While tap water contamination incidents must be reported promptly to the
public, the same is not true for bottled water,
(see the list of
more than 100 bottled water recalls)
In 22 percent of brands tested, chemical contaminants were found at
levels above state health limits. Some of the contaminants found in the
study could pose
health risks
if consumed over a long period of time.
Another study found that a high percentage of bottled water, contained in
plastic containers, was
polluted
with estrogenic chemicals.
In a study comparing 57 bottled water samples and tap water samples, all of
the tap water samples had a
bacterial
content
under 3 CFUs/mL . There were
15 water bottle samples containing 6-4900
CFUs/mL.
In another study comparing 25 different bottled waters, most of the samples
exceeded the contaminant level set by
the
U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) for
mercury, thallium, and thorium.
Being exposed to these contaminants in high concentration for long periods of
time can cause
liver and kidney damage,
and increase risk for
pancreatic
and
lung disease.
Most bottled water manufacturers in the United States either add
fluoride to their product or provide a
fluoridated bottled water product. (Not required to put on the label).
The
Natural Resources Defense Council,
Sierra Club, and
World Wildlife Fund argue that bottled water is no better than tap
water, and emphasize the environmental effect of disposable plastic
bottles.
The
Showtime
series
Penn & Teller: Bullshit!
Demonstrated that diners could not discern between bottled water and water
from a garden hose behind the restaurant.
90 percent of the cost of bottled water is bottling, packaging, shipping,
marketing, retailing, expenses and profit.
The Environmental suffers from groundwater extraction, energy used in plastic
packaging, transportation costs, water quality, all resulting from invalid
marketing claims.
Packaging Bottled Water in
Polyethylene
terephthalate (PET), requires a significant amount of energy to
produce. In the US, plastic used to create bottles uses an estimated 15
million barrels of oil annually.
