Community | January 20, 2009 | 52 comments

Walmart bottled water contains contaminants

source: http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/20081014/report-some-bottled-water-not-so-pure?action...

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Found_Avenue

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/20081014/report-some-bottled-w...

Bottled water is widely considered to be a purer choice than tap water, but a new investigation finds that this isn't always the case.

In its test of 10 best-selling brands of bottled water, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) found mixtures of 38 different pollutants including bacteria, fertilizer, and industrial chemicals in some of the tested brands at levels that were similar to tap water.

Several samples of Wal-Mart's Sam's Choice brand sold in California were found to exceed that state's legal limits of contaminants for bottled water.

"The bottled water industry really presents this image of purity, but our investigation demonstrated that it is really hit or miss," EWG senior scientist Olga Naidenko, PhD, tells WebMD. "We found a lot of variation among the same brands which suggests that at the moment consumers can not have confidence in their water."

But a spokesman for the bottled water industry denies the charge and accuses EWG of using "alarmist tactics."

"In general, the report is based on the faulty premise that if any substance is present in a bottled water product, even if it does not exceed the established regulatory limit or no standard has been set, then it's a health concern," International Bottled Water Association President and CEO Joe Doss says in a statement.

In an earlier interview before the release of the report, Doss told WebMD that "consumers can remain confident about drinking bottled water, which is a very safe, healthy, convenient product."

Testing Bottled Water
The water samples tested for EWG at a University of Iowa water quality laboratory revealed that 10 widely sold brands of bottled water, purchased in nine states and the District of Columbia, contained an average of eight chemical contaminants in each brand.

Two of the waters -- Wal-Mart's Sam's Choice and Giant grocery's Acadia brand -- bore the chemical signatures of the municipal water treatment plants in the areas where they were bottled.

Investigators concluded that the Sam's Choice samples sold in Oakland, Calif. and Mountain View, Calif. had been bottled at a single plant in Las Vegas.

The mix of contaminants and contamination levels were the same as in the local municipal water, indicating that little had been done to further purify the water after it was taken from the tap.

By law, bottled water that comes from a municipal water supply has to disclose this on its label, unless the bottler takes steps to further purify the water.

"Clearly, you would not expect to see the level of chemical that the samples had if the extra purification had been done," Naidenko says.

Specifically, the investigators found that:

Five of the tested waters contained fluoride, six contained small amounts of the fertilizer ingredient nitrate, and two contained the drug acetaminophen, sold as Tylenol.
Samples of the Sam's Choice water purchased at a San Francisco area Wal-Mart had levels of the disinfection byproducts trihalomethanes that exceeded the California legal limit for these chemicals.
Samples of the Sam's Choice brand also had higher-than-allowed levels of the chemical bromodichloromethane, which is a known carcinogen.
Samples of Giant's Acadia brand water also had levels of the chemicals that exceeded California safety standards, although the brand was sold only in mid-Atlantic states, where it met standards.
The report noted that levels of the chemicals in both waters also exceeded the bottled water industry's voluntary safety standards.
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52 comments // Walmart bottled water contains contaminants

  • ahdbahd
  • Lirybka
  • marlaynek
    • 0
      marlaynek  

    • This is so crazy, my pipes froze because of our -19 temps the other day, So instead of being able to use my brita, I was forced to go get bottled water, guess where I bought it at???? My five year old daughter actually said, "mom this water is horrible I think it tastes bad." I thought it was maybe the plastic glass she was drinking it out of. I poured it into another real glass and tried it again, medicinal taste!!! And now I am reading this in shock and dismay. I have limited our exposure to wal-mart, there are other places to shop in my area, but the cost is high. A majority of people on this site knock wal-mart but miss the big picture, if you are like me and live in the mid-west, small towns do not have as many options, the other options are very expensive. The worst thing that walmart does is thrive in these places. Unemployment is high, incomes are generally low. That leaves little option for most people here.

    • 4 years ago
  • Found_Avenue
    • 0
      Found_Avenue  
    • marlaynek:

      Do you have a Target nearby?

      Remember, walmart's prices stay low because they instruct their full-time employees to go on welfare, instead of providing affordable health insurance. So, you pay higher taxes because you are taking care of walmart employees. Watch this movie (www.walmartmovie.com) for more details - no matter what you already know about walmart, I promise this will shock you, and you'll see why its so crucial to find another option, even in a small town.

