In recent years, some reports have suggested that tap water could be contaminated by trace amounts of pharmaceuticals or other substances.
Leiba says that activated carbon water filters—like Brita pitchers or faucet attachments—are a safe and affordable option for filtering tap water. If families can afford it, she recommends a reverse osmosis filter, which will eliminate all impurities.
These reports come as food safety concerns seem to be at an all-time high. Lately, recalls of spinach, sprouts, peanut butter, and, most recently, cookie dough have made many consumers start to question the safety of the items they find on grocery-store shelves.
Unlike tap water suppliers, bottled water companies don’t have to have their water tested by a certified laboratory, and they aren’t required to notify customers within 24 hours if they find elevated levels of contaminants. The FDA does require bottled water companies to test for contaminants and other problems, says Joshua Sharfstein, MD, the agency’s principal deputy commissioner.
If the companies fail, however, the public doesn’t get to see the actual test results. “There’s clearly a difference in disclosure between municipal water and bottled water, but the FDA’s laws focus on safety of food more than on disclosure of information,” says Dr. Sharfstein. “It’s not a question of whether the FDA can do more; it’s whether the government can do more through the food safety bill.”
Only changes in the current regulations would make it mandatory for manufacturers to make those kinds of records public, he says. Those regulations may change with the Food Safety Enhancement Act.
The proposed Food Safety Enhancement Act covers many aspects of food safety, including better preventive control measures by food manufacturers, more frequent inspections of facilities, and greater FDA authority over food recalls.
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.