foodconsumer.org: Bottled water better than tap water?

Bottled water better than tap water?
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admin on 09/06/2009 22:48:00
 
Many people may mistakenly think that pricey bottled water is better than tap
water and they are willing to pay a much higher price to use bottled water.
The fact is that the majority of brands of bottled water in the market are
simply tap water from an unknown source, the Environmental Working Group said on
its website.
The EWG spent 18 months surveying all brands of bottled water from the market
and found that only two bottled waters disclose water sources and treatment
methods on their labels and offer a recent water quality test report on their
websites, Ozarka Drinking Water and Penta  Ultra-Purified Water.
And the non-profit science-based environmental health organization said just 18
percent of bottled waters disclose quality reports with contaminants testing
results. Of those that disclose the information are all eight Nestle domestic
brands including Poland Spring, Nestle Pure Life, Arrowhead, Calistoga, Deer
Park, Ice Mountain, Ozarka and Zephyrhills, according to the EWG.
Municipal water districts are required by law to disclose water safety
information while bottled water companies are not required to provide such
information.
One possible concern about the bottled water is the packaging material. 
Polycarbonate plastic contains bisphenol A, a chemical that has gained
recognition from the National Toxicology Program that bisphenol A may alter
behavior and the brain and it may also reduce survival and birth weight in
fetuses in animal studies.
Animal studies have revealed that prenatal exposure to low-level bisphenol A can
change development of the prostate gland and breast, resulting in a high risk of
cancer in late life.
By David Liu - davidl at foodconsumer dot org