Is bottled water safer than tap water?
Many people worry about getting sick from tap water, because of articles on the news and in the papers, for instance about Legionella outbreaks. They may either drink bottled water or install expensive water purification systems as a result of this. However, studies have indicated that many of these consumers are being ripped off due to the expenses of bottled water and in some cases they may end up drinking water that is dirtier then they can get from their taps. To be safe, consumers that buy bottled water should determine wheather the company that supplies them with water belongs to the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) and lives up to the testing requirements of drinking water. The IBWA sends inspectors to its companies annually, to ensure that a plant produces safe drinking water. People can also spare themselves the costs of bottled water and have their tap water tested by local health authorities or private labs. If any contaminants are discovered they can buy a uni
Bottled water is only as good as its source. Many bottled water are actually bottled tap water. Currently, bottled water is not as heavily regulated or tested as tap water. Instead, bottled water is regulated through the Food and Drug Administration and is considered a food product. Additionally, water utilities are required to release information on their water’s quality whereas, bottled water companies are not.
Not necessarily. Check the bottled water label or contact the bottled water supplier for test results on their product. Under special circumstances, such as an emergency, bottled water is a good choice. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulates public water systems. As shown in our Water quality report (PDF) CRWTP’s water supply meets all federal and state drinking water standards. Bottled water must comply with Food and Drug Administration regulations, which must be equal to EPA standards for drinking water. Most required monitoring under FDA regulations is not as frequent as the monitoring done on CRWTP’s water. Depending on the source of the water and the treatment process, some bottled waters may contain more or less amounts of substances than tap water. Some studies have shown that microbial growth may occur in bottled water during storage due to lack of residual disinfection. CRWTP adds chlorine to its water to control microbial growth.
