Bottled water ban after tests

SWEDISH city of Gothenburg has decided to stop buying bottled water due to environmental concerns.

Tests on leading brands of bottled water turned up a variety of contaminants often found in tap water, according to a study released yesterday by an environmental advocacy group.

An industry group branded the findings “alarmist.” Joe Doss, president of the International Bottled Water Association, said the study is based on the faulty premise that a contaminant is a health concern “even if it does not exceed the established regulatory limit or no standard has been set”.

The study’s lab tests on 10 brands of bottled water detected 38 chemicals including bacteria, caffeine, the pain reliever acetamin- ophen, fertiliser, solvents, plastic-making chemicals and the radioactive element strontium. Though some probably came from tap water, other contaminants probably leached from plastic bottles, researchers said.

The two-year study was done by the Washington-based Environmental Working Group, scientists advocating stricter regulation. It found the contaminants in bottled water purchased in nine states and Washington, DC.