Written On Water

2003 has been declared the United Nations' International Year of Freshwater and bottled water may be freshwater's most high profile face, peering down from racks of Perrier, Evian, and their low-rent cousins. But this raises a paradox: why have products which cost 240 to 10,000 times more per gallon than tap water soared in sales since the 1980s? According to the World Wildlife Foundation, in 1976 US consumption of bottled water was 5.7 liters per person, by 1999 it was 35 liters per person.

Americans say one main reason they drink bottled water is because it's safer than tap water. In a June 2003 study of tap water from 19 US cities by the Natural Resources Defense Council, the water quality and compliance of five cities was graded "poor" and eight were ranked as only "fair." Meanwhile, the EPA has done little to allay public fears: as reported in The Washington Post, although the EPA claimed 94% of Americans received water meeting all health standards in 2002, internal documents show the number is actually just 75-84%. Particularly for vulnerable populations, such as pregnant woman and children, a 1 in 4 chance of unhealthy tap water is not a risk worth taking. But is bottled water the rational alternative?

There are essentially three kinds of bottled water: natural mineral water, spring water, and purified water. Under the EU definition, natural mineral water is "microbiologically wholesome water, originating in an underground water table or deposit and emerging from a spring tapped at one or more natural or bore exits." The sources of these waters are protected from pollution, but since they are not disinfected, they can contain microflora. In Europe, mineral water's reputed health benefits can be traced back to Roman times, but the actual benefits of these minerals, however, are regarded today as minimal. In the US, natural mineral water is defined as having at least 250 parts per million total dissolved solids, according to the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA), and derives from springs or boreholes drawing from a protected underground water source. Spring water is similar to mineral water, but needn't have a constant mineral composition and is usually cheaper. Purified water is taken from lakes, rivers, or underground springs and has been treated, all of which makes it almost identical to tap water. The IBWA also defines artesian water, well water, drinking water, and sparkling water.

These labels are not taken lightly. This June, Nestle's Poland Spring brand was hit with a class action suit contending that the Poland Spring hasn't flowed since 1967 and that the product is largely composed of ground water. This April, legislation was introduced into the California Assembly to make bottlers list water sources and contaminants. "Seventy percent of Californians get some or all of their drinking water from bottled or filtered sources, so they ought to know what's in it, since they're paying a premium," says Rebecca Nieto, chief of staff for the bill's co-author Assemblymember Ellen Corbett. In response, IBWA's Stephen Kay argues California labels do contain phone numbers and/or addresses from which water quality reports can be requested. In India, where bottled water consumption has grown 50 percent annually over the past several years, it was reported this February that tests found high pesticides levels in sampled waters, resulting in the loss of governmental quality certificates from a number of brands and warnings issued to Coca-Cola and PepsiCo.

In fact, a four-year study conducted by the Natural Resources Defense Council exposed a number of regulatory flaws, including the fact that 60 to 70 percent of the bottled water sold in the US is exempt from the FDA's standards since they do not apply to water packaged and sold in the same state. Kay argues, however, that FDA regulations cover almost all bottled waters because the components involved—packaging, ingredients and industrial facilities—must comply. Although one-fifth of the 103 waters NRDC tested contained synthetic organic chemicals such as the neurotoxins toluene and xylene and possible carcinogen and neurotoxin styrene, the NRDC acknowledged that most bottled water they tested was of good quality. Nonetheless, 1/3 of waters tested violated an enforceable state standard or exceeded microbiological-purity guidelines, or both, in at least one sample. In their conclusions, the NRDC maintained that consumers need full disclosure on labels.

But consumers aren't kept in the dark about the quality of their tap water. Under the Safe Water Drinking Act, consumer confidence reports must be made publicly available, showing the levels of contaminants in local drinking water. To find the confidence report for your locale, visit: www.epa.gov/safewater/dwinfo.htm. And if you learn your water has contaminants, you may think about purchasing a water filter before buying all those bottles.