Is the Bottled Water Industry a Fraud?

Bottled verses tap water

by Sun Water Systems, Inc.

Bottled water has become a multi-billion dollar business... now the fastest growing segment of the entire beverage industry... and the most profitable of all beverages.

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Millions and millions of dollars are spent each week on advertising campaigns to give consumers the perception that bottled water comes from some pristine mountain spring or magical underground aquifer. The truth is that bottled water is often little more than tap water in a bottle.

The Federal regulations that govern bottled water only apply if it is transported across state lines, and then only require it to be "as good as" tap water. Most bottled water is bottled and sold within the same state to avoid regulations. There are no assurances or requirements that bottled water is of any higher quality than tap water.

In March of 1999‚ the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) released a report called "Bottled Water‚ Pure Drink or Pure Hype?" NRDC’s report points out that as much as 40% of all bottled water comes from a city water system‚ just like tap water. The report also focuses on the fact that 60 to 70% of all bottled water is exempt from FDA’s bottled water standards‚ because it is bottled and sold within the same state. Unless the water is transported across state lines‚ there are no federal regulations that govern its quality. According to the NRDC‚ "bottled water companies have used this loophole to avoid complying with basic health standards‚ such as those that apply to municipally treated tap water." Also‚ all carbonated or sparkling waters are completely exempt from FDA guidelines that set specific contamination limits.

According to the NRDC study‚ "even when bottled waters are covered by FDA’s specific bottled water standards‚ those rules are weaker in many ways than EPA rules that apply to big city tap water." For instance‚ if we compare EPA regulations for tap water to FDA’s bottled water rules: (these examples are quotes from the NRDC report)

• City tap water can have no confirmed E.coli or fecal coliform bacteria. FDA bottled water rules include no such prohibition (a certain amount of any type of coliform bacteria is allowed in bottled water).
• City tap water‚ from surface water‚ must be filtered and disinfected. In contrast‚ there are no federal filtration or disinfection requirements for bottled water.
• Most cities using surface water have had to test for Cryptosporidium or Giardia‚ two common water pathogens‚ that can cause diarrhea and other intestinal problems‚ yet bottled water companies do not have to do this.
• City tap water must meet standards for certain important toxic or cancer-causing chemicals‚ such as phthalate (a chemical that can leach from plastic‚ including plastic bottles); some in the industry persuaded FDA to exempt bottled water from the regulations regarding these chemicals.
• City water systems must issue annual "right to know" reports‚ telling consumers what is in their water. Bottlers successfully killed a "right to know" requirement for bottled water.

The Natural Resources Defense Council report concluded that; "Therefore‚ while much tap water is indeed risky‚ having compared available data‚ we conclude that there is no assurance that bottled water is any safer than tap water."

The reality of bottled water is that people pay from $1 to $4 a gallon for the perception of higher quality‚ when in fact‚ the quality of bottled water is at best "unknown"!

A humorous, but insightful quote, from a national radio personality went:

"Throughout the years man has come up with many ways to measure things.
Noah used cubits to measure the Arc.
We use carats to measure gemstones.
We use pounds to measure our weight.
We use inches, feet and yards to measure distance.
And to measure the intelligence of consumers... they put water in plastic bottles
to see who would buy it."

Point-of-Use water treatment‚ with a quality in home water filtration system‚ is by far the most economical‚ the most convenient and the most effective way of producing healthy, great tasting water. Filtering out the chlorine‚ lead and other contaminants with a quality home water filtration system‚ at the point of use‚ just prior to consumption‚ is the only way to know for sure about the quality of your water.

Article courtesy of Sun Water Systems, Inc.

First Published: August, 2006
Updated: April 2007

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