    • 4 years ago
  • retran
    • 0
      retran  
    • marlaynek:

      Do you understand: the point isn't its from Wal-Mart. The message is that bottled water isn't necessarily safer or "purer". There's no regulation on bottled water besides on labeling.

      Also, let me clue you in: Target does not build in rural areas. Wal-Mart has far more locations than Target, and is not an option for everyone who lives on small budgets. Should people drive an extra 25+ miles? Target is also more expensive for nearly every item, especially food products.

      Don't forget that Target is a big-box discount store run by a giant corporation, albeit with different (slightly more ethical) distribution and employment practices than Wal-Mart.

    • 4 years ago
  • cooldude360
    • 0
      cooldude360  

    • No kidding... water used in beer production is filtered 4 times here at SABreweries in S.Africa so, the solution is...

      SAVE WATER!!
      Drink Beer!

    • 4 years ago
  • retran
    • 0
      retran  

    • It's the nature of the product: having water stored and stagnating in small containers at uncontrolled temperatures. It's also the regulation: bottled water is not regulated specifically as water, tap water IS (by the EPA).

      This could happen at ANY store, with ANY brand of bottled water. It's not because its from "wal-mart" you hoity toity jerkfaces.

    • 4 years ago
  • CalgarC
  • UWAZell
    • 0
      UWAZell  

    • It is bottled water from Wal-Mart of all places... I mean honestly, who really thought it would be of the highest quality.

    • 4 years ago
  • retran
  • retran
    • 0
      retran  
    • UWAZell:

      That wasn't sarcasm, it was a rhetorical question implying that OF COURSE products purchased there would be of inferior quality. Get your literary devices straight.

      And I'm glad you're a sophisticated individual living in poverty with access to alternatives to wal-mart. Not everyone is.

    • 4 years ago
  • SDLN
  • wenderz26
    • 0
      wenderz26  

    • and the bottle they are packsged in are bad for the enviroment. everyone please stop drinking bottled water. buy a reuseabe container and drink your own filtered water from home. not only do you then know where it comes from, but it;s also economical and better for the earth.

    • 4 years ago
  • retran
    • 0
      retran  
    • wenderz26:

      Plus your tap-water (in the US) is regulated as water by the EPA. Your water provider has to perform constant testing on it, no matter if you are in a large city or a bumblefuck of a small town.

      Bottled-water products are not regulated by the EPA. It's only regulated for labeling and such by the FTA (like sody pop).

    • 4 years ago
  • navider
  • reneelikeshugs
  • covelogibbs
    • 0
      covelogibbs  
    • Image

    • I kid you not, but when I was in New Zealand there was actually certified organic bottled water for sale.

      ORGANIC BOTTLED WATER!?

      Admittedly, while reading the "Southern Islands Organic Spring Water" website just now, I started to get very thirsty and it was sounding delicious.

      Well, off I go to my tap to get a glass of double filtered city water, yum!!!!!

    • 4 years ago
  • covelogibbs
    • 0
      covelogibbs  

    • The movie flow is a must-see for everyone, I highly recommend it. One of the things I learned watching this movie is that a big problem with bottled water is the lack of oversight. Tap water is more regulated.

      I agree with animalia-libero that we should filter our tap water at home. I would suggest going a step further and installing a whole house filter, so that you're not showering and bathing in chlorinated water. The chlorine is absorbed through your skin! A whole house filter with a secondary filter for drinking water in the kitchen works very well, so that your drinking water actually gets filtered twice.

      About Flow the film.

      Irena Salina's award-winning documentary investigation into what experts label the most important political and environmental issue of the 21st Century - The World Water Crisis.

      Salina builds a case against the growing privatization of the world's dwindling fresh water supply with an unflinching focus on politics, pollution, human rights, and the emergence of a domineering world water cartel.

      Interviews with scientists and activists intelligently reveal the rapidly building crisis, at both the global and human scale, and the film introduces many of the governmental and corporate culprits behind the water grab, while begging the question "CAN ANYONE REALLY OWN WATER?"

