Conventional wisdom in the United States says that tap water is practically unfit for human consumption, but a new study authored by The Environmental Working Group suggests that many varieties of bottled water are no safer or “purer” than water straight from the tap in your kitchen.
The research demonstrated that residue from fertilizers and many other chemicals were commonly found in bottled water. In fairness though, the study also showed that some brands of bottled water were as pure and contaminant free as promised. The problem lies in figuring out which brands live up to their claims.
Technically, The US Food and Drug Administration oversee the production of bottled water. However, FDA officials admit that the supervision of bottled water standards is not a high priority for the agency. This leaves the average consumer pretty much on their own to sort out which varieties of bottled water are cleaner than water from the tap — and which are more contaminated.
To conduct the study, researchers purchased bottled water from different states around the country. Shockingly, known cancer-causing agents were found in bottled water purchased in California, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, North Carolina and the District of Columbia. Levels of the contaminants were assessed to be significantly higher than the (voluntarily enforced) industry standards.
Unlike local tap water, bottled water is not required to be tested annually. The bottled water industry tests on a voluntary basis, and is not required to publicly reveal contaminants found during testing. Ironically, the industry claims that bottled water is required to adhere to the same safety standards as local tap water — in truth, there is no such requirement on the industry, and critics charged that there is very little transparency in regards to bottled water testing.
California is now the only state in the union to require testing for carcinogens and dangerous chemical contaminants in bottled water; but even in California, enforcement of the standards is considered to be lax at best.
With research demonstrating that many varieties of bottled water have higher level of contaminants than regular, unfiltered tap water, consumer advocates are calling for a national standard and required testing of all bottled water brands.
In the meantime, The Environmental Working Group is recommending that consumers avoid bottled water, and instead use water straight from the tap or purchase a quality carbon filter to purify household tap water. Tap water filters are relatively inexpensive, and as long as the filters are changed on a regular basis, will remove over 90% of contaminants from local water.
Related Website Directory Categories:
