A study made in October, 2008, analyzed bottled water brands and found plenty of chemical contaminants--at the same levels as contaminants found in tap water.
An activist group, the Environmental Working Group based in Washington, DC, gathered sample bottles from nine states and the District of Columbia. It handed them to a lab for testing. The lab found contamination averaging eight chemical pollutants for each brand, with a total of 38 chemical pollutants found. At the same time, bacteria traces were found in four brands (http://www.ewg.org/reports/bottledwater).
Two of the brands, Walmart's and Giant's store brands, were chemically indistinguishable from tap water, containing chlorine disinfectant byproducts. Giant's brand also contained fluoride. These levels of chlorine byproducts exceeded the safety standards set by the bottled water industry and the state of California.
The lab used for the test was the University of Iowa Hygienic Laboratory. The testing revealed an array of pollutants, including Tylenol, caffeine, radioactive isotopes, arsenic, residues of fertilizer such as ammonia and nitrate, and a variety of chemicals used as propellants, plasticizers, solvents, and more.
The researchers conducted an additional test, intended to measure estrogen-mimicking, carcinogenic chmicals found in plastic bottles typically used for bottled water. Breast-cancer cells in a lab dish were given water samples from the study and compared to a control. One brand spurred a 78 percent increase in the breast cancer cells, as compared to the control.
Americans are drinking more than nine billion gallons of bottled water yearly, at a typical cost of $3.79 per gallon. But this study shows, and the EPA points out, "Bottled water is not necessarily safer than your tap water (www.epa.gov/ogwdw/faq/faq.html). That's because the EPA sets tap water standards, and the FDA sets bottled water standards based on the EPA's tap water standards.
The wise choice isn't spending money on bottled water, you'll agree! Instead, you can find a solution that provides you with clean, purified water at your kitchen sink or icemaker. A home water filter you install at your sink can give your family lots of pure water, in containers you choose that don't leach harmful chemicals. - 15266
An activist group, the Environmental Working Group based in Washington, DC, gathered sample bottles from nine states and the District of Columbia. It handed them to a lab for testing. The lab found contamination averaging eight chemical pollutants for each brand, with a total of 38 chemical pollutants found. At the same time, bacteria traces were found in four brands (http://www.ewg.org/reports/bottledwater).
Two of the brands, Walmart's and Giant's store brands, were chemically indistinguishable from tap water, containing chlorine disinfectant byproducts. Giant's brand also contained fluoride. These levels of chlorine byproducts exceeded the safety standards set by the bottled water industry and the state of California.
The lab used for the test was the University of Iowa Hygienic Laboratory. The testing revealed an array of pollutants, including Tylenol, caffeine, radioactive isotopes, arsenic, residues of fertilizer such as ammonia and nitrate, and a variety of chemicals used as propellants, plasticizers, solvents, and more.
The researchers conducted an additional test, intended to measure estrogen-mimicking, carcinogenic chmicals found in plastic bottles typically used for bottled water. Breast-cancer cells in a lab dish were given water samples from the study and compared to a control. One brand spurred a 78 percent increase in the breast cancer cells, as compared to the control.
Americans are drinking more than nine billion gallons of bottled water yearly, at a typical cost of $3.79 per gallon. But this study shows, and the EPA points out, "Bottled water is not necessarily safer than your tap water (www.epa.gov/ogwdw/faq/faq.html). That's because the EPA sets tap water standards, and the FDA sets bottled water standards based on the EPA's tap water standards.
The wise choice isn't spending money on bottled water, you'll agree! Instead, you can find a solution that provides you with clean, purified water at your kitchen sink or icemaker. A home water filter you install at your sink can give your family lots of pure water, in containers you choose that don't leach harmful chemicals. - 15266
About the Author:
Bottled water is a waste of money. A home water filter can keep your loved ones safe and do it at low cost--get safe healthy for just 8 cents per gallon, at your kitchen sink. Your body needs water with certain trace minerals, so select a system that keeps those in and filters out harmful bacteria, minerals, chemicals and chlorine residues. http://www.home-water-filter.info
