How Is Bottled Water Regulated

How Is Bottled Water Regulated?

Last week we discussed unreported water violations as a consequence of the shear volume processed at water treatment facilities. Even if municipal water systems were able to adhere to the FDA regulations consistently, water still must travel through miles of pipeline. Many times water may be "safe" or within normal limits leaving water treatment facilities, but by the time it reaches a household it may have become contaminated. Water is one of the main essentials of health and as such, should be as pure as possible. So, the question is "What are the differences between different types of bottled water?"

First bottled water is held to the same standards as tap water, meaning at the very minimum, it is "safe" tap water. The FDA classifies bottled water as a food source. Food source status requires bottled water to be hygienically sealed; ensuring the quality of water is the same when you open the bottle as when it left the plant. Bottled water must strictly adhere to claims made on the outside of its packaging. For example, if water is advertised as spring water, then the water must actually come from a spring. The source of confusion comes from assumptions of bottle water terminology. The following are bottled water definitions, courtesy of the National Bottled Water Association:

Artesian Water/ Artesian Well Water:

Bottled water from a well that taps a confined aquifer (a water-bearing underground layer of rock or sand) in which the water level stands at some height above the top of the aquifer. My translation – well water.

Drinking Water: Drinking water is another name for bottled water. Accordingly, drinking water is water that is sold for human consumption in sanitary containers and contains no added sweeteners or chemical additives (other than flavors, extracts or essences). It must be calorie-free and sugar-free. Flavors, extracts, or essences may be added to drinking water, but they must comprise less than one-percent-by weight of the final product or the product will be considered a soft drink. Drinking water may be sodium-free or contain very low amounts of sodium. My translation – "safe" tap water at the very least.

Mineral Water: Bottled water containing not less than 250 parts per million total dissolved solids may be labeled as 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 point of emergence from the source. No minerals can be added to this product. My translation – guaranteed to contain a standard amount of minerals, but does not specify what kind of minerals will be in your water.

Purified Water: Water that has been produced by distillation, deionization, reverse osmosis or other suitable processes and that meets the definition of purified water in the United States Pharmacopoeia may be labeled as purified bottled water. Other suitable product names for purified water denote the way it was purified; for example, "distilled water" was purified by distillation.

Purified water usually starts out as tap water that is run through a purification process. The following are my brief descriptions of the purification processes.

Distillation: Water is vaporized leaving all contaminants. Vapor is then collected. This is how nature purifies water.

Reverse Osmosis: Water is purified by forcing it through a very selective membrane.

Filtration: Water is purified by passing it through a filter

Ozonation: Ozone is bubbled through water killing "bugs". Ozone acts as a free radical (think militant with a beret and a machine gun and you have the right idea) and obliterates the cell membrane of the "bugs" through the addition of an electron.

UV Radiation is used as a disinfectant to kill "bugs" in water, again visualize our free radical.

(Resuming definitions as per National Bottled Water Association)

Sparking Water: Water that after treatment and possible replacement with carbon dioxide contains the same amount of carbon dioxide that it had at the emergence form the source. (An important note: soda water, seltzer water and tonic water are not considered bottled waters they are regulated separately, may contain sugar and calories, and are considered soft drinks.)

Spring Water: Bottled water derived from an underground formation from which water flows naturally to the surface of the earth. Spring water must be collect only at the spring or a through a bore hole tapping the underground formation finding the spring. Spring water collected with the use of an external force must be from the same underground stratum as the spring and must have all the physical properties, before treatment, and be of the same composition and quality as the water that flows naturally to the surface of the earth.

Well Water: Bottled water from a hole bored, drilled or otherwise constructed in the ground, which taps the aquifer. My translation—Most folks in my area think they drinking pure water because they are dinking from their own well. Even if you have your own well, it is subject to agricultural run off—poisons from herbicides and pesticides

In a nutshell, when you buy bottled water, you can be assured that at the very least you are purchasing the equivalent of "safe" tap water in purity. Most reputable bottled water manufacturers take great pains to make sure their water is extremely pure. These manufactures usually belong to a national organization, which holds their members to higher standards. The largest one I have found was the National Bottled Water Association. I would suggest you check out their web site at www.bottledwater.org. I hope these definitions clear up some confusion.

Very interesting reading:
Diet For A New America

By John Robbins, Stillpoint Publishing 1987

Hygienic Heights: A Guide To Understanding Health and Nutrition From a Natural Perspective

Paul A. Goldberg, M.P.H., D.C., Certified Natural Hygiene Practitioner

To obtain a copy, call Life University, Marietta GA and ask for the Nutrition Department