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World Health Organization (WHO) fact sheet on bottled drinking water

The World Health Organization (WHO) published a fact sheet on bottled water back in October 2000...  It's sort of old news, but it's one more data point...

...some substances may prove more difficult to manage in bottled than tap water. This is generally because bottled water is stored for longer periods and at higher temperatures than water distributed in piped distribution systems. Control of materials used in containers and closures for bottled waters is, therefore, of special concern...

Full article: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs256/en/

National Drinking Water Week is May 3-9

May 3–9, 2009 is National Drinking Water Week. Each year, the American Water Works Association and an alliance of organizations, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), sponsor National Drinking Water Week to highlight the importance of tap water and the need to reinvest in our nation's drinking water infrastructure.

http://www.cdc.gov/features/drinkingwater/

CDC creates new website dedicated to Drinking Water

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have created a new website dedicated to the safety of our drinking water.

Topics discussed include:

• Public Water Systems
• Private Water Systems
• Water Flouridation
• Camping, Hiking, Travel
• Bottled Water

From the site:

Whether you receive your drinking water from the tap, via commercially-bottled water, or through a personal filtration device, it is important to know where your water comes from, how it has been treated, and whether it is safe to drink!

CDC Drinking Water Home Page:  http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/index.html

Time to go back to the tap

PlentyMag.com has a nice article touting the benefits of switching from bottled water back to filtered tap water.  Also contains links to so good resources including the EPA's Safe Water site.

http://www.plentymag.com/events/2008/10/water_filter_news.php

Pressure Is on to Recycle Water Filters

From the New York Times article: Pressure Is on to Recycle Water Filters...

Drew McGowan, a Clorox spokesman, said the cost of a nationwide recycling program would be “absolutely astronomical, and there’s no way any one company can afford to do this.” Nonetheless, a test program may begin within the next year that will let people return the filters to retail stores, he said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/06/business/media/06filter.html?ref=media

Bottled Water Quality Investigation: 10 Major Brands, 38 Pollutants

A new study by the Environmental Working Group investigates serious contaminant levels in bottled water. Findings include Bottled water contains disinfection byproducts, fertilizer residue, and pain medication.

The resulting recommendations for consumers include:

1. Drink filtered tap water instead of bottled water
2. Stop using plastic water bottles... switch to stainless steel
3. Urge policymakers to improve source water protection programs

Executive summary of the article:
http://www.ewg.org/reports/bottledwater

What consumers can do about the problem:
http://www.ewg.org/node/27012

Be informed of what can be contained in your bottled water!

A new posting at The Consumerist discusses a study looking at contaminants in brand name bottled water from major retailers.

Here are a few choice goodies found in the water: Coliform bacteria, caffeine, the pain reliever acetaminophen, fertilizer, solvents, plastic-making chemicals and the radioactive element strontium.

http://consumerist.com/5063874/study-there-is-all-kinds-of-nasty-crap-in-your-bottled-water