by Michael Smith
A report released by the Environmental Working Group in October 2008 provides yet another reason not to drink bottled water: disinfection byproducts, fertilizer residue and pain medication. All these chemicals and more were found in multiple brands of bottled water EWG tested.
The cost of bottled water is about 1,900 times greater than tap water, but it is a price tag many people, however, appear comfortable in paying because they believe, falsely though, that they are drinking something "pure."
The Environmental Working Group's comprehensive report, however, does counter this assumption, with data indicating chemical contaminants in every brand of bottled water that they tested.
This report shows that bottled water is no more “pure” than tap water, also as regards to chemical residues and hence drinking tap, especially if filtered through charcoal and sand, in other words, the same stuff that is in, dare I mention a company here, Britta filters. That way your tap water more than likely is cleaner and safer than your bottled “mineral” water will ever be.
Tap water already has to go through much more stringent checks than any so-called mineral or spring water and hence the cleanliness and safety is, theoretically, much more ensured.
From what can be seen from the findings of this report is that, so it would appear, that municipal tap water, more than likely, is cleaner and safer than any of the so-called spring waters on offer. Help!
WalMart's and Giant's store brand of bottled water contained a cocktail of chlorine and fluoride found in municipal water, making these brands identical to municipal water with the exception of their price tags. In California these brands exceeded legal contaminant limits and were also found chemically potent in stores in North Carolina, Virginia, Delaware, Maryland and DC.
Maybe in this case one should ask as to whether it may not also just be repackaged tap water that has not even gone through any filtration process, let alone it being “spring”.
Sam’s Choice samples that the Environmental Working Group bought in the San Francisco contained disinfection byproducts, which have been linked to cancer and reproductive problems.
The Environmental Working Group has announced that it has filed a lawsuit to require Walmart post a warning sign on its bottles that the water contains a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer, an act required under California law.
And this is aside from the fact that the bottles themselves, more than likely, will be leaching Bisphenol A (BPA) into the water.
Other brands tested by the Environmental Working Group contained other chemicals including fertilizer byproducts, chemical remnants of prescription medicines, industrial chemicals, bacteria, arsenic, and even boron.
The study also included assays for breast cancer cell proliferation, conducted at the University of Missouri. One bottled water brand spurred a 78% increase in the growth of the breast cancer cells compared to the control sample.
The bottled water industry, unlike municipal water sources, is not required to reveal the chemical components of its products but the EWG hopes that this report will educate consumers as to the impurities of bottled water and the risks associated with drinking it.
The Environmental Working Group recommends, just like the Green (Living) Review, that consumers drink filtered tap water instead of bottled water. Also insist on tap, filtered if possible, in restaurants, though I know that the answer often will be a “not possible”. If that be the case I would suggest that one leaves the restaurant and votes with one's feet.
© M Smith (Veshengro), November 2008
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Cancer-Linked Contaminants in Bottled Water Says EWG
