Is Bottled Better?

More and more people are grabbing bottled water. But is it really safer than tap water?

A recent Natural Resources Defense Council report (on the Internet at http://www.nrdc.org/nrdcpro/fppubl.html) found that one-third of the bottled water samples it tested exceeded California or industry guidelines.

Bottled water is regulated as a food by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which requires manufactures to submit samples regularly for testing. Contaminants found in bottled water must be less than the "allowable levels" set by the FDA. Water from a public water supply is regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Check with your state department of health for testing data for the water sold in local stores.

The allowable level for various contaminants allowed by the FDA in bottled water are essentially the same as the maximum contaminant levels that the EPA allows in public water supplies, though there are some differences.

Here's how the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) currently defines the different types of bottled water you may encounter at the local grocery store or convenience mart:

Artesian (or Artesian well water): Water from a well that taps a confined aquifer (a water-bearing underground layer of rock or sand) where the water level stands at some height above the top of the aquifer.

Drinking water: Any water sold for human consumption in sanitary containers which contains no added sweeteners or chemical additives, other than flavors, extracts or essences. It must be calorie and sugar free. Drinking water may contain very low amounts of sodium.

Mineral water: Mineral water is distinguished from other types of bottled water by its constant level and relative proportions of mineral and trace elements at the source. No minerals can be added to the final product.

Purified water: Water produced by distillation, deionization, reverse osmosis or other processes that meets the U.S. definition of purified water. Also known as "distilled water," "deionized water" or "reverse osmosis water," depending on the how it is bottled.

Sparkling water: Water that after treatment and possible replacement with carbon dioxide contains the same amount of carbon dioxide that it had at its source. Sparkling water is not the same as soda water, seltzer water or tonic water, which are not considered bottled waters.

Spring water: Bottled water derived from an underground formation where water flows naturally to the surface of the earth. It must be collected only at the spring, or through a bore hole that taps the underground formation finding the spring.

Well water: Bottled water from a hole bored, drilled or otherwise constructed in the ground which taps the water of an aquifer.

(NRDC Appendix A gives data on programs by state. Contact the NRDC at (212)727-4408; or the International Bottled Water Association, (703)683-5213, or http://www.bottledwater.org).