How Safe Is Bottled Water From Vending Machines?

According to a study led by the Water Research Foundation, many people perceive bottled water as healthier than tap water. The study showed that consumer dissatisfaction with tap water leads to increased consumption of alternatives such as bottled water. A strong marketing push by bottled water companies added to this limited consumer satisfaction equals increased bottled water sales. The ubiquitous plastic bottles are now sold alongside other beverages in vending machines worldwide.

History

• U.S. public drinking water is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Bottled water falls under the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a food product. Consumer beliefs that bottled water is safer than tap water continue to fuel the billion-dollar-a-year bottled water industry. With several recalls between 2000 and 2009, and isolated instances of illness possibly from vending machine bottled water, the public is beginning to question current industry standards.

Considerations

• The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) conducted an extensive review of bottled water, tap water and a safety standards comparison. The study concluded that bottled water is not necessarily safer or cleaner. In fact, some bottled water, the NRDC stated, was simply tap water put into a bottle. The majority of bottled water ended up being safe, but quality was low in some brands, posing health risks to those with weakened immune systems.

  A second problem is the plastic bottle itself. Research is being done on phthalates, a chemical known to upset hormone levels. Bottled water stored for as little as 10 weeks, one study found, showed that phthalates had leached from the plastic into the water. For low-turnover vending machines, bottled water could stay unsold over a long period of time.

Identification

• Simply looking at bottled water cannot expose low quality or contamination. Only a few states in the United States enforce strict standards on bottled water labels. According to the NRDC, a label saying, "from a community water system" or "from a municipal source" is mostly likely tap water. Until bottled water companies are further mandated to disclose information, there is no way of recognizing storage length or quality levels.

Expert Insight

• According to Joshua Sharfstein, Principal Deputy Commissioner of Food and Drugs at the FDA, which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the FDA regulates bottled water following specific codes. However, they have not adopted all EPA regulations that apply to public drinking water. Sharfstein states that an increased number of consumer calls to the FDA with questions about bottled water safety have led to a review of the FDA's mandates.

Prevention/Solution

• On the professional front, microbiologists, such as Linda Holman with the City of Houston's public health laboratory, are testing bottled water from vending machines. As for consumer action, the NRDC recommends writing to members of Congress, state governors and the FDA, urging stricter bottled water requirements and limits for contaminants.