bottled water vs. your own ro system

Bottled Water vs. Your Own RO System

• RO (reverse osmosis) bottled water is becoming very popular among major soft drink manufacturers.  Read the labels on some of the most popular brands and you'll find the water is from a reverse osmosis system, NOT a natural spring.  Even when the water is from a natural spring,  chances are it's run through an RO purification system to purify it further!

• The PuROTwist and ROpure Reverse Osmosis Systems that we sell, will produce water that is just as high, and in most cases higher, in purity than ALL bottled waters available today. 

• Some municipalities have started renting these RO Water Systems to their customers for as much as $30.00 per month.

IF YOU BUY BOTTLED WATER, YOU SHOULD READ THIS.

Here are some EXCERPTS from:  

Money Down the Drain?
A Review of Bottled Water in Massachusetts

A Report of the
Senate Committee on Post Audit and Oversight
March 2000

Massachusetts Senate
The Honorable Thomas F. Birmingham
   Senate President

Senator Cheryl A. Jacques, Chair
Senator Robert A. Havern III, Vice Chair
Senator Robert L. Hedlund
Senator Richard T. Moore
Senator Marc R. Pacheco
Senator Steven C. Panagiotakos
Senator Charles E. Shannon, Jr.

Problems with bottled water have been documented here in Massachusetts:

• In 1995, bottled water contaminated by coliform bacteria was given to residents of a Westport home for the elderly and handicapped.  Ingesting water contaminated with coliform bacteria, which is found in animal feces, can cause severe gastrointestinal problems and even death in some cases.

• In 1996, a spring in Millis used by major area bottlers exceeded EPA standards for trichloroethylene (TCE) twice in one year.  TCE, the same chemical discovered in the Woburn water supply, is known to cause neurological problems and is a suspected carcinogen.

• In 1997, a Boston man bottled water from a well in his basement and offered it for sale to the public.  Boston's Commissioner of Inspectional Services was quoted as saying, "I'd put that stuff in my gas tank before I'd drink it."

Consumption Up, Oversight Down:

• State oversight of bottled water has languished as consumption of the product has increased dramatically, with few resources dedicated to oversight and enforcement.  Currently, DPH estimates that only one-quarter of one full time employee’s time is primarily dedicated to duties associated with oversight of bottled water.  An employee who was working on bottled water full-time has not been replaced since leaving in 1996.

• Current regulations that require the submission of bottled water test results just once a year are insufficient.  The infrequency of data submission raises concerns about the state's ability to effectively monitor bottled water quality, and to detect violations in a timely manner.

Enforcement Drought:

• DPH fails to ensure that required annual inspections of bottling plants are conducted.  Despite state regulations that require annual inspections of in-state bottling plants, most plants are inspected by DPH an average of once every 4.5 years.

• Unlicensed bottled water brands are being sold in Massachusetts.  Bottled water brands from companies that do not have valid, state-issued permits to sell bottled water were found on retail store shelves, a clear violation of state regulations.  DPH has no mechanism, such as market sampling, to actively detect violations like the sale of unlicensed bottled water products.

• DPH has no formal recall policy for bottled water.  Some recent bottled water recalls have been conducted without public notification or written documentation of the terms and conditions of the recall.  The lack of a formal recall policy can lead to questions of industry interference in the oversight process, and may leave consumers without vital product quality information.

Bad Baby Water:

• In 1996, containers of Veryfine Balsams Spring Baby Water and Balsams Baby Water were recalled due to contamination with mold, bacteria and fungus.[47]  This contamination was discovered after consumers complained about “scum,” “black particles,” and cottony-looking mold floating in the containers.[48]

• Bottled water is often recommended for the very young by health professionals due to their delicate immune systems, which are susceptible to infection by microorganisms.  Some manufacturers label their bottled water for use in preparing infant formulas.[49]  Although many people assume bottled water to be safer to drink than ordinary tap water, the FDA continues to advise consumers to treat bottled water as they would tap water by boiling before mixing with baby formula.[50]

• Under the new federal rules, if bottled water is derived from a municipal source, this information must be clearly stated on the label.  However, if the product has been treated sufficiently to meet definitions of "distilled" or "purified" water, then source disclosure is not required by the FDA.[62]  Massachusetts state regulations, however, do not allow for this exemption, and clearly require source disclosure on the label when bottled water comes from a public water supply.[63]

• From a consumer's right-to-know perspective, this lack of full disclosure is troubling.  For instance, some products that are derived from public water supplies present an image that could lead consumers to believe the water comes from natural springs.

Misleading Mountains:

• Aquafina, a leading brand of bottled water produced by PepsiCo, Inc. has a label that prominently features a sketch of a mountain range.  However, contrary to Massachusetts state regulations, the label does not reveal that the source of the water is in fact the Town of Ayer's public water supply.  The only way a consumer would know that the water is from a municipal water supply is by interpreting the letters "PWS" on the bottle cap, an industry term for "public water supply."  Current Massachusetts regulations explicitly require disclosure of the water source on the product label.[64]

• PepsiCo pays the Town of Ayer the same price that local residents pay for their water, 90 cents for every 750 gallons.  This translates to approximately two one-hundredths of a cent for a 20 oz. bottle of Aquafina that sells in the store for approximately one dollar, 5000 times the actual cost of the water.  PepsiCo uses about 300,000 gallons of water per day to produce Aquafina, fully one-third of the town's overall usage.  PepsiCo faces no restrictions on the amount of water it can draw, while Ayer residents are restricted in their outdoor water usages. [65]

• Consumption of bottled water is increasing for a variety of reasons, including taste, convenience, and sometimes necessity.  For these and other reasons, consumers pay anywhere from 240 to more than 10,000 times more per gallon for bottled water than they typically do for tap water.  For example, a consumer in Ayer, MA who pays 22 cents for a one-year supply of drinking water from the tap could pay approximately $1,168.00 for the same amount of a top-selling brand of treated bottled water.

Click HERE for the full report and references.