Yesterday, MedicalNewsToday.com published an article about a 2-year study, by Environmental Working Group (EWG), on bottled water. It seems that bottled water is pretty much the same as tap water. However, 2 of the 10 brands examined had levels of chlorine over what’s allowed in California. And apparently there is a “voluntary standard” for reporting carcinogens in bottled water. Five states produce/allow sell of bottled water that exceeds the standards. As a dentist, you know that many areas have municipal water that’s fluorinated, but most bottled water is unfluorinated. All the bad, none of the good? What are we buying, and why?
The researchers who conducted the study for EWG recommend that bottled water manufacturers be held to the same standards as municipal water producers, telling people what’s in the water and where it came from. Furthermore, bottled water companies should have to disclose tests, contaminants, and water treatment methods. Bottom line of the study? “Consumers should drink filtered tap water instead of bottled water.”