While doing some research for my blog today, I come across an AP release stating that tests on 10 leading brands of bottle water turned up many of the same contaminants shown in everyday tap water. It turns out that a rather intensive investigation by the Environmental Working Group revealed that not only was this water in many cases no purer than tap water, but that in some instances it had more contaminants. This obviously caught my attention and I decided to turn this article into a two part series so that readers fully understand the basics of these findings.

As many of you may or may not be aware, the bottled water industry is not regulated by the government or any official body. Rather, this industry simply states that its own regulatory standards and thresholds are stricter than that of tap water safety standards. While that may sound semi-convincing, a curiosity is arisen when one discovers that the industry will not disclose the results of its own testing. With that said, let’s jump right into what the Environmental Working Group discovered.

Breast Cancer Cell Proliferation

For one type of bottled water that was tested at the U. of Missouri, the results were less than satisfactory. Apparently, when this water was combined with breast cancer cells it resulted in a 78% growth proliferation in just 4 days when compared to a control. The exact figures at day 4 were 32,000 cancer cells for the bottled water and 18,000 for the control. While, I’d like to see additional testing done to substantiate this sort of data, the thought that this water stimulated a faster cancer cell growth rate is not a pleasing one. But, here’s the kicker... When the scientists added an estrogen blocking chemical into the mix, the effect was inhibited, inferring that the chemicals found in this water were akin to estrogen, a hormone which has been linked to cancer. The study claims that other industry chemicals known to be cancer spurring are relatively worse, but makes the point that individuals typically consume many bottles of water and in essence could be fueling this sort of activity bottle by bottle. Unfortunately due to the type of lab tests that were performed, EWG and we, the consumers, do not know which bottled water product this was. They’ll be more to come on this, I’m sure.

Walmart(Sam’s Choice) and Giant Brand Waters(Acadia)

Right off the bat, the study reveals that these two products have the same chemical signature of municipal water. Actually, the Sam’s Choice water source was Las Vegas tap according to the Walmart officials. There’s something rather funny(insert your own appropriate adjective here) about living in Las Vegas and spending $5 for a case of bottled water that also happens to come out of every faucet in town. I can live with that though because bottled water provides me with convenience, right? Well, then I learned that Sam’s Choice Water was found to also possess levels of trihalomethanes that exceed California state law. Trihalomethanes are disinfection byproducts that are linked to cancer and reproductive problems. That doesn’t sound too appealing, so maybe I’ll bring a travel water filter with me next time I go to Vegas. But wait, there’s more. Lab tests also found a cancer causing chemical called bromodichloromethane that again surpassed California safety standards. Ok, I think it’s time Walmart revisits their supplier. It seems that as a result of these findings, EWG is filing suit against Walmart to enforce warning messages posted on Sam’s Choice bottles sold in California.

Acadia also possessed these same cancer causing chemicals exceeding California safety standard levels. Fortunately, this brand is only sold in some Mid-Atlantic States so Californians and their safety board can breathe a sigh of relief. Hmm..., I wonder if our states safety standards are more appropriate than California’s or simply slower to catch on to the risks that these chemicals may pose to our health? The government’s usually never late to the public health safety party, so I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about. One thing’s for sure, the bottled water industry’s standards may actually not be stricter than FDA standards as they claim. Or, maybe they’re just slow in policing themselves. Looking forward to posting part two of this series.

The Thirsty Berkey