The truth about bottled water regulation:

Bottled water regulation operates on a different level than tap water. It is treated as a food in the United States, and is therefore subject to the rules and regulations of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Tap water regulation, on the other hand, is performed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and does not undergo the same rules of regulation. Additionally, the EPA’s set of rules for tap water is much more strict than those of the FDA’s for bottled water.

Not all bottled water goes through the FDA, however; an estimated 60-70% of bottled water is not covered by FDA rules. Water bottles which are sold only within 1 state don’t adhere to the FDA’s rules and regulations. With about 60-70% of bottled water only being sold in one state, that same percentage is basically ignored by the FDA. Government regulation, if any, is left to the state governments.

Some bottled water doesn’t even need to go through the FDA due to what it says on the label. The FDA has a definition of “bottled water” that exempts many bottled water’s from FDA regulation. The following products are NOT bottled water (by FDA standards) if the ingredient label simply says; “water”, “carbonated water”, “disinfected water”, “filtered water”, “seltzer water”, “soda water”, “sparkling water”, or “tonic water”.

As much as we would like a solution to the current state of our water, this may not be it. Being in control of the purity of your water is best achieved at home.