Quenching thirst can be more complicated than taking a trip to the water fountain or turning on the kitchen tap.
Hundreds of bottled waters are sold in the United States. Some are touted to enhance athletic performance, others come flavored with fruit essence or are vitamin-fortified. There's even water with enough added caffeine to rival a strong cup of coffee. And for those who like exotic sources, there's bottled water from Fiji and Iceland.
Americans are so eager to lap up bottled water that it's second only to soft drinks as the leading beverage consumed in the United States, according to the Beverage Marketing Corp. In 2005, we spent $10.1 billion to drink nearly 8 billion gallons of bottled water -- that's 26 gallons per person -- and per gallon paid more for water than for gasoline.
So why ante up a buck or more for a bottle of water that costs less than a penny per glass from the tap?
People drink bottled water "for quality, safety and good taste," says Stephen Kay, vice president of communications at the International Bottled Water Assn., a group representing bottlers and distributors. "They're reaching for bottled water for hydration and refreshment."
Just don't count on any special health benefits. "There is no health advantage being gained by these drinks, although the flavor can increase your intake," says Scott Montain, a physiologist at the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine in Natick, Mass.
Nor has bottled water been proved to be safer than tap water, although federal law requires it to be at least as safe. The Food and Drug Administration regulates bottled water as a food product, dictating ingredients, good manufacturing practices, labels and even official definitions for spring, artesian, mineral and other types of water. Various state regulations also apply to bottled water.
But a four-year study by the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental advocacy group, found major regulatory gaps. By the group's calculation, 60% to 70% of the bottled water sold in the United States -- including carbonated water, seltzer, club soda, tonic water as well as flavored and fortified waters -- is exempt from FDA bottled water standards.
"Even when bottled waters are covered by FDA's specific bottled water standards, those rules are weaker in many ways than EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] rules that apply to big-city tap water," the group found.
