How is spring water different from purified water?
The Total Dissolved Solids, or TDS, listed by many spring water manufacturers on their labels, provides information as to the levels of some minerals present in the water. TDS levels vary among all waters. Distillation and Reverse Osmosis (RO) are two processes used to prepare purified water. Purified water is defined by strict standards detailed in the United States Pharmacopoeia (USP 21st revision). Purified water is usually used by the pharmaceutical industry and by other specialized industries that require water from which all naturally occurring trace minerals and other constituents have been removed. Purified water, distilled water and water processed by reverse osmosis, are almost always from a municipal source. They are not necessarily desirable as drinking water – as the natural minerals have been removed. These trace minerals provide nutrition and a pleasing taste profile to the water. Highly processed waters, by definition, contain fewer Total Dissolved Solids than natural s
