Experts and Bottled Water
Industry Confident that Technical and Safety Measures Used to Produce and
Process Bottled Water are Effective in Protecting From Pharmaceutical
Contamination
A recent Associated Press article reports that trace amounts of
pharmaceuticals have been found in some U.S. municipal drinking water systems.
The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) would like to remind
consumers that bottled water is not simply tap water in a bottle and that the
safety and quality of bottled water produced in accordance with US Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) standards do not pose a health risk due to pharmaceuticals
or other substances. Bottled water is comprehensively regulated as a packaged
food product by FDA. Bottled water companies use a multi-barrier approach to
bottled water safety, which includes source protection, source monitoring,
reverse osmosis, distillation, filtration and other purification techniques,
ozonation or ultraviolet (UV) light. The combination of FDA and state
regulations, along with a multi-barrier approach and other protective measures,
means that consumers can remain confident in choosing bottled water.
Stephen C. Edberg, Ph.D., ABMM, Yale University School of Medicine
(www.yale.edu/labmed/edberg), stated that consumers should be confident in
bottled water as a safe beverage choice. Dr. Edberg stated, “The technical and
safety measures used to produce and process bottled water are extremely
effective in protecting the product from these and other substances that were
reported in the article, should they be present in source water to begin with.
This report raises no concern for the safety of bottled water.”
Consumers should also consider these additional measures, which help ensure
the safety and quality of bottled water:
Bottled water is fully regulated as a packaged food product by the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) and bound by FDA’s quality, safety, inspection,
and labeling requirements.
Bottled water is not simply tap water in a bottle. FDA and state governments
recognize both groundwater and municipal water systems as legitimate and valid
sources for bottled water production. There are specific labeling and other
standards to help ensure that consumers are aware of the type of bottled water
they choose.
Bottled water companies that use municipal source water treat and purify the
water by employing processes such as reverse osmosis and distillation before it
is bottled and delivered to consumers as a packaged food product. The product
will be labeled as “purified water,” or alternatively, “reverse osmosis water”
if it is treated by reverse osmosis or “distilled water” if it treated by
distillation. These processes are effective in removing pharmaceuticals and
other substances, if they are present in the source water to begin with.
If bottled water is sourced from a municipal water system and has not been
further treated, FDA requires the label to state that it is from a municipal or
community water system.
Bottled water products, such as mineral water, spring water or artesian
water, come from well-protected, underground water sources that are not under
the direct influence of surface water such as rivers or lakes, which are the
source for many community water systems.
Bottled water products are required to comply at all times with FDA
Standards of Quality. As with other food products, bottled water is subject to
the food adulteration requirements of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
and is also subject recall and the full array of FDA enforcement actions,
including warning letters, civil (seizure and/or injunction) and criminal
penalties.
In addition to federal and state regulations, members of the International
Bottled Water Association (IBWA) are required to adhere to standards in the IBWA
Bottled Water Code of Practice that, in several cases, are stricter than FDA and
state bottled water regulations. The IBWA Bottled Water Code of Practice is
enforced through a mandatory, annual, unannounced plant inspection by an
independent, third-party organization.
The following measures are employed by IBWA member bottlers to help ensure
the safety of the bottled water brands they produce:
A MULTI-BARRIER APPROACH – Bottled water products are produced
utilizing a multi-barrier approach, from source to finished product, that helps
prevent possible harmful microorganisms or chemicals, such as pharmaceuticals,
from contaminating the finished product as well as storage, production, and
transportation equipment. Measures in a multi-barrier approach may include
source protection, source monitoring, reverse osmosis, distillation, filtration,
ozonation or ultraviolet (UV) light. Many of the steps in a multi-barrier system
may be effective in safeguarding bottled water from microbiological, chemical,
and other contamination. Piping in and out of plants, as well as storage silos
and water tankers are also maintained through daily sanitation procedures. In
addition, bottled water products are bottled in a controlled, sanitary
environment to prevent contamination during the filling operation.
HAACP CONTROLS –IBWA members are required to employ a HACCP (Hazard
Analysis Critical Control Point) approach to quality assurance. This practice
scrutinizes every step of the production process – from source to finished
product – that are critically important to the safety of the product and puts in
place systems to help ensure that all safety and quality control processes are
functioning effectively. Identification of risk and severity of health effects
and control measures for specific biological, chemical and physical agents are
included. FDA considers HACCP a comprehensive method for assuring product
safety.
SOURCES AND FACILITIES ARE SECURE AND MONITORED –Bottled water
products from groundwater sources, such as spring water or artesian water, come
from well-protected, underground water sources that are required by FDA
regulations to be free of direct influence of surface water contamination. The
water is collected at sites and bottled at facilities with security systems that
may include controlled access to the plant and critical production areas,
gating, motion sensors, electronic contact security alarms, and tamper-proof
locks. Water intake systems are sanitary and sealed. For brands that utilize
community water systems as their source, bottlers work in concert with community
water authorities to ensure the security and safety of the system’s source and
the community’s water and employ equivalent security measures at the bottling
plant. Resource: IBWA
|
The Water Connoisseur
