Some bottled water toxicity shown to exceed law

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

Bottled water brands do not always maintain the consistency of quality touted in ads featuring alpine peaks and crystalline lakes and, in some cases, contain toxic byproducts that exceed state safety standards, tests show.

The Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit organization with offices in Oakland, tested 10 brands of bottled water and found that Wal-Mart’s Sam’s Choice contained chemical levels that exceeded legal limits in California and the voluntary standards adopted by the industry. The tests discovered an average of eight contaminants in each brand. Four brands besides Wal-Mart’s also were contaminated with bacteria.

The environmental group filed a notice of intent to sue Wal-Mart Tuesday, alleging that the mega-chain failed to warn the public of illegal concentrations of trihalomethanes, which are cancer-causing chemicals.

“The investigation has uncovered that consumers cannot be assured of the quality of their bottled water,” said Olga Naidenko, a toxicologist at the Environmental Working Group and lead author of the bottled-water study.

Wal-Mart disputed the findings and responded:

“Both our suppliers’ tests and tests from an additional external laboratory are not showing any reportable amounts of chlorine or chlorine byproducts. We’re disappointed that the EWG has not shared more details with us as we continue to investigate this matter,” Frederick said. “We’re puzzled by the EWG’s findings.”

Read more on this story from the San Francisco Chronicle by clicking here.

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