Over 98% of Bottled Water Often Deceiving, Study Finds
It turns out that tap water isn’t the only unsafe water out there. Many bottled waters have been proven to be unsafe for consumption, according to a study done by the Environmental Working Group (EWG).
In fact, your local water supplier must by law provide you with the source of your water. They are obligated to inform you of any chemical pollutants that remain in your water after the water is treated.
This seems rather ironic considering tap water is filled with hundreds of toxic chemicals that aren’t disclosed to the public in such a manner, but that is a whole other issue for another time.
The study took 188 different brands of bottled water and analyzed each one of them through investigation of their websites and product labels.
Only 2 of the 188 brands tested disclosed 3 vital pieces of information: the source of their water, how the water is purified, and what chemical pollutants could be in their water.
According to the study, the 2 bottled waters responsible for providing all the information were Ozarka Drinking Water and Penta Ultra-Purified Water. This 18-month long study also found that smaller, less commercialized brands tend to disclose more information than that of the popular, highly advertised brands.
Does this mean that any company that refuses to disclose all of the necessary information is producing questionably unsafe bottled water? It’s certainly something to think about. Why hide it?
Jane Houlihan, the EWG Senior Vice President for Research, says that bottled water companies have the decision-making authority to make known to customers whatever information is desired about their water. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) governs over this directive under the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act).
EWG notes that people pay up to 1900 times more for bottled water than if they were to just drink tap water. Why would people spend so much on bottled water? Are people looking for convenience?
Are we tricked by mass advertisements telling us that we should buy bottled water, with the sole purpose of giving our hard-earned dollar to big business? I think both of those things are true. However, the main reason people buy bottled water is because they believe it is the healthier option when compared to tap water.
People make quick assumptions. One of them is the false assumption that bottled water is healthier than tap water solely based on the premise that it’s not coming out of the faucet. Based on this study, you and I aren’t drinking what we think we’re drinking when it comes to bottled water.
Never blindly trust any company. Do your own research before supporting them via the purchasing of their products.
If your main goal is to be healthy, research what you are consuming with special attention to detail. You may be wasting your money.
I must end this however, by saying that bottled water is still much better than tap water most of the time. Yes, some companies or brands actually use tap water, or water equivalent to tap water, but bottled water is healthier than tap water much of the time.
Do your research and buy, or don’t buy, accordingly.
