 60 times more frequently than most municipal water supplies.
I whole-heartedly agree that safety should be a top concern. And at Nestlé Waters, we take responsibility for delivering safe, high-quality water to consumers who choose to purchase our products. We encourage other water bottlers to be equally transparent and vigilant about their products.
People can take the opportunity to learn about types of water, whether bottled and/or tap, and choose what’s best for them at different times and places.
Sincerely,
Jane Lazgin
Director, Corporate Communications
Nestlé Waters North America
Good article about the safety to water but the ratings didn’t take into account the environmental impact of the bottled water. For some of the higher scoring brands, the carbon footprint for bottling and transportation is tremendous. Fiji is one of the worst due to the distance and method of shipping and the impact on the rain forest. Here’s a link to an eye opening article. http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2009/09/fiji-spin-bottle?page=1
In the first paragraph it states that water from the faucet is free, but I am pretty sure most households have a water bill.
Sure wish our tap water,here in So California,was drinkable.Really bad taste makes filtering or buying bottled water necessary.
Has anyone heard that leaving bottled water in the sun or in a hot car changes the properties of the plastic and gets into the water and causes cancer.
Sounds like someone wants you to “send this to everyone you know” article. I’m sure the FDA conducted tests.