Is bottled water safe?

Over the past few years, the consumption of bottled water has increased dramatically as it is considered safer and tastier than tap water. However, due to environmental concerns and potential health effects, many people are beginning to wonder if tap water is better? And is bottled water safe? However, there are also a number of other factors to consider when choosing between bottled and tap water. The following article will provide useful information about bottled water for you to make the right choice.

Americans spend billions of dollars each year on bottled water. Locals choose bottled water for a variety of reasons including aesthetics (for example, the taste of bottled water), health concerns, or as a substitute for other beverages... If you have any questions about bottled water, make sure you are informed about where your bottled water comes from and how it has been treated. The standards for bottled water are set by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA bases its standards on the EPA standards for tap water.
For bottled water basics, customers can look through EPA brochures on Bottled Water Basics. This information is readily available and can be simply searched online.
Read the labels on your bottled water. Although there are currently no standardized labels for bottled water, the labels on these packages can tell us about how to treat bottled water.
Check the label for the toll-free telephone number or the Web site of the water bottling company. This can be a source of additional information about the type of bottled water the customer is using.

People with underactive or easily compromised immune systems may want to take special precautions with the types of water they drink. In healthy people, the Cryptosporidium parasite can already cause disease; However, for people with weakened immune systems, this parasite can cause more severe illness or even death. Experts have found several bottled water treatment methods to remove Cryptosporidium, including:
Reverse Osmosis Bottled Water Distillation Filtration with 1 micron absolute filter

Some bottled waters contain fluoride while others do not. Fluoride can occur naturally in water used for bottling or be added during water treatment. Most bottled waters contain less-than-optimal levels of fluoride to ensure best oral health.

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates bottled water under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and sets standards for bottled water based on standards developed by the EPA develop. If these standards are met, this bottled water is considered safe for most healthy people. The bottled water industry is also required to follow Current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMPs) of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the handling and bottling of drinking water.

Although the ill effects of bottled water are not frequently reported, they do occur. It is important that bottled water producers, distributors and consumers:
Protect and properly treat water before bottling Maintain hygienic production processes that maintain hygienic standards food safety. Ensure hygiene during transportation and storage of bottled water. Preventing contamination of bottled water at point of use (after consumer purchase) Presence of contaminants in water that can lead to adverse health effects, including gastrointestinal diseases , reproductive problems and neurological disorders . Infants, young children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people with compromised immune systems due to AIDS, chemotherapy for cancer treatment, or use of certain medications, may be especially susceptible. diseases caused by certain contaminants present in bottled water. To date, episodes of bottled water contamination have been recorded. Bottled water outbreak by point of contamination:
Water pollution:
2000: Acute digestive illness caused by Salmonella Bareilly bacteria

Contamination during commercial bottling:
1980: Acute gastrointestinal illness caused by an unidentified agent 1989: Acute gastrointestinal illness caused by an unidentified agent 1994: Illness acute gastroenteritis caused by Vibrio cholerae 2003: Acute digestive illness caused by chemical bromate Contamination during transport, transport or storage:
2003: AGI caused by a product chemical cleaning unspecified Contaminated at time of use:
Year 2000: Acute digestive disease caused by Shigella sonnei bacteria Type D 2003: Acute digestive illness caused by an unknown agent Determined 2010: Acute digestive disease and esophagitis caused by an unspecified agent (suspected chemical) Pollution point unspecified:
1973: Acute digestive disease due to an unspecified agent caused 1999: Acute digestive illness caused by an unknown agent 2001: Acute digestive illness caused by the chemical ethylbenzene 2004: Gastrointestinal illness a acute gaseous by-products 2007: Acute gastrointestinal illness caused by an unidentified agent Based on monitoring of waterborne disease outbreaks from 1971-2010. For a complete list of water-related surveillance data, see the CDC's Surveillance Report on Drinking Water Diseases & Epidemics. Reporting of water pollution depends on the detection, investigation and reporting of pollution episodes. This requires measuring the health effects and health effects that are associated with exposure to water. However, many contaminants (i.e. many chemicals) in drinking water may not cause recognizable outbreaks because they require a long exposure period. As such, they will not be included in a waterborne water pollution outbreak report or part of this list.
Consumers drink bottled water for a variety of reasons, including a preference for drinking water or using bottled water to replenish water after each sweaty work or sports session. Bottled water may or may not contain fluoride, an inorganic substance that is important in maintaining dental health as well as preventing tooth decay. Fluoride can occur naturally in the water used for bottling or it can be added during the bottling process.

References: cdc.gov, water.epa.gov