Arsenic found in 11 bottled water brands According to Consumer Reports

Even though bottled water consumption causes massive environmental issues, consumers bought more than 391 billion liters of bottled water in 2017 (103 billion gallons). Bottled water sales have been on a steep rise for more than a decade with little signs of slowing down. The International Bottled Water Association says nation’s bottled water is the best selling bottled beverage in America. This is likely due to consumer concerns regarding the quality of tap water. And we should be concerned. Flint’s water still isn’t safe, and the EPA lied to Flint residents. But Flint’s not the only one:

If you live in the United States, there is a nearly one-in-four chance your tap water is either unsafe to drink or has not been properly monitored for contaminants in accordance with federal law, a new study has found.

America’s Tap Water: Too Much Contamination, Not Enough Reporting

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Many people who are concerned with the environment love to tell us that tap water is perfectly safe and tastes just as good, and that buying bottled water is foolish. This is obviously nonsense. But some brands of bottled water aren’t safe either.

Consumer Reports looked at 130 bottled water brands and found 11 contained detectable arsenic levels.

High levels of arsenic in groundwater have been shown to cause cancer and other environmental illnesses. The federal standards set for allowable level for arsenic in drinking water is 10 parts per billion, and none of the brands exceeded this threshold. But research suggests that 3 parts per billion are likely to be dangerous to consume regularly. Regular consumption of even lower levels of arsenic over extended periods may lead to cardiovascular disease, cancers, and may lower IQ scores in children.

The investigation showed that some bottled water has more arsenic than tap most water municipals.

For this report, CR tracked down and reviewed hundreds of public records and test reports from bottled water brands, and from various federal and state regulators. We found that several popular brands sell bottled water with arsenic levels at or above 3 ppb; current research suggests that amounts above that level are potentially dangerous to drink over extended periods of time. CR believes the federal limit for bottled water should be revised to 3 ppb from the current federal standard of 10 ppb.

Consumer Reports

Consumer Reports says that Starkey (owned by Whole Foods), Peñafiel (owned by Keurig Dr Pepper), Crystal Geyser Alpine Spring Water, Volvic (owned by Danone), and Crystal Creamery and EartH₂0 showed arsenic levels of 3 ppb or higher.

It makes no sense that consumers can purchase bottled water that is less safe than tap water. If anything, bottled water—a product for which people pay a premium, often because they assume it’s safer—should be regulated at least as strictly as tap water.”

James Dickerson, Ph.D., chief scientific officer at Consumer Reports.

Related: What’s the Best Water for Detoxifying and For Drinking?

The good news for bottled water consumers is that Consumer Report also found dozens of bottled water brands that showed no detectable levels of arsenic.

Check out Arsenic in Some Bottled Water Brands at Unsafe Levels, Consumer Reports Says for more information.




Drinking Bottled Water Means Drinking Microplastics, According To Damning New Study

If your drinking water is typically bottled there’s a good chance you’re consuming microplastic particles with every drink, according to a new study. Looking at more than 250 water bottles sourced from eleven brands in nine different countries, the study revealed that Microplastic contamination was found in more than 90% of the samples tested.

Related: Many Hand-me-down Plastic Toys Are Toxic for Kids

The study analyzed 259 bottles from 19 locations in nine countries across 11 different brands and found an average of 325 plastic particles for every liter of water being sold.

In one bottle of Nestlé Pure Life, concentrations were as high as 10,000 plastic pieces per litre of water. Of the 259 bottles tested, only 17 were free of plastics, according to the study.” – The Guardian

This is nearly twice the level of contamination discovered in the same group’s earlier study on the plastic contamination in tap water. The survey included Aquafina, Dasani, Evian, Nestlé and San Pellegrino brands.

Related: Microplastics in Sea Salt – A Growing Concern

These microplastic particles are everywhere, found in our oceans, lakes, rivers, fish stomachs, and our stomachs. They can be traced back to our synthetic clothes, which contaminate our water systems every time they’re washed.

With the bottled water, Orb’s new study indicates contamination is in large part a result of plastic packaging and the process the bottling companies use.

Related: How to Detox From Plastics and Other Endocrine Disruptors

Most plastic ingested is likely to pass through a human body, but some could end up lodged in the gut, or traveling through the lymphatic system, according to this EFSA Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain.

Related: Gluten, Candida, Leaky Gut Syndrome, and Autoimmune Diseases

“There’s so many unknowns here. That, combined with the highly likely population-wide exposure to this stuff—that’s probably the biggest story here. I think it’s something to be concerned about.” – Muncke

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