One would assume that Bottled Water is safe to drink and it is. Arsenic is a Heavy Metal. In large quantities it can kill a Human. The amount of Arenic found in Bottled water is not even close to being a Lethal Dose ( which is approx 70-to-200 mg or 1 mg per 1 KG of body weight per day). The issue is that Long Term intake of Arsenic could damge Human Internal Organs.

Click on this Link to visit the Consumers Reports Website to read their post titled: “Arsenic in Some Bottled Water Brands at Unsafe Levels, Consumer Reports Says“.

Current FDA regulations state that bottled water manufacturers are required to monitor their finished bottled water products for Arsenic at least “once” each year under the current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) regulations for bottled water (21 CFR part 129).

In the Federal Register of January 22, 2001 (66 FR 6976), EPA published a final rule establishing a maximum contaminant level for arsenic in public drinking water. EPA took this action, in part, because studies have shown long-term exposure to inorganic arsenic in drinking water may result in increased risk of cancer (e.g., skin, bladder, lung, kidney, liver, prostate, and nasal passage) and is associated with noncancer effects, such as alterations in gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, hematological (e.g., anemia), pulmonary, neurological, immunological, and reproductive/developmental function. In response to this EPA rulemaking, FDA published the June 9, 2005 final rule. This final rule ensures that the minimum quality of bottled water, as affected by arsenic, remains comparable with the quality of public drinking water that meets EPA’s standards.

Click on this link to visit the offiial FDA website to read their Guidance titled: “Guidance for Industry: Bottled Water and Arsenic; Small Entity Compliance Guide“.

The FDA also ruled that the allowable level for arsenic in bottled water is 10 micrograms (0.010 milligrams) per liter of water. (21 CFR 165.110(b)(4)(iii)(A)). That is 10 Parts Per Billllion of Arsenic.

Video is courtesy of the News4JAX YouTube channel

Consumer Reports recently pubished their findings after checking the self publuished Arsenic Tests done  by the Bottled Water Companies. of a number of brands of Bottled Water being sold in the USA.  Many brands were well below the 10 ppm FDA guidleine. One brand in particular contained arsenic levels above the 10 ppm FDA guidline.

Consumer Reports also ran their own lab testing on a few brands, which in the past had registered higher thant FDA stands Arsenic level. One brand tested by Consurmer Reports, had a average Arsenic level of 18.1 ppb, well above the FDA set max level.

Click on this link to visit the WikiPedia website to read their post titled: “Arsenic poisoning“.

 

Posted by Vincent Banial