Not very, could be the quick and short answer.
by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
Crystal-clear, pure, and pristine, or so it would seem. And most people believe just that image. The image of pure spring water, uncontaminated by chemicals of any kind and much better for us than tap.
The truth is a different one, however.
Is bottled water really that clean?
Labels do not mention contamination, and are also not required, so far, to do so and for bottled water the testing standards are way less rigorous than they are for tap water.
Do you think the bottled water companies test their water eight to ten times a day for all possible contamination? No, but in most case your municipal water companies are required by law to do so. Bottled water does not need to be tested more than a few times a month.
Bottled water needs better regulation.
Bottled what precisely?
On the US national level, the FDA is solely responsible for bottled water purity and safety, but the FDA's rules exempt waters that are packaged and sold within the same state, which account for between 60 and 70 percent of all bottled water sold in the U.S.
The FDA permits bottlers to label their product "spring water" even though it may be brought to the surface using a pumped well and may have been treated with chemicals and other bottles waters refuse to give their sources, despite the fact that they are known to come from “public sources”. At least that means that they are probably safer than those from “springs”.
Contrary to tap water rules, the FDA does not require bottled water to be disinfected or tested for parasites such as cryptosporidium or giardia. The bottled water industry is not required to disclose any of its contaminant testing results, increasing the possibility of health risks to infants, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems.
And still most of us believe bottled water to be safer than tap water. How bizarre.
In a four-year study, the National Resource Defense Council tested the purity and safety of 1,000 bottles of 103 brands of bottled water. They concluded that about one-third of the bottles contained contamination, including synthetic organic chemicals, bacteria, and arsenic.
In the case of Evian, from, supposedly, the Alps in France – and yes, there is a town in the French Alps, just across from Geneva in Switzerland, by that name where it may come from, was found to be contaminated some years back as was Perrier. In both instances it was, amongst other things, Radon.
Let's stop believing the hype and trust our public sources. In most places they are safe and if you do not like the taste then – for heaven's sake – get a filter but not bottled water.
In addition to that bottled water also is not good for the water table of the planet and hence we should avoid it.
Many people think that when I speak out against bottled water I am concerned – and others – with the plastic bottle but that is only a small part of it. Although the bottles are a pain the fact that the amount of water taken from natural sources for bottling is causing problems to the world as a whole. Time for a change.
© 2009
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