News: Bottled water contains high levels bacteria: study
Updated: May 25, 2010
Environmentalists have been wagging their green fingers at the bottled water industry for years, condemning the negative impact that plastic
Environmentalists have been wagging their green fingers at the bottled water industry for years, condemning the negative impact that plastic bottles have on the environment. Now a team of scientists from Montreal is saying that drinking bottled water may be unhealthy for those who consume it, reports CTV. According to this article from the news organization, a team of researchers from C-crest Laboratories (a facility that analyzes products for the pharmaceutical and neutraceutical industries) discovered that 70 percent of randomly tested samples of bottled water contained ‘shockingly’ high levels of bacteria. The lab did not name which brands of water they tested.
CTV reports that Health Canada does not currently set limits for the amount of bacteria allowed in bottled water, however the levels of bacteria the lab found in the bottled-water samples they tested were ‘dozens of times higher than the levels recommended by the United States Pharmacopeia (a non-governmental organization that sets standards for health-care products in the States)." The researchers also found that tap water was "purer than most bottled water.”
While the Canadian Bottled Water Association told CTV that the study was ‘unnecessarily alarming’ because we safely consume all kinds of bacteria on our food every day, the scientists who conducted the study said the levels they found might be harmful to some at-risk groups such as the elderly, pregnant women and those with compromised immune systems. Here’s what researcher Sonish Azam from C-crest Laboratories told CTV:
‘I cannot rule out that these organisms might be harmful, but I do not know’in microbiology there is a rule: guilty until proven innocent.”
Do you drink bottled water? Does this information discourage you from buying bottled water in the future, or do you trust that bottled water is safe to drink?
Related:
‘ 5 ways to reduce your water footprint
‘ Which water filter is right for you?
‘ 5 myths and truths about public washrooms
