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"Companies that market bottled water as being
safer than tap water are defrauding the American
public." - The U.S. FDA
Bottled water has become a multi-billion-dollar
business. It's now the fastest growing segment of the
entire beverage industry and the most profitable of all
beverages.
Millions and millions of dollars are spent each week
on advertising campaigns to give consumers the
perception that bottled water comes from pristine
mountain springs or pure underground aquifers. The truth
is that bottled water is often little more than tap
water in a bottle.
THERE ARE NO GOVERNMENT STANDARDS THAT REQUIRE
BOTTLED WATER TO BE ANY BETTER, PURER OR SAFER THAN TAP
WATER!
Most bottled water is bottled and sold within the same
state to avoid federal regulations. There are no
assurances or government requirements that bottled water
be 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?" This report points
out that that 60% to 70% of all bottled water is
completely exempt from the 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!
Here are some 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 the FDA to exempt bottled water from the
regulations regarding these chemicals.
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 you pay from $1
to $4 a gallon for the perception of higher quality,
when in fact the quality of bottled water is at best an
unknown!
Quality home water treatment is by far the most
economical, the most convenient and the best way to
produce truly healthy, great-tasting water.
Home filtration is better quality at one-tenth the
cost!
Voted BEST BUY 4 years in a row by Consumers
Digest!
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