      Beyond identifying the problem, FLOW also gives viewers a look at the people and institutions providing practical solutions to the water crisis and those developing new technologies, which are fast becoming blueprints for a successful global and economic turnaround.

    • 4 years ago
  • retran
  • shiba_girl
    • 0
      shiba_girl  

    • Hey no surprise to me...I bought Wally water for a new aquarium I had and the water KILLED the betta fish I put in it...in about 6 HOURS!!!!! And I thought I was getting "purity and safety". I've heard of bettas living in a puddle of water on the carpet for almost a day, and my son dropped his on the floor, (twice!) and it lived another 3 years. Shame, shame, shame Sam!!

    • 4 years ago
  • pinkerbelle
  • Found_Avenue
  • eldamon
  • Perry8331
  • animalia_libero
  • Lirybka
  • KevinLionheart
    • 0
      KevinLionheart  

    • Poetic Justice to Wal-Mart shoppers.

      Sometimes it's better to pay the extra 13 cents, if not to save society, the economy, and the environment - at least to save your own ass.

    • 4 years ago
  • retran
  • pinkerbelle
    • 0
      pinkerbelle  

    • why am i not surprised?!?!?!
      Wal-Mart imports everything from China, which doesn't care about anything (including health and safety) but profit!
      I'm sure no one else is surprised either....as if bottling water was so hard lol

    • 4 years ago
  • retran
  • pinchot
    • 0
      pinchot  

    • wait.. so when we poor polutants into the rivers and oceans and spread pesticides and toxic fertalizers on our plants there is a chance that those wastes will end up in our food and water supply? why didnt anyone ever tell us that these things are bad?!?

    • 4 years ago
  • retran
    • 0
      retran  
    • pinchot:

      The tylenol is making it into our water supply from treatment plants (leftover from our pee) that are upstream from take-ins for municipal water. Thing is, under bush admin, EPA has refused to regulate levels of drugs found in wastewater discharge. (other drug pee leftovers are causing probs too)

    • 4 years ago
  • Found_Avenue
    • 0
      Found_Avenue  
    • pinchot:

      The point is that bottled water, especially if it comes from a municipal source, is supposed to be purified by distillation, and Walmart has been conveniently skipping that step - essentially selling it's customers tap water.

    • 4 years ago
  • retran
    • 0
      retran  
    • pinchot:

      No, there's nothing regulating that bottled water has to be "distilled". Distilled water is just ONE type of packaged water product. Most people like the taste of artisan or spring water. The most expensive brands of bottled water, Evian and Fuji are specifically NOT distilled. Besides, distilled water tastes disgusting.

    • 4 years ago
  • music_my_antidrug
  • pinkerbelle
  • retran
  • furryjenn
    • 0
      furryjenn  

    • that's why i dont buy stuff from wal-mart.
      one time....i filled up my 2 gallon container at a glacier stand (those that are found outside supermarkets) and it REEKED like antibiotics. it was sooooo gross. I think the filter was probably messed up.

    • 4 years ago
  • twentytwo
  • arcticspirit
    • 0
      arcticspirit  

    • I was safer on Sam's water than on the well water at the last place that I lived. Their water actually made me very ill, for a lasting time.

    • 4 years ago
  • retran
  • Elligirl
  • KefKef
  • petarro
  • khromadjo
    • 0
      khromadjo  
    • petarro:

      Well, petarro, to answer your question, Wal-Mart offers 'low' prices at the expense of the workers, offering some of the worst benefits, little support, opposition to unions, shameless lobbying and under-the-table practices. As far as the water's concerned, it is true that all water has something in it. The question is: are these 'somethings' helpful or harmful? In WM's case, they are indeed harmful.

    • 4 years ago
  • covelogibbs
  • retran
    • 0
      retran  
    • petarro:

      Hate the company, not the people that shop there. Most people shop there because they are need it for their standard of living (ie: they have limited income and have kids).

      Wal-Mart exists as it does because we've had a lazies-fair attitude about labor, and industry consolidation in America for the past three decades.

      Corporations will be as evil as they possibly can, its the nature of capitalism+publicly traded company. We need to regulate them, or eliminate them.

      ps: its pretty rude to keep plugging movies, sorta like comment spam, covelogibbs

    • 4 years ago
  • omordn

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