Water,
What are you really drinking?
Part 2, Bottled Water:
Most states have no rules governing appropriate labeling, so some bottled
water claims are misleading or incorrect.
Bottled water enjoys a booming business lately due
to all of the water problems covered in Tap Water.
People drink it because of the improved taste, and that allows them to drink
more water. The bottled water industry is required to test for the same group of
contaminants as the public water utilities. The public water utilities are
allowed to have a minimum contaminant level - bottled water companies are also
allowed to sell water with a minimum level of contamination (bacteria, algae,
dirt, lead, etc.). When the water tastes better, the public perceives it as
purer. What people don't realize is that many times the bottled beverage is no
purer than the water coming from the kitchen tap - it just tastes better! Here
is the scoop on bottled water:
 | Expensive: The California
Assembly Office of Research did a study on bottled water that showed consumers paying up to one thousand times the cost of tap water
for bottled water. |
| Inconvenient: People who
use bottled water regularly tend to have lots of bottles around underfoot, empty containers or new jugs waiting to be used. These people usually hoard
the "clean" water for special purposes, i.e. coffee, beverages,
rather than use it freely whenever needed. There is always the problem of
having too many bottles on hand because they are not used fast enough, or
not enough bottles because the water is being consumed too quickly. |
| No laws requiring it to be purer than tap water: In 1991, the
U.S.
House Energy and Commerce Commission did a study on bottled water
with the following findings:
 | 25% of
"gourmet" waters (i.e. Evian, Perrier, et al) draw from the same
sources as cities!! |
| 31% exceed tap water
limits for microbiological contaminants! |
| 25% could not document
their water sources! |
| Any bottled water sold
strictly within state borders is not subject to regulation by the Food and
Drug Administration!
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For Bottled Water
2
For Tap Water
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