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Bottled water is an interesting thing. It's convenient, for sure. Some bottled waters like Vitamin Water taste amazingly good and have a lot less sugar than soda. And there are a few communities in the US that don't have access to safe, clean water.
But bottled water companies are pumping water from communities that don't want them there. Bottled water companies are often the recipients of subsidies, allowing them to pump water from aquifers for 1/64th the cost that you and I pay. And then they go and sell that water for an enormous profit!
They also mislead the public. Most public discontent with tap water (chlorine and fluoride issues aside) stems from commercials that claim bottled water is more pure than tap water. In fact, the EPA regulates tap water and requires breaches in water quality to be reported to consumers. The FDA regulates bottled water (except when the water doesn't cross state lines, in which case there is almost NO regulation) and the bottled water companies are supposed to voluntarily disclose water breaches to the public. Too bad they often don't.
In March, 2004, a half million bottles of Dasani were recalled in the UK after being found to contain unacceptable levels of bromate, a carcinogen. Bromate results from excess ozonation during the disinfection process, and is a particular risk for water bottlers. The recall happened just weeks after Coke launched Dasani with a big splash in the UK. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1173707,00.ht ml#article_continue
Last August 2007, Wegmans, a grocery store chain in the Northeast U.S., recalled its "Food you feel good about" brand spring water after tests confirmed some bottles contained levels of bromate – a disinfection byproduct that is a potential carcinogen – that were up to two and half times the level considered safe by the FDA. While short-term exposure to bromate is not an imminent health concern, long term exposure is more risky, and this was a big breach of the safety levels. FDA monitoring of the water did not pick up the contamination, nor did the tests conducted by the bottlers themselves. This was a voluntary recall, spurred by concerns raised by a consumer.
The consumer had the water tested in an independent lab and found elevated levels of bromate. He alerted Wegmans. Wegmans contacted its bottler, Mayer Bros., a regional water bottler in upstate New York. Mayer Brothers said that its monthly tests revealed no elevated levels of bromate. Wegmans had samples of its water tested by an independent lab, and found the elevated levels. It pulled the bottles from the shelves that had been produced between June 27, 2006 and August 4, 2006. The FDA didn’t issue a recall notice, but simply issued a notice of Wegmans recall, and said it was ‘working with Wegmans and the bottler to ensure an appropriate response."
So, the bottom line here is that bottled water with elevated levels of bromate sat on the shelves of Wegmans stores for six weeks or more, being bought and consumed by unsuspecting consumers, and was finally recalled only after a consumer took the initiative to test the water. (Glynn, Matt. "Mayer Bros. Says it fixed problems with bottled water, " Buffalo News, August 30, 2006 "US: Bottled water pulled in bromate scare" Nutra Ingredients USA (www.nutraingredients-usa.com), August 14, 2006)
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Posted by tjp1975 on 2007-10-29 09:34:10 | Rating: | Views: 64
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