Is Bottled Water Even Safe to Drink?

[Jasper]

From what I have researched bottled water does not have any strict guidelines on the purity of it?  Bottled water may be compared to all the over the counter herbs and supplements that consumers buy over the counter at the local pharmacy and health food stores.  No regulations...  Thoughts??

[XLFD]

In an old television news program that I remember aired a few years back, I think it was ABC's 20/20 news show or a Chicago area outlet, where they tested both and found that the tap water was actually better.  There are more regulations on what goes into a bottle nowadays and so they may be as good today.

More recent studies have shown better results, an article in the Chicago Tribune one week ago today reported the biggest study happened 15 years ago with poor results:

"A report by the NRDC about 15 years ago — the latest large-scale study performed — tested more than 1,000 bottles from 103 brands of water by three independent labs. They found that about one-third of the bottles contained significant contamination with levels of chemical or bacterial contaminants exceeding those allowed under a state or industry standard or guideline in at least one test."

Half of these bottlers use tap water for their product, suitably prepared for marketing at a cost hundreds of times what it cost them.

[AQUAMAN]

Pretty simple for me at least. I don't buy purified water, strictly natural spring water. Ice Mountain has been my favorite, great tasting and not expensive like some. For a more expensive one, Perrier is also a good one. Don't like all these flavored waters either, just natural plain fresh water, no need for all those flavors imho.

[Willy]

I also like Ice Mountain. Much of it is bottled over by Big Rapids but that doesn't mean the bottles we buy at local stores comes from there. Each plant has a code number on the bottle which corresponds to the water plant that bottled it. If anyone were to call Ice Mountain they would tell you what the code for their Michigan plant is so purchasing Michigan water would be easier. By the way that plant bottles well water not spring water.

[AQUAMAN]

I'm now looking at the label of Ice Mountain water, here's their motto: "We are proud to be a local favorite. Our true passion is bringing great-tasting natural spring water to America's Heartland. What's your passion?" #TrueToYou. Then the contents state as follows: "Sources: Sanctuary Spring, Rodney, Mi; Evart Spring, Evart, Mi. and/or White Pine Spring, Evart, Mi.. For questions call 1-800-678-4423. The FDA approves most products marketed for grocery sale. Okay then Willy, what does your Ice Mountain bottle say, water from Mexico?

[Willy]

I've been drinking Ice mountain for years and back then the water source was not printed on the label. My guess is that the lawsuits filed against Nestle's [Ice Mountain] at Big Rapids plant and other plants required adding the name of the source to the label. I only buy Ice Mountain because it's plant draws water from Michigan wells which tap into some of the purest aquifers in the World.

 

"Ice Mountain is a brand of bottled water from the Nestlé company, produced and marketed primarily in the Midwest region of the United States. Ice Mountain sources their water from two groundwater wells at Sanctuary Spring in Mecosta County, Michigan and/or Evart Spring in Evart, Michigan.^[1][2] The water is drawn from underground aquifers using wells and is not drawn from surface springs, rivers, or mountain run-off as the packaging would imply."

[AQUAMAN]

Willy, what you are implying here is fraud and malfeasance in the contents. If that were the case, I'm sure Nestle would have been sued many times over for this type of advertising. I don't follow all that nonsense in the blue lettering either, is that some code? I would imagine to gain access to springs under the ground some sort of well would be needed, but, what you imply is well water, not spring water. I have well water and have tasted and drank it from many well water type homes, it's not even close to Ice Mtn.. Either way, you can believe what you want, and with due respect, I'm going to believe in the contents packaging for now, and enjoy the Ice Mountain brand. It certainly is better that purified water, and hands down better than what the City of Ludington sells it's citizens as pure, it's sewer water. Let your coffee pot with city water sit a day of two without rewarming, then smell the coffee pot, you'll smell sewage, and that's not good.

[jfc123]

Interesting, and the sewage flows into the PM Bayou and it flows out to the water intake, makes complete sense. Clean the bayou, maintain the drain up to standard and get your waste water treatment permit back and work to keep it up to par. Seems a simpler solution then waiting for your 57 lawyers on staff to be overwhelmed with the coming lawsuits when everyone finds out. 

[Willy]

Aquaman, the blue words are links to information about Ice Mountain including information about law suits regarding their labeling and the overdrawing of water from the aquifer. Because a lot of people, myself included, assumed it was spring water. I thought I would present information regarding Ice Mountain and the Nestle Company. Aside from that, as I said, it's the only bottled water I drink because it is good.

[AQUAMAN]

No Duh about the blue links, was yanking your chain, and it aint pretty now. You just can't have it both ways Willy. Either the water is spring fed, or it's not. Keep drinking Lud. water, the sewage treatment plant water Shay nor Wilson nor the Leprechaun Mayor doesn't drink, and you'll be on the same page with them.

[Willy]

It's not.