Bottled Water - What Do You Know?
All bottled water sold in the U.S. must be tested by the FDA and meet their standards for contaminants which include physical, chemical, microbial, and radiological.
The F.D.A. (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) considers, and regulates, bottled water as a food packaged product. The E.P.A. (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) regulates only our public tap water. Many states, though not all, have regulations and requirements of their own that also must be monitored for all bottled drinking water sold within their state.
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You can purchase of H2O in screwtop bottles by the case (24), in sizes ranging anywhere from 8 oz., 12 oz., 16 oz., 1/2 liter, or 24 oz., and perhaps any size in between. For many people, this is another regular item on the grocery list.
You can fill and purchase larger size bottles (1, 2-1/2, 3, and 5 gallon) in most grocery stores. More and more home water delivery companies are becoming available for those who prefer their fresh bottled water delivered to them on a regular schedule.
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Is Bottled Water Safe To Drink?
Bottled water, whether it be purchased by you from a store, or received from a bottled water delivery company, is not necessarily safer for you to drink than ordinary tap water. The NRDC claims that a 4 year study they conducted found that 25% of bottled water was derived from tap water. Some of that 25% had been further treated, some of it not.
To find out where your bottled water comes from read the label. If it states from a community water system or from a municipal source, that means the source is the tap (turned on a faucet). If the label offers no indication, you can also contact your bottler or the water program in your state.
On their labels, all bottlers must include:
- product name
- type of water
- name and address of the manufacturer, packer, or distributor
- net content
Treatment Processes for Bottled Water
Distillation - water is boiled, with the steam condensed to remove particles, salts, minerals, metals, asbestos, and some organic materials.
Microbes such as Cryptosporidium are killed.
Micron Filtration - This is where water is filtered through screens with microscopic holes. The smaller the filter holes, the more contaminants the filter can remove, naturally. Good filters can remove most chemical contaminants and microbes. Filter holes are measured in microns. When you are considering a filter size, look for an absolute (the largest hole), not nominal (the average hole) rating. An absolute one micron filter is needed to remove Cryptosporidium.
Ozonation - This is where water is disinfected using ozone. Ozine kills most microbes with the correct dosage applied.
Reverse Osmosis - Reverse Osmosis removes all microbes, minerals, color, turbidity, organic and inorganic chemicals. This process sperates contaminants when water is forced under pressure to pass through a membrane, .
Ultraviolet (UV) light - This is where water is passed through UV light. This process kills most microbes, when the correct dosage is applied.
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