Tapping Into the Water Debate

Everybody's heard the pun about what you get when you spell the French bottled water brand Evian backwards. But for concerned consumers and United States lawmakers, the joke's over.

A Wednesday congressional hearing tackled the big question of whether bottled water manufacturers were selling  products that are actually any safer or healthier than tap water. “The majority of consumers purchase bottled water because of perceived health and safety benefits,” Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) stated at the meeting, “but they actually know very little about the quality of the water they are buying.”

The hearing was convened after the Environmental Working Group (EWG) and the Government Accountability Office filed reports about the lack of information regarding the source and safety of much bottled water. An 18-month EWG investigation found that, out of 200 popular bottled water companies, only two labels disclose the water's source, purification methods, and possible chemical pollutants that the water may contain. “When you pay a premium price of up to 1,900 times more for bottled water, you expect more,” the study's bottled water scorecard states. Yet, “all too often, you get nothing, unless you count hyped advertising come-ons  like 'crisp,' 'pristine,' or 'essential.'” According to the EWG's bottled water scorecard, none of the top 10 bottled water labels mention source and treatment method information.

“Many people assume bottled water is healthier and safer to drink than ordinary tap water,” said Jane Houlihan, a VP of research at the EWG. “But some companies have lured consumers away from the tap with claims of health and purity that aren't backed by public data.” While tap water quality is overseen by the EPA, who must submit annual water quality reports for the 52,000 tap water districts across the country, bottled water is administrated as a “food” under the FDA, whose lax rules don't require source and safety info. After the congressional hearing, the committee sent letters to 13 bottled water manufacturers (including PepsiCo and Coca Cola Co.), requesting source and testing method information.

Meanwhile, the Australian town of Bundanoon banned bottled water on Wednesday. The town's action is a first for Australia, and perhaps the world. The reasons cited included reducing the carbon footprint caused by bottling and transportation, along with the lack of information about health benefits and safety. The local initiative has pressured the state government of New South Wales to consider reducing bottled water sales.

Whatever impact Bundanoon's actions or the EWG investigation have, weeding out false advertisers is certainly a good place to start.

Photo courtesy of Randy Son of Robert via Flickr.