BOTTLED WATER NOT SO PURE, STUDY SAYS.

Byline: Michael Coit Daily News Staff Writer

Americans pay a premium for bottled water but consumers who think their favorite brand is cleaner than tap water might consider a four-year study that found contaminants exceeding drinking-water standards.

The National Resources Defense Council released the results Tuesday to counter what the watchdog group contends are misleading claims by an industry that has seen Americans' average annual consumption of bottled water nearly triple over the past decade.

Firing back was the International Bottled Water Association, whose members produce 85 percent of the nearly 3.5 billion gallons consumed in this nation annually, claiming the study was alarmist and actually showed bottled water is safe.

While not asserting that bottled water is unsafe for most consumers, the resources group called on the Food and Drug Administration to strengthen federal regulations and improve monitoring and public disclosure. NRDC officials noted that public water systems face far tougher regulations, including more frequent testing for bacteria and chemical contaminants.

``We think if consumers are paying a premium price then they have a right to know what's in that bottle and that it's minimally regulated,'' said Lawrie Mott, a senior scientist for the NRDC.

``We're not saying that people should not consume bottled water,'' she added. ``We're not a mini FDA. We did snapshot testing to shed light on a problem that we think deserves serious consideration and reform.''

The industry group countered that bottled water is one of the most highly regulated products under the FDA and there have been no confirmed reports of illness or disease linked to bottled water during the agency's 37-year regulatory authority.

``We just want to continue making sure that our product is viewed as being safe. All bottled water in compliance with FDA regulations is safe,'' said Zail Dugal, spokeswoman for the bottled water group based in Alexandria, Va.

Concern about drinking water quality, however, has helped spur bottled water sales - a black eye for public water systems that, according to the NRDC, bottled water companies emphasize to encourage consumer thirst for their product.

Concern is high

In Los Angeles, concern over tap water is particularly high, following disclosures that chlorine-treated water can cause miscarriages and a proposed state standard for hexavalent chromium that could force the closure of some San Fernando Valley groundwater wells.

``Every once in a while you hear about the horrible things in drinking water. It certainly made a difference for me,'' said Nan George, who purchased bottled water Tuesday while shopping with her mother at a Woodland Hills grocery store. ``If there was no difference, I would go back (to tap water). But I'm skeptical.''

Larry Goodwin of Topanga said his family has become accustomed to bottled drinking water, favoring the taste and preferring what they consider a cleaner, safer source.

``I think it's better water. I would have to have it proven to me that the tap water was just as good,'' he said after packing bottled water into the back of the family van following a shopping trip.

Los Angeles Department of Water and Power customers who spend between 70 cents and $5 a gallon for bottled water compared with the average residential rate of 1 cent for five gallons should know what might be in their favorite brand, the study's authors said.

The findings included:

After testing more than 1,000 bottles, 23 of the 103 brands were contaminated at levels violating California limits for arsenic and trihalomethanes.

Testing for microbiological purity turned up samples from 18 of the 103 brands that exceeded guidelines adopted in some states, the European Union and recommended by the bottled water industry.

In all, at least one sample of 34 of the 103 brands tested exceeded a state standard for bacterial or chemical contamination, a microbiological purity guideline or both.

The study is available on the NRDC Web site at www.nrdc.org. Copies are also available for purchase by calling [phone] Ext. 313.

``Bottled water is sold with pictures of mountains and glaciers and all sorts of claims of purity,'' said Dr. Gina Solomon, a specialist in adult internal medicine and senior scientist for the resource group.

``A fair number had a positive result that popped up on one test and when we went and bought another batch of the same water to see if it seems to be a continuing problem or intermittent problem there were a lot of waters where the problem appeared to be resolved,'' she explained. ``So what that indicates to us is that bottled water quality is spotty. There's no guarantee about purity.''

Solomon noted that the results showed bottled water is safe in general but could pose a health risk to people with weakened immune systems, such as people with AIDS and patients undergoing chemotherapy and kidney dialysis.

Overstated concern?

Reading the same results differently, bottled water industry officials contend the study overstated the contamination concern. They charge that the NRDC applies a variety of standards and that only two samples exceeded FDA standards, both for fluoride levels.

``The NRDC report confirms that our product is essentially safe,'' Dugal said. ``It can be marketed that it is safe and tastes good.''

California's top drinking water official said the study could help improve the image of tap water that has suffered despite the state's claim to some of the nation's most stringent regulations.

``You've got 40 percent of the people in California drinking bottled water and people frankly shouldn't really lose their trust in municipal water systems,'' said Dave Spath, chief of the Division of Drinking Water, which regulates 8,600 public water systems. ``If you're going to promote your product for being better than drinking water, then you have to produce a product that exceeds the standards for public water systems.''

Although bottled water took a public relations hit, DWP officials were not gloating.

``We like to talk about our water and people should feel safe and secure in the fact that our tap water meets the strictest standards for tap water in the country,'' said spokesman Lawrence Lokman.

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Box: IS BOTTLED WATER SAFE?

SOURCE: National Resources Defense Council