Environment, Health, and Safety Online has one of the most comprehensive reviews of the bottled water industry and the safety standards that govern it, including a comparison of national bottled water rules with national tap water rules, and independent testing of over 1,000 bottles of water. Below are some bottled waters the site confirms to watch out for:

Crystal Geyser Alpine Spring Water
Arsenic in excess of California warning level and World Health Organization and European Union standards

Odwalla Geothermal Natural Spring Water
Fluoride level in excess of California and FDA standard for warm weather areas

Poland Spring
Heterotrophic-plate-count bacteria over 500 cfu/ml guideline in some bottles; 1996 excess chlorine recall

Although bottled waters are covered by the FDA’s rules, they ares subject to less rigorous testing and purity standards than city tap water.  For example, bottled water is required to be tested less frequently than city tap water for bacteria and chemical contaminants.  In addition, bottled water rules allow for some contamination by E. coli or fecal coliform, contrary to tap water rules, which prohibit any confirmed contamination with these bacteria.

Since your local tap water is required to be tested by law, and those results must be publicly available, there is a greater likelihood that you can verify the safety of your tap water, while you cannot verify the compliance of any bottled water.   However, it has been known that tap water is contaminated with such dangerous chemicals as chlorine.  While chlorine disinfects our municipal water, it is highly detrimental to our own health.  If you want the safest, cleanest, best tasting water, it is recommended that you install a good water filter on your tap!  New Wave’s Premium 10 Stage and Fresh Water Works water filters do just the trick!

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