| When you look the label on a bottle of water, there | | | | contain naturally occurring fluoride from the underlying |
| are two questions to ask yourself. Is the source | | | | source. |
| likely to contain contamination? Has the water been | | | | Although bottled water sold in the US must be |
| treated to remove all contamination? Here are the | | | | labeled with the source and treatment method, |
| facts you need to know before you can answer | | | | neither the EPA nor the FDA certify the purity of |
| those questions. | | | | these products. Treatment methods vary and some |
| Bottled water usually comes from ground water | | | | do not remove the most common and dangerous |
| sources like lakes, rivers, and public water systems. | | | | contaminants. |
| Protected ground water is less likely to contain | | | | Other logos you may see on a label include: |
| contaminants, but not all ground sources are | | | | IBWA: International Bottled Water Association, a |
| protected. Plus, no public or commercial water is | | | | trade organization with a model code that requires |
| guaranteed to be completely free of contamination. | | | | annual inspection of bottling plants by an independent |
| Just because the label says "spring", "mountain", | | | | third party. |
| "glacier", or "purified", doesn't guarantee that the | | | | NSF International: An independent certifying |
| water comes from a pristine source. The bottler may | | | | organization that requires additional testing and annual |
| not treat the water at all, which could expose you to | | | | plant inspections; bottlers must comply with all FDA |
| many unknown contaminants. | | | | requirements, including good manufacturing practices. |
| For bottled water, the only way to know if the | | | | UL: Underwriters Laboratories, Inc: An independent |
| water is safe to drink is to contact the bottler and | | | | organization that provides accredited testing and |
| ask for the latest testing results. Some bottlers post | | | | certification; products must meet FDA, state and |
| this information on their websites. For more complex | | | | IBWA model code requirements. |
| impurities like volatile organic compounds, you may | | | | Although third party certification provides some level |
| need to contact the bottler directly either by phone | | | | of confidence in the quality of bottled water, there |
| or email. | | | | are no guarantees that it's free from all |
| If you're concerned about fluoride (and you should | | | | contamination. To gain that last level of assurance, |
| be), you probably already know that public water | | | | filter your drinking water at home. By installing a |
| systems add this chemical. To be sure, refer to the | | | | certified filtration system, you will know that the |
| annual quality report or contact the provider directly. | | | | water you drink is as pure and healthy as modern |
| Bottlers must state on the label if fluoride has been | | | | technology can provide. |
| added. Note that both tap and bottled water can | | | | |