A study made in October, 2008, analyzed bottled water brands and found plenty of chemical contaminants–at the same levels as contaminants found in tap water.

The Environmental Working Group of Washington, DC, purchased 10 bottled water brands in nine states and the District of Columbia.  A lab found traces of 38 pollutants, averaging eight pollutants per brand.  In addition, four of the brands showed bacterial contamination (http://www.ewg.org/reports/bottledwater).

The study found that two brands contained water which is chemically identical to tap water. These brands were the store brands for Giant’s and Walmart. Both brands yielded chlorine disinfection byproducts at levels too high for bottled water industry standards and standards set by California. In addition, Giant’s brand yielded some fluoride.

The lab at the University of Iowa found pollutants ranging from caffeine and Tylenol to arsenic, radioactive isotopes, ammonia and nitrate (fertilizer residues), and solvents, propellants, plasticizers, and others.

Concerned about estrogen-disrupting and cancer-promoting chemicals from plastic bottles, the researchers also conducted tests to see whether the bottled water brands spurred growth of breast cancer cells. They found one brand spurred a 78 percent increase in growth of breast cancer cells compared to the control sample.

Bottled water isn’t necessarily any safer than water from the tap.  The laws governing it are based on tap water standards, after all. The EPA’s tap water standards form the basis for the FDA’s bottled water standards, the EPA points out (www.epa.gov/ogwdw/faq/faq.html). But that’s not the perception by many Americans, who are drinking 9 billion gallons of bottled water per year, spending an average of $3.79 per gallon for it.

The wise choice isn’t spending money on bottled water, you’ll agree!  Instead, you can find a solution that provides you with clean, purified water at your kitchen sink or icemaker.  A home water filter you install at your sink can give your family lots of pure water, in containers you choose that don’t leach harmful chemicals.

Bottled water is wastes your money. A home water filter can protect your family and do it for little money–get safe healthy for just 8 cents per gallon, at your kitchen sink. Your body needs water with certain trace minerals, so select a triple carbon-filter system that keeps those in and takes out harmful bacteria, minerals, chemicals and chlorine residues.