Bottled water: fact and hype

The claim that bottled water is 'pure' may not mean what you think. It's usually safe to drink, but not necessarily safer than tap or well water.

By: Susan Hirshorn

  In the race to capitalize on public fears about tap water, some bottled water advertisers are making elaborate claims about its purity. One ad, for example, boasts the product as "bacteria free" with "no waste matter" and "no pollutants". Other manufacturers are riding the coattails of bottled waters' popularity with products that aren't what we may think they are.
  What's fact and what's hype?

Bottled water is only "pure water" in that it has no food additives
  Those clear beverages with a hint of flavouring and sweetener are not considered bottled water by government regulators and the bottled water industry.
  "Demineralized", "purified" or "distilled" water could simply be tap water that's been processed to lower the mineral content and remove chlorine.
  Brands claiming to be "spring water" or "mineral water" must, according to Division 12 of federal Food and Drug Regulations, come from an underground source.

Scrutinize labels
  Regardless of its source, bottled water is usually disinfected to remove harmful organisms "but you should check for additional labelling information which indicates this," advises Donald Warburton, a food microbiologist at Health Canada's Evaluation Division, Bureau of Microbial Safety.
  The terms carbonation, ozonation and UV light (ultraviolet radiation) refer to processes that kill most bacteria initially present in the water.
  The terms deionization, micron filtration and reverse osmosis mean the product has been treated to remove disease-causing parasites such as giardia and cryptosporidium.

What the labels don't tell you
  Unless the label states "sterile water" the product is not bacteria-free. Some bugs remain, and some may be harmful, according to bacterial testing done by Health Canada's Bureau of Microbial Safety between 1992 and 1997.
  Non-sterilized water isn't suitable for cleaning contact lenses and could be risky for people with immune systems weakened by disease or chemotherapy. "Sterile water is typically reserved for the pharmaceutical industry, although I've seen some waters - sold in cans - that are intended for babies which state 'sterile' on the label, " Warburton says.

All water will breed bacteria if you're not careful
  At the store, make sure containers and bottle seals are intact and check the "best before" date.
  Refrigerate smaller bottled waters once they've been opened. Eighteen litre bottled water carboys should be dispensed through a refrigerated water cooler that is kept clean to avoid contamination.
  Large quantities of bottled water intended for emergencies can be stored in a cool, dark place. Make sure seals and containers remain intact and change the water once a year.

Chemical issues uncertain
  Part of bottled water's appeal is the perception that it is free from THMs (trihalomethanes) and other dangerous chemicals. Yet a 1999 test of some 1,000 bottled waters in the United States turned up THMs and arsenic in a small number of samples. The Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental organization, did the testing. The levels they found fell within safety limits established by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; however, they exceeded the more stringent limits set by the state of California.
  The Canadian Bottled Water Association requires its member companies to pass an annual water analysis administered by an independent laboratory. According to the association's executive assistant, Sharon Bergmann, the results of this testing are confidential.
  The last comprehensive federal sampling of bottled waters for chemical contamination was done in the early 1990s, according to John Salminen, acting chief at Health Canada's Chemical Health Hazard Assessment Division. "We have done periodic monitoring since then where we looked at a number of contaminants, including THMs, lead, arsenic and aluminum. The general conclusion has been that the levels of these types of substances in bottled water were quite low and not of concern from a health standpoint," he said. However, a federal task force has been formed to determine whether a new, tougher safety limit for THMs needs to be introduced to Canada's drinking water regulations.

1. Canadians consume some 703 million litres of bottled waters each year; a rise which outpaces the consumption of coffee, tea, apple juice and milk, according to the Food Bureau, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

2. Health Canada's Bureau of Microbial Safety tested bottled waters between 1992 and 1997. They found:

   • 2% of some 2,086 samples contained fecal coliform bacteria, indicating contamination by animal or human feces and the possible presence of disease-causing bacteria like E.Coli.

   • 1.2% of 2,820 samples harboured a bacterium called Pseudomonas aeruginosa which usually has no adverse effects on healthy adults but can cause serious infections among the very young and people whose health is already weakened by disease.

3. THMs (trihalomethanes) are formed when the chlorine used to disinfect water supplies reacts with organic matter in the water. THMs have been associated with increased risk of bladder and colon cancer as well as miscarriages, birth defects and low birth weight when people are exposed to them for long periods of time.

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