| "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!
Why Choose Filtered Water?
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