BOTTLED HYPE?

Online at the Bottled Water Store, you can purchase a brand named More Precious Than Gold or read about the featured water of the month. But last April, a World Wildlife Fund study questioned the health claims of bottled water (see "Consider the Source," Currents, March/April 2001). According to the study, conducted by University of Geneva researcher Catherine Ferrier, "Since a category called `purified water' is drawn from rivers, lakes or underground springs and then treated, there is little difference between purified water and municipal tap water, except in the distribution method and retail price." Some 59 percent of bottled water consumed worldwide is purified water, according to the study. Ferrier concludes, "Bottled water quality is generally good, although it can suffer from the same contamination hazards as tap water." But Stephen Kay, a spokesperson for the International Bottled Water Association, defends the necessity of his product. "The difference between bottled water and tap water is that bottled water's quality is consistent," he says. CONTACT: World Wildlife Fund, [phone], www.worldwildlife.org.