Bottled Water No Better Than Tap Water

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Although bottled water may often be considered a safer and purer alternative to tap water, a recent report indicates that this does not necessarily hold true in every case.

``In some cases, bottled water is actually bottled tap water,'' writes study author Catherine Ferrier of the University of Geneva in Switzerland. Yet it ``can be a safe alternative'' for individuals in developing countries, she told Reuters Health.

The major categories of bottled water include natural mineral water or spring water--both of which originate underground, are protected against pollution and cannot be chemically treated. Bottled water can also contain purified water--surface or underground water that requires treatment to be suitable for human consumption.

But purified water differs from tap water in only two ways: it is bottled and it is more expensive, the report indicates.

Yet, the demand for bottled water continues to grow. Each year, the amount consumed worldwide increases by 7%, according to Ferrier.

One reason for this is that many consumers believe that bottled water is healthier and more natural than tap water. Others say it tastes better.

``Above all, bottled water is a huge marketing success,'' the author writes.

The world-wide bottled water market is worth an estimated $22 billion, the report indicates. Further, it costs an average of 500 to 1,000 times more than tap water.

``Consumers in developed countries should look at what they're buying, in many cases, they may not need it,'' said Biksham Gujja, head of the freshwater program at the World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF), which commissioned the study. ``It's better to examine what they're getting for the money they're paying,'' he told Reuters Health. WWF is formerly known as the World Wildlife Fund.

For example, according to a recent report in Archives of Family Medicine, tap water is often safer than bottled water--it has less bacteria and more fluoride than most of the bottled waters that are sold in the United States.

``Bottled waters should not be considered a sustainable alternative to tap water: they are not exempt of periodical contamination and are less energy-efficient than tap water,'' Ferrier concludes.

``Tap water is and should remain a public service meant to deliver good quality drinking water,'' she added.

In response to Ferrier's study, the International Bottled Water Association asserts that the ``WWF has chosen to pit tap water against bottled water, while offering no meaningful solutions to the problem,'' the problem being the need to clean up and protect the world's water resources.

``The fact is, people are increasingly choosing bottled water because of its consistent high quality, safety, taste and convenience,'' according to the association.

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