WASHINGTON (AP) -- It's advertised as pure and healthy and every year is in greater demand. But bottled water in some cases may not be any purer or bacteria-free than water coming from your tap, an environmental group says.
In a four-year test of 103 brands of bottled water, the environmental advocacy group Natural Resources Defense Council found that a third of the tested brands contained bacteria or other chemicals exceeding the industry's own guidelines or the most stringent state purity standards.The study being released today acknowledged that most bottled water "is of good quality" but that industry is left largely to self monitoring because of weak federal and state enforcement.
"Just because water comes from a bottle doesn't mean it's any cleaner or safer than what comes from the tap," Eric Olson, one of authors of the NRDC report, said.
The report was being released today as Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., planned to introduce legislation that would require stricter labeling requirements on the bottled water industry and that the product meet the same standards for bacterial and chemical contamination as tap water.
"There may be bottled water that's cleaner than tap water and some that's dirtier, but now there's no way for consumers to tell the difference," Lautenberg said.
Americans drink an estimated 3.4 billion gallons of bottled water annually -- about 12.7 gallons per person -- and the numbers have been increasing nearly 10 percent a year, according to the industry. It's sold as mineral water, spring water or distilled water, or just plain tap water that has gone through additional filtration.
The International Bottled Water Association said the NRDC was "trying to scare consumers" with its report. The industry group noted that the report acknowledges that most of the water the NRDC tested was "of good quality" and contained no detectable bacteria or chemicals of concern.
"For the past 37 years there have been no confirmed reports in the U.S. of illness or disease linked to bottled water," the association said in a statement.
But Olson noted that bottled water companies market their products for their purity and health benefits as compared to tap water, while often little is known of the content. "Bottled water is essentially regulated on the honor system in most states," he said. "Unlike tap water suppliers, bottlers need not disclose to consumers known contaminants in their products."
The NRDC tested more than 1,000 samples of 103 types of bottled water purchased in California, Florida, Illinois, New York, Texas and the District of Columbia. It found:
-- One-third of the samples exceeded the California standard or the industry's own purity guidelines, or both, for a chemical or bacterial contaminant.
-- Nearly one in four samples (22 percent) contained levels of cancer-causing synthetic compounds such as arsenic that exceeded the California limit, which is the most stringent.
-- Nearly one in five samples (17 percent) contained levels of bacteria higher than the voluntary industry guidelines. There are no federal mandatory standards.
-- About one in five samples contained industrial chemicals, and some samples contained arsenic, nitrates or other inorganic contaminants. In both cases the levels generally were below state or federal standards.
While bottled water is regulated as a food by the Food and Drug Administration, the NRDC study said it is subject to weaker standards when it comes to a wide range of contaminants than ordinary tap water which comes under the Environmental Protection Agency.
Bottled water, they said, is required to be tested less frequently for bacteria and chemical contaminants; has no requirement to be disinfected or tested for parasites; and it may contain some fecal coliform,
And enforcement is often lacking, the NRDC study said, with many states dedicating few if any people to bottled water regulation. The study suggested a penny-a-bottle fee on bottled water to pay for tighter regulation, testing and enforcement.