News Coverage
Water Wars: Is Bottled Water Better Than Tap?
Lawmakers Question Purity, Safety Standards for Bottled Water
Published July 7, 2009
They proffer claims of being "essential," "pure," and "crystal-fresh," but are bottled waters anything more than glorified tap water?
As much as 45 percent of bottled water comes from municipal water supplies.
With more Americans turning to bottled water believing it safer and healthier than tap water, there are growing concerns over how water is marketed, sourced and tested for safety and purity.
Consumption of bottled water in the U.S. has doubled over the past 10 years, according to the Beverage Marketing Corporation.
In a study of 188 bottled water brands by the Environmental Working Group -- a nonprofit public health advocacy group -- only two brands listed specific water sources and treatment methods on their labels and offered a recent water quality test report on their Web sites.
"Consumers spend 1,900 times more for bottled water than for tap water, yet they rarely know basic information about exactly what's in their water bottle," said Jane Houlihan, an Environmental Working Group researcher.
To read more click: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Health/story?id=8031551&page=1
