Bottled Water: To Drink or Not to Drink, That is the Question

It wasn’t so long ago that drink machines held only a handful of choices—cola, lemon/lime, orange soda, and maybe root beer or ginger ale. Those days are long past, and drink choices are numerous and varied. And one of the newest and most controversial of those choices is bottled water.

Americans today are buying and drinking bottled water more than ever before. According to the International Bottled Water Association, over 5 billion gallons were consumed in 2001, and that number keeps growing each year. A decade ago, bottled water was a relatively new entry to a handful of high-end grocery stores, more of a curiosity and a fad than a staple. But now bottled water can be found in virtually every supermarket, convenience store, cafeteria, and vending machine, and even on the menu in many restaurants. Industry experts estimate that in just a few years, bottled water will be second only to soda as the beverage of choice for most Americans.

So why has bottled water flooded the market and taken over? First, there’s no getting around the fact that you have to have water in some form or another. Not only can you live without carbonated drinks, coffee, and alcoholic beverages, many studies have shown the harmful effects of those beverages. But water is essential to human health, and most people may not be drinking enough, according to recent medical research. So many Americans are adopting healthier lifestyles to switch from no-benefit beverages to regular water.

But instead of turning on their tap, they’re turning to any of the many different brands and varieties of bottled water. And because there are so many bottled waters on the market, it’s hard to know whether you should be stocking your shopping cart with Evian, Dasani, Perrier, or something else.

Water quality experts suggest that consumers should do their homework before just buying a bottle that claims to offer purity and health benefits. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates bottled water products, making sure that manufacturers are producing safe bottled water products that are truthfully labeled, and it is illegal to market adulterated or misbranded products that violate FDA regulations. Those regulations include standard of identity regulations, which define different types of bottled water, and standard of quality regulations, which specify the maximum levels of certain contaminants (physical, chemical, radiological, and microbial) that bottled water can contain.

When deciding whether the expense of bottled water is worth the potential benefits, consumers basically have to do their own research by reading what experts say, and then decide on their own. According to the Office of Plant an Dairy Foods and Beverages (a department of the FDA), major changes have been enacted since 1974, when the Safe Drinking Water Act was instituted to regulate public drinking water (tap water) by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Since that time, each standard the EPA establishes for chemical or microbial contaminants is adopted by the FDA for bottled water. As a result, the standards in place for bottled water are pretty much the same as those for tap water.

However, standards for bottled water are different in some cases. For example, lead in pipes can leach out into water as it travels from public water utilities through plumbing systems and eventually to home faucets. The EPA specified that when lead levels in tap water reach 15 parts per billion (ppb), water utilities must treat the water to reduce the levels. In bottled water, which does not travel through lead pipes, the limit is set at only 5 ppb. FDA surveys show that bottling companies can easily produce bottled water within that limit.

Bottled water must also adhere to the current good manufacturing processes (CGMP) regulations established and enforced by the FDA, which require certain standards of bottling plant and equipment design, bottling procedures, and thorough recordkeeping. Because the FDA has not determined bottled water to be a significant public health risk over the years, they do not consider it to be a high risk food—yet they inspect bottled water plants regularly and perform inspections on occasion. Some states require that bottled water firms be inspected and licensed annually.

The FDA classifies some bottled water according to where it originates:

Spring water. Spring water comes from an underground formation that delivers water naturally to a spring on the surface of the earth. Spring water must be collected only at the spring, or through a hole bored into the underground formation that feeds the spring.

Artesian well water. Water from a well that taps into an aquifer is considered artesian well water. An aquifer is a section of layers in the earth’s crust that consists of porous rock, sand, and earth compressed from above by layers of rock or clay. When the aquifer is tapped into, the artesian pressure pushes the water level up to the surface. The EPA says that water from artesian aquifers might be more pure because the layers of rock and clay interfere with the movement of contaminants that might taint the water. However, this is not a scientifically proven fact, no matter what bottle labels may say.

Mineral water. Mineral water comes from an underground source that contains at least 250 parts per million total dissolved solid minerals and trace elements. The elements must come from the source, and cannot be added later.

Tap. Amazingly, some bottled water actually comes from municipal public sources—tap water. Municipal water is usually treated before being bottled, such as by distillation (turning it into a vapor, then condensing it into water again), reverse osmosis (forcing the water through membranes to remove minerals), ozonation (using ozone gas to disinfect the water instead of chlorine), or cryptosporidium (using a parasitic protozoan to remove contaminants). Bottled water that has been treated in any of these ways can be labeled as "purified water."

A debate continues to rage over whether bottled water is any better for you than tap water. Many people believe that their municipal water supply offers perfectly good water, while others feel bottled water is healthier. Although most consumers have no doubt that bottled water is safe, some do not feel that way about the quality of their tap water. But although tap water may sometimes look or taste different, it is usually not unsafe. In fact, the most dangerous contaminants in water are those than a person cannot see, taste, or smell. Municipal water supplies constantly and thoroughly tested for harmful substances, and if a problem is found, consumers are immediately warned.

One advantage tap water has over some bottled water is that it typically contains fluoride. Although some communities oppose the idea, many areas have added fluoride to drinking water to promote strong teeth and prevent tooth decay. Bottled water often does not have fluoride added, or if it has been purified, may have had the fluoride removed. People who drink mostly bottled water should look into using supplemental fluoride, which is available by prescription. The supplements are usually recommended for children ages 7 to 16.

Younger, more health-aware people have grown up with bottled water and find it a natural thing to buy. Whether or not the water from their own taps is just as good for them is a moot point, because the FDA guarantees that bottled water won’t be bad for them. And it’s easier to grab a bottle and carry it in your pocket than it is to look for a drinking fountain. Of course you can just buy a good PUR or Brita water filter and purify your tap water at home—but why go to all that trouble when the bottling companies are already doing it for you? And the allure of exotic brand names and soothing label designs is hard for many people to resist. Despite the debate and controversy over the benefits and costs of bottled water, its popularity is far from waning.