Tap Water Safer than Bottled

In the recent past, we witnessed a doubling in the amount of bottled water consumption but the latest figures show that the growth in consumption has slowed drastically. This is attributed to not only to recession but also to greater awareness about bottled water's quality in comparison to tap water and its adverse environmental impact.

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (MarketWatch) --

Environmental groups have for years claimed that bottled water is less safe than tap water -- and now the federal government has stepped in to say that's true.

Food and Drug Administration safety and consumer protections that apply to bottled water often are less stringent than comparable Environmental Protection Agency regulations for tap water, the Government Accountability Office found.

In a new report, the GAO says "state requirements to safeguard bottled water often exceed FDA's, but still are often less comprehensive than state requirements to safeguard tap water."

Not only is it disturbing that the FDA's standards apparently are low regarding consumer safety of bottled water, but also that consumption has skyrocketed.

Over the past decade, per-capita consumption of bottled water in the U.S. has more than doubled. Reports estimate that use equates to 200 bottles per year, per person. And, as the GAO points out, with this increase have come several concerns in recent years about the safety, quality and environmental impacts of bottled water. Those concerns now obviously are borne out.

To that end, the $16 billion bottled-water industry may be in for dry spell. Consumption of bottled water has fallen over the past year. The bottled-water industry blames the recession, but others blame safety concerns.

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