Is Bottled Water Purer than Tap Water?

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We've all seen the ads...towering alpine peaks and gurgling forest streams, but is bottled water really any safer or purer than tap water? The answer is probably not. Bottled water isn't necessarily and purer or safer than city tap water, and in fact comes with it's own set of problems.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates city water supplies, while the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates bottled water. Surprisingly, the FDA's rules and standards for bottled water are quite similar to the EPA rules and standards for tap water. Additionally, the FDA does not regulate bottled water that is packaged and sold within the same state. While nearly 40 states do regulate bottled water within their state, that still means that for about 1 in 5 states there is no regulation on the quality or safety of bottled water.

The NRDC (National Resources Defense Council) has run extensive studies on the safety of bottled water. Between 1997 - 2000 their test revealed contaminants that exceeded safety limits in nearlyl 1/3 of the bottled water that they tested. More surprising facts? Cities are required to test their water supply quarterly, while bottled water packages are only required to test annually. Additionally, while cities are required to provide reports to their customers about what is in their water, there is not such requirement in place for bottled water.

Another shocking fact? At least a quarter of all bottled water is actually just plain old tap water in pretty packaging. While the tap water may have received additional treatment, it also may not have. If a label says "from a community water system" or "from a municipal source," the water is just plain tap water.

This doesn't mean that all bottled water is bad, however. Brands that belong to the International Bottled Water Association are required to meet standards for their water that are stricter than the standards of the federal government. Some of the companies who are members include Arrowhead, Wal-mart, Dannon, Perrier and dozens more. You can find a list of the participating companies at bottledwater.org. Another good thing to look for on the label when buying bottled water is a mention of NSF international certification. This means the water has been sugject to additional testing and annual plant inpections by NSF.

While regulating the bottled water industry with stricter Federal standards would help, the NRDC believe that the best long term solution to this problem is to improve the tap water supply so it is safe for everyone and tastes and smells good. Manufacturing bottled water uses significant energy and petroleum resources while at the same time fills our landfills with extra waste.

if you would like to learn more about the NRDC bottled water study, please visit their website.