The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations on July 9 sent letters to 13 bottled water companies requesting documents related to testing of bottled water and its sources and lists of names and locations of each company's water sources.

The move followed a July 8 hearing at which federal officials pushed Congress to impose for more stringent safety guidelines for bottle waters. Read "Is Tap Water Safer Than Bottled?" from the Consumer Reports Safety blog for more details.

"Our hearing brought a great deal of information to light regarding the differences between the regulation of bottled water and tap water," commented Representative Bart Stupak, a Michigan Democrat, on the committee's Web site. "We also found that neither the public nor federal regulators know nearly enough about where bottled water comes from and what safeguards are in place to ensure its safety."

During the hearing, officials cited these findings from a June 2009 report by the General Accounting Office (PDF):

• The FDA lacks specific statutory authority to require bottlers to use certified laboratories for water-quality tests or to report test results, if violations of the standards are found. Public water companies, by contrast, must report make public the presence of dangerous contaminants violations within 24 hours.

• Bottled-water companies don't have to reveal the presence of DEHP, a phthalate recently banned for use in children's products.

• Only "a small percentage" of 83 bottled-water companies could provide the same level of detail as municipal systems about their water, based on the GAO's review of bottle labels, company Web sites, and direct queries to companies themselves.

• Many of the state officials surveyed said that consumers often believe bottled water is healthier than tap water.

• State standards for bottled water, while often stricter than the FDA's, are less strict than state standards for public tap water.

In his testimony before the committee, Joseph K. Doss, the president and CEO of the International Bottled Water Association, claimed the IBWA's Code of Practice for bottled water is even more stringent than FDA requirements for testing and monitoring. But on July 9, the IBWA issued a release saying it was willing to work with the FDA to address the issues contained in the GAO report.

The bottled-water industry has faced increasing questions about the health and environmental impact of its product, packaging, and production processes.

And last week, residents of the rural town of Bundanoon, Australia, voted to ban the sale of bottled water after they discovered that their well water was being shipped about 100 miles Sydney, bottled, and then shipped back to them for resale. The same day, the premier of the state of New South Wales voted to end government purchases of bottled water.—Gian Trotta | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

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