How Do I Determine the Safety of Bottled Water?

In 2008, Americans drank 9 billion gallons of water, spending $22 billion on bottled water alone. When you purchase bottled water, you want to be sure that the product you are buying is safe and free of contamination. If you are in a foreign country, this is even more paramount, as each country has different regulations for bottling water. Whilst you can never be 100 percent certain that your bottled water is safe to drink, you can perform simple checks to minimize your risk.

Things You'll Need

• Bottle of water

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Instructions

• 1

  Note where your bottle of water was obtained. If it is a branded bottle from a reputable store, it will have come straight from a regulated supplier so it will be safe to drink. However, if you're unsure of the bottle water's origins, perform extra checks.

• 2

  Look at the bottle cap. If it is opened and the seal is broken, do not drink it. The bottle could have been refilled or tampered with and you cannot verify that it is safe or unpolluted.

• 3

  Check the water level to make sure the bottle is full and not leaking. A hole may let in unwanted bacteria and contaminate the water, making it unsafe to drink. One such bacteria is Dysentery, a waterborne bacteria found in developing countries and caught from contaminated water.

• 4

  Hold the water bottle to the light and look at the color of the water. Bottled water has been purified or has come from a natural source, such as a waterfall, so the water should be a clear liquid. If there is debris, discoloration or dirt in the water, do not drink it as it is unsafe.

• 5

  Open the bottle and smell the water. Water does not have an odor; you should smell nothing. If the water smells stale or of chemicals, for example, it is not safe to drink.

• 6

  Check the water regulations in the country where you have obtained the water. In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates bottled water. It prescribes standards to minimize the chemicals used in purification and to ensure that the label descriptions comply with the true source of the water. In foreign countries, be aware of how the industry is regulated to give an idea of the safety of your water and where it came from.