Health effects of Bottled Water

About 25% of bottled water sold is simply re-processed/used municipal(city) water according to a 1999 study in the United States.[29] Both Aquafina from Pepsi-Cola Company and Dasani from The Coca-Cola Company are reprocessed from municipal water systems.[30][31] Some bottled waters, such as Penta Water make unverified health benefit claims[citation needed]. While there have been few comprehensive studies, one analysis several years ago found that about 22 percent of brands that were tested contain, in at least one sample, chemical contaminants at levels above strict state health limits. If consumed over a long period of time, some of these contaminants could cause cancer or other health problems[32] at rates higher than those considered tolerable by the regulatory body setting the standards.

The FDA reports that:"about 75 percent of bottled water sold in the U.S. comes from natural underground sources, which include rivers, lakes, springs and artesian wells." The other 25% comes from municipal sources, which are the "sources" of two leading brands of bottled water--Dasani (Coca-Cola) and Aquafina (PepsiCo).[33] The FDA was quoting as saying, "Companies that market bottled water as being safer than tap water are defrauding the American public." [34]

Bottled water processed with distillation or reverse osmosis lacks fluoride ions which are sometimes naturally present in groundwater. The drinking of distilled water may conceivably increase the risk of tooth decay due to a lack of this element.[35] However, most people continue to cook with common tap water and this is thought to potentially provide sufficient fluoride to maintain normal prophylaxis in many instances. Any other minerals in tap water such as calcium and magnesium are present in such minuscule amounts that their absence is compensated for many thousands of times over by other dietary sources. On the other hand, some people wish to avoid exposure to fluoride, particularly systemic ingestion of fluoride in drinking water, and may choose such bottled water for this feature.[36]

Bottled water is typically printed with expiration dates. However, industry associations claim "bottled water can be used indefinitely if stored properly."[37] Reusing plastic water bottles could be potentially harmful because bacteria builds up in the bottle.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bottled_water#Health_effects