Congress Takes a Look at Bottled Water
No one is saying bottled water is bad for you, but Congress was told today it is not regulated as strictly as tap water and most Americans who buy it are under the mistaken impression that it is cleaner or healthier than the water that flows from their kitchen faucet.
The hearing of a House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee received a report from Congressional investigators at the GAO indicating that the EPA rules for tap water are more rigorous and require far more disclosure than the FDA rules that govern bottled water. For example, municipal water supplies have to be tested by a certified outside laboratory while bottled water companies do their own tests for purity.
John Stephenson of the GAO told the committee Americans spend more than $11 billion a year on bottled water and buy some 200 bottles a year for every "man, woman and child" but the safety and consumer protection are "less stringent" than they are for tap water, with no rules at all for a potentially dangerous chemical used in plastics, DEHP, that could leach from the bottles.
Jane Houlihan of the Environmental Working Group said her organization surveyed 188 brands of bottled water and found only two of them actually tell consumers the source of their water, how it is treated and whether there are any contaminants. Public water suppliers have to report that every year.
Displaying a bottle of the popular brand of bottled water Dasani, she noted the label says it is "pure and crisp and has a fresh taste" but gives no indication of the source of the water.
Joseph Doss, President of the International Bottled Water Association, insisted bottled water is a "safe, healthy convenient food product that is comprehensively regulated" and suggested consumers who want to know where the water comes from can just call the manufacturer.
But Houlihan said consumers should find that information on the label and have a "right to know where their bottled water comes from, how or if its treated and the pollutants it contains."
And perhaps to think about why they are spending the extra money to get their water in a plastic bottle.