Bottled Water – How Pure Is It Really?
Pure is such a buzz word especially when it comes to water. Since bottled water popped on the scene in the 90s, people have wondered about the water that flows through the tap in their home. Is bottled water better? With all the claims that are made by these companies about their waters, are they really as pure as they say?
Bottled Water Regulation
Tap water flows from community water systems. These are regulated by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and required to submit testing reports annually to the government.
Bottled water is a bit different. It is regulated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) like any other food product. Bottlers are required to regularly test their source water as well as perform quality control on their bottled products for safety and contaminant levels. They must also bottle water using sanitary practices and monitor the source for any contamination.
Purity
Pure depends on your standards. Read the label on your water bottle and see where the source water comes from. If it is a municipal supply then it is filtered or distilled tap water you are paying for. And, since you already pay for water, you are paying twice for the same thing.
It is true that the tap water must be further purified in some way for bottlers to label it such, but you don