How do I know the water I am drinking from the tap is safe and free of bacteria? Isn’t bottled water safer?
Bottled water is not safer than tap water. Tap water is regulated by the EPA. Bottled water is defined as “food” under federal regulations and is under the authority of the FDA. The EPA has much stricter testing standards than the FDA. Municipal water systems test for harmful microbial content in water several times a day. Bottled water companies are required to test for these microbes only once a week. In addition, municipal water systems are required to test for chemical water contaminants four times as often as bottled water companies. According to a study conducted by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), approximately one third of the tested bottled waters (34 of 103 waters, or 33 percent) violated an enforceable state standard or exceeded microbiological-purity guidelines. According to government and industry estimates, about 40% of bottled water is actually bottled tap water. Both Aquafina from the Pepsi-Cola Company and Dasani from the Coca Cola Company are reprocessed
