Some bottled-up truths about purified water

The long hot summer is here! And suddenly, all I can think of is a most refreshing drink of water to quench my thirst, wash away the day’s blahs, and soothe my weary spirit.

So, I grab a bottle of water (never cold, just room temperature water  and not because of the mistaken notion that drinking cold water makes you fat, but that’s another story), open my e-mail and read this riveting item from Yahoo Green: “The Environmental Working Group (EWG is an American environmental organization) analyzed the company websites and product labels of over 170 varieties of bottled water in the US to see if the companies disclosed information on where their water came from, how the water was treated, and whether the results of tests to ensure purity were revealed.”

Thirsty for more information, the researchers also called the bottled water companies to ask if they would be willing to share information with consumers.

And the findings are: “More than half of the bottled water products failed the transparency test. Almost 20 percent didn’t say where their water comes from, and an additional 32 percent did not disclose any information on treatment or purity of water.”

Yahoo Green pours out more absorbing facts: Only three brands earned the highest possible marks  Gerber Pure Purified Water, Nestle Pure Life Purified Water, and Penta Ultra-Purified Water.

A great majority of the bottled water companies refuse to divulge what’s really in their bottles. There are just a lot of bottled-up truths that consumers ought to know.

Taking consumers’ best interests to heart, EWG went out to seek answers to these questions: Where does the water come from? Is it purified; if so, how? Is the water tested, and what, if any, contaminants have been found?

Sadly, according to the EWG, of the top 10 best-selling brands, nine failed to answer all three foregoing questions. Of the 173 bottled water products included in the survey, only Nestlé Pure Life Purified Water discloses the needed information squarely on its label, and gives information for requesting a water quality test report.

All told, the EWG gave only three bottled water products a good rating for transparency: Nestlé Pure Life Purified Water, Gerber Pure Purified Water, Penta Ultra-Purified Water.

Probably most Pinoy households today don’t drink water from the tap and opt instead for bottled water. Indeed, bottled water is a thriving industry and there are just too many brands on the market today. Bottled water is peddled everywhere  in bus and train stations; in the streets, vendors shove it in your face while you’re caught in traffic. Of course, you wonder where on earth did they get their bottled water?

But in the US, it was found that about “40 percent of bottled water is regular tap water, which may or may not have received any additional treatment.” And the truth is, “most municipal tap water must adhere to stricter purity standards than the bottled water industry. The EPA requires large public water suppliers to test for contaminants as often as several times a day, but the FDA requires private bottlers to test for contaminants only once a week, once a year, or once every four years, depending on the contaminant.”

Another test done by EWG in 2009 found 38 low-level contaminants in bottled water.

Aside from the all-important question of purity or water quality, plastic bottles are one of the most environmentally-unfriendly industries. They pollute the environment and contain a cocktail of harmful chemicals like phthalates which have been linked to reproductive problems and BPA which disrupts the endocrine system (the glands that produce and store hormones).

So, think before you drink!

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‘Brigada Eskwela’: A clean sweep

As students, teachers  and parents  get ready for school, a toxic watchdog calls for a pollution-free cleanup and repair of school facilities in line with the observance of National Schools Maintenance Week, May 23 to 28, spearheaded by the Department of Education.

As the Brigada Eskwela volunteers prepare to roll up their sleeves, EcoWaste gives this friendly reminder: “The open burning of discards, the unsafe removal of lead paint, and the application of lead-added paint during the cleanup drive are polluting activities that must be avoided.”

In 2006, a health study found 21 percent of children tested in the Visayas for blood lead levels (BLL) with lead up to 20 micrograms per deciliter in their blood, which exceeds the allowable limit of 10 mcg/dcl. Conducted by University of the Philippines health economist Dr. Orville Solon and other local and international collaborators, the study identified paint chips as one of the multiple possible sources of lead exposure for the said children.

The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that lead poisoning is especially harmful to the developing brains of fetuses and young children as well as to pregnant women. Says WHO, “Too much lead can damage the nervous and reproductive systems and the kidneys, and can cause high blood pressure and anemia. High blood lead levels in children can cause consequences, which may be irreversible, including learning disabilities, behavioral problems, and mental retardation. At very high levels, lead can cause convulsions, coma, and death.”

So, lead us not into danger from lead.

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