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Remember that US bottled water is less regulated than municipal drinking water. You don't need to buy bottled water for health reasons if your drinking water meets all of the federal, state, or provincial drinking water standards (ask your local supplier). If you want a drink with a different taste, you can buy bottled water, but it costs up to 1,000 times more than municipal drinking water. Of course, in emergencies bottled water can be a vital source of drinking water for people without water.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) now requires bottled water quality standards to be equal to those of the US Environmental Protection Agency for tap water, but the quality of the finished product is not government-monitored. Bottlers must test their source water and finished product once a year. Currently, any bottled water that contains contaminants in excess of the allowable level is considered mislabeled unless it has a statement of substandard quality. According to the latest amendment of the Safe Drinking Water Act (1996), by February 1999, FDA must complete a study to find the best way to inform consumers of "bottled water" contents. Although recent tests have not found any lead in dozens of brands of bottled water, studies have shown that microbes may grow in the bottles while on grocers' shelves. Some states impose expiration dates on bottled water, two years from the date of bottling in New York, for example. Canada does have restrictions on labeling bottled water and has minimal quality requirements covered by the Canadian Food and Drug Act.

Certain bottlers simply fill their bottles with city drinking water, thus producing "bottled water" that is no different than municipal water, although many states require the source of the water to be on the label if the water is sold in the state where it is bottled.

Bottled water is popular; Americans spend $2 to $3 billion annually to buy this product-half the amount the country spends to protect tap water. Overall about 10 to 15 percent of US households drink bottled water regularly. Remember, if you use bottled water, consider it a food and refrigerate it after opening.

NOTE: Individuals placed on a highly restricted sodium diet should choose a brand of bottled water that contains zero (0) milligrams (mg) of sodium in an 8-ounce glass. CAUTION: Some bottles labeled sodium-free contain some sodium, maybe too much for those on a highly restricted sodium diet. Check the label carefully on any bottle of water you buy to find out the sodium content of that particular brand, regardless of the general labeling.

(See Question 161 for related information.)