Bottled Water Has Contaminants Too, Study finds

Source: Yahoo News, AP

Bottled water has contaminants too, study finds

By JEFF DONN, AP National Writer Wed Oct 15, 12:17 AM ET

Tests on leading brands of bottled water turned up a variety of contaminants often found in tap water, according to a study released Wednesday by an environmental advocacy group.


The findings challenge the popular impression — and marketing pitch — that bottled water is purer than tap water, the researchers say.

However, all the brands met federal health standards for drinking water. Two violated a California state standard, the study said.

An industry group branded the findings "alarmist." Joe Doss, president of the International Bottled Water Association, said the study is based on the faulty premise that a contaminant is a health concern "even if it does not exceed the established regulatory limit or no standard has been set."

The study's lab tests on 10 brands of bottled water detected 38 chemicals including bacteria, caffeine, the pain reliever acetaminophen, fertilizer, solvents, plastic-making chemicals and the radioactive element strontium. Though some probably came from tap water that some companies use for their bottled water, other contaminants probably leached from plastic bottles, the researchers said.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081015/ap_on_sc/impure_bottled_water

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The story adds....

"In some cases, it appears bottled water is no less polluted than tap water and, at 1,900 times the cost, consumers should expect better," said Jane Houlihan, an environmental engineer who co-authored the study.

Your tap water is as safe to drink or safer than every commercial bottle of water on the shelf.

Running your water through a purifier can actually add contaminants to your water.

....so NOT ALL TAP WATER IS SAFE TO DRINK.

Where is this happening?

....the notices keep sayin' they're on top of the situation...but alas...it's been 4 years and countin' and it's still not fit to drink...well they say it'll take AT LEAST 20 years to give you CANCER...won't take any chances...especially with my pets.

Unfortunately, we are not in a political environment where enforcement of regulations receives any priority at all.

You've made the right choice to not drink your water. Somebody should start a lawsuit...

Are you advised about what is in bottled water?

Local water boards in California measure the chemical make-up of their public water regularly. I saw measurements from one well that were taken in fairly frequent intervals during the day. The agencies that provide water are pretty careful about what they put in their pipes.

I never drink water because of the disgusting things that fish do in it.

The real problem with bottled water is to costs to the environment! Why ship water across the continent? Stupid and RIDICULOUS!!!!

This is one of the great marketing successes of all time. It has always amazed me how much people will pay for bottled water. Then there is the environmental cost of all those friggin' bottles. There must be billions of them by now.

Anyone not see that coming?

Rp

has anyone else? We've been drinking that for seventeen years. I live on Long Island, one of the highest breast cancer rates in the country. I always believed it was largely due to the water, but of course, we don't REALLY get down to the truth of the matter.

Distilling removes most of all the harmful particles out of tap water. I have my own little water distilling machine which I swear by.

Bottlers of other bottled water say they purify tap water, but whose to say they really do it. With the cracker jack team of Fed regulators we have, no one is afraid of being caught not doing the purification.

or so I believe.

Campden tablets break down chloramines. A friend of mine uses crushed Campden tablets in his water to get rid of chloramines before making home beer brews.

Distilling alone doesn't get rid of them.

I have large bottles delivered to the door and use a water cooler

My local tap water is really bad, it is cloudy and it tastes bitter like pencil graphite or something, they send a water report every so often and it has everything in it, some at unacceptable levels

I have no doubt that bottled water contains contaminants, but it is filtered, and it is clear and it tastes good

id much prefer a running stream, but in suburbia, it is the municipal water system or bottles

but hey buying water in plastic at thousands the cost of tap helps the economy so keep it up, I guess

filter pitchers of various degrees of filtration ability.