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Bottled Water is Still a Health Hazard
Bottled water is still a health hazard, but you wouldn't know it from looking around. Grocery store shelves are still stacked high, and a look around any large gathering will reveal plastic water bottles in abundance.
The uproar of two years ago seems to have died down and consumers have gone back to "consumption as usual." But according to a report in Science News, that could be about to change.
Results of an 18 month study by the Environmental Working Group have now been released, and bottled water sounds more dangerous than ever.
Here are two reasons why:
- The water in that bottle may not be pure.
- The bottle itself may be leaching toxins into the water.
According to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), which is a nonprofit organization devoted to protecting health and the environment, more than 25% of all bottled water comes from a public source. That's right - it's the same water that's piped to homes and businesses.
Worse, according to Environmental Working Group Senior vice president Jane Houlihan, "An estimated 25 percent of bottled water brands that rely on tap water are drawing from supplies that collectively contain at least 260 pollutants - from pesticides and heavy metals to trace residues of pharmaceuticals."
How can water bottlers advertise pure spring water when they're really just pulling water out of a tap, just like you do at home? And how can they get away with pouring contaminated water into those bottles. Two reasons:
- No one is demanding truth in advertising from water bottling companies!
- The FDA is not bothering to check up on them
Standards for purity exist, of course. BUT …Bottled water purity is regulated by the FDA, and because the FDA puts low priority on water, bottlers are inspected and tested less than once a year. According to one FDA official, it's the manufacturer's responsibility to ensure that the product complies with laws and regulations. The result: Some comply, and some don't. And even worse, if the water is bottled and delivered within the same state, there are NO regulations.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates tap water, so if a bottler uses a public source that has passed their inspection, it should be OK to drink - right? Not necessarily.
In tests done by the NRDC, at least one sample from a third of the brands contained bacterial or chemical contaminants, including carcinogens in levels exceeding state or industry standards. Not to be argumentative, but I have to wonder why any level of carcinogens is OK.
So how does water that was considered "pure" turn into a health hazard? Through the bottling process, and then through the bottles themslves. In many instances, the bottling process exposes the water to contamination from lack of proper sanitation, and it exposes it to toxic chemicals that are used to make plastic softer.
Conscientious bottlers belong to their own regulatory associations such as NSF International or the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA). These groups conduct yearly unannounced tests and adhere to regulations which are often stricter than the FDA's.
If you MUST buy bottled water, look for the NSF or the IBWA emblem on the label.
Manufacturers are not required to let their customers know about contamination, but some do. Between 1990 and 2007 there were about 100 recalls of bottled water. Among the reasons for recall were contamination with benzene, mold, coliform bacteria, microbes, and even crickets!
What could be in the water bottled by manufacturers who choose not to belong to any regulatory association?
Is Your Plastic Water Bottle Poisoning You?
You may not know for 20 years if your plastic water bottle is poisoning you.
Right now the FDA says only that it will keep monitoring data to see if the agency needs to take regulatory action. It could be 20 or 30 years before they truly know the effects on the human body from the toxins leached from plastic water bottles.
For now no serious action is being taken regarding the very serious health hazards presented by plastic water bottles, plastic food storage containers, and more.
 | Here's why your water bottle may be unsafe: Most bottled water comes in polyethylene terephthalate bottles, indicated by a number 1, PET, or PETE on the bottle's bottom. While some scientists believe that these bottles are generally safe at room temperature, when they are stored at warm temperatures, the story changes. |
When the bottles are warmed, they begin to quickly leach chemicals into the water. It doesn't matter if the bottles are still sealed, of it it's the bottle you're carrying with you and drinking from throughout the day. Scientists agree that the bottle left in the hot car all day is dangerous - but how warm is too warm? And how warm were those bottles during shipment? How warm were they when they sat in a warehouse prior to shipment?
According to Ken Smith, PhD and past chair of the American Chemical Society's division of environmental chemistry, "Leaving bottled water out in the car changes the chemical equilibrium so that the materials from the plastic go into the water faster."
Note that he didn't say heat causes chemicals to go into the water, but that it causes them to go into the water faster. That would indicate that even if your bottled water has been refrigerated from the day it was bottled, chemicals are leaching into it.
In 2006 scientists in Germany found that antimony, a toxic material used in making PET, begins leaching into the water immediately. So the longer it sits in storage, the more toxic it becomes. High concentrations of antimony can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. In the study, levels were found to be "safe" by EPA standards, but they admit that there have been no long term studies to determine if "safe" levels are really safe.
Then, the next year, a National Institutes of Health committee found that bisphenol A (BPA) may cause neurological and behavioral problems in fetuses, babies, and kids. A separate study found that adult exposure to BPA likely affects the brain, the female reproductive system, and the immune system. BPA is a chemical found in polycarbonate, which is used to make water cooler jugs, sport-water bottles, and other hard plastics.
Some plastics used for water bottles, along with some cosmetics and fragrances, shower curtains, and even baby toys, contain Phthalates.
Phthalates are under increasing scrutiny because they are endocrine disrupters. That means they block or mimic hormones and affect the body's normal functions. The effects of exposure to these chemicals may add up - and studies are showing that when fetuses are exposed to high levels during critical developmental periods, the results can be devastating.
Some endocrine disrupters, often called Xenoestrogens, mimic estrogen in the body. For women prone to breast cancer caused by and fed by estrogen overload, they can be deadly.
What about juices, milk, and soft drinks?
So far, I have not seen any studies or heard an outcry. But it stands to reason that if chemicals leach into your water from plastic containers, those plastics would also leach into any other beverage they hold.
Many experts are now recommending throwing away your plastic water bottles - and also ceasing to use plastics in your home for food storage. They recommend buying juices in metal or glass containers, or at the very least, transferring them to safer containers as soon as you get them home.
Drink Water, but Be Sure it's Pure
You know you need to drink water - many experts recommend up to two quarts per day. But you need to be sure the water is pure. If not, it could be a greater danger to your health than sugary soft drinks or drinks filled with artificial sweeteners.
First you should have your water at home tested - whether from a public supply or a private well, you need to know if it has contaminates or if it is fine to drink. Look in your phone book for the Health Department and call for instructions. You could instead ask for water quality reports on your public water system, but remember that plastic pipes that bring the water to your sink could also affect water quality.
If testing shows your water to be contaminated, you can either install a high quality filtration / purification system in your home, or you can buy water - carefully.
If you do buy water, choose a brand with a NSF certification or IBWA membership. Then immediately transfer it to a glass or stainless steel container. To protect yourself from toxins leaching into liquids from plastic, I think you should do the same with other beverages, or buy them in glass or metal containers from the outset.
One question that keeps bothering me - what about plastic baby bottles? Are mothers poisoning their babies every time they warm a bottle?
When you take water or other beverages with you on your daily travels, take it in reusable glass or stainless steel containers. No, it's not as convenient as buying a plastic bottle and throwing it away. But you could be saving your life - and doing the environment a huge favor at the same time. After all, plastic is quickly clogging our landfills and littering out roadsides, beaches, and forests. The fewer plastic containers you buy, the better for your world. (Remember, if you do buy them - recycle.)
In 2008 consumers spent $11.2 billion on bottled water,in the United States alone. According to the Science News article, that's 28.5 gallons per year, per person. At even $1 for a 16 oz. bottle, that's well over $200. In most stores, it costs more than a mere dollar, and since many don't drink bottled water at all, if you do the chances are you're buying more than 200 bottles per year.
Considering the high cost of bottled water, both in terms of health hazards and money, doesn't it make sense to install a good water filtration system in your own home, and then carry your water along in a stainless steel bottle?
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