Questions about whether bottled water is properly regulated were raised at a July 8 House subcommittee hearing.
Bottled water is regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), while tap water is monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency. According to testimony by John Stephenson, director of Natural Resources and Environment at the Government Accountability Office, the FDA's reporting and testing requirements for bottlers is less stringent than the EPA's oversight of tap water.
Jane Houlihan, MS, senior vice president for research with the Environmental Working Group, said her organization's survey of bottled water labels and Web sites found that consumers have no simple way to learn where their bottled water comes from, how or if it is treated, and what chemical pollutants it contains.
Joseph K. Doss, president and chief executive officer of the International Bottled Water Association, disputed claims of less regulation of his industry, saying . . . [Full Text of this Article]
