In terms of safety, both tap and bottled water are generally good, yet available data indicates that bottled water has a better safety record. If you compare health-related problems that have been connected to both bottled and tap water, tap water has more documented health-related incidents by factors in the tens of thousands.
For example, one EPA study documents a total of 207 waterborne-disease outbreaks producing 433,947 documented illnesses and 73 deaths between 1991 and 2002. Most of these cases were the result of a major outbreak of the pathogen cryptosporidium in Milwaukee’s tap water during 1993, which produced 403,000 illnesses and 50 deaths. The study also notes that waterborne illnesses are increasingly linked to distribution of tap water via pipes, where it becomes contaminated. In contrast, bottled water is distributed sanitary packages that ensure quality during distribution.
In contrast, “there has not been a documented major outbreak of illness from bottled water in the U.S.,” says Amy Simonne, Assistant Professor for Food Safety and Quality at the University of Florida notes.
The fact that there hasn’t been a major outbreak does not mean there are no isolated cases of individual problems or small-scale outbreaks. The CDC reports a handful of cases over the past several decades in their reports on waterborne illnesses in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Such problems occur in the tens—not the tens of thousands as with tap water. There are also, periodic recalls of bottled water because of trace chemicals found, but few health problems.
And according to EPA, the risks of tap water are underestimated. In fact, agency officials believe that millions of Americans suffer from acute gastrointestinal illness (diarrhea) every year from drinking tap water. Not surprisingly, the CDC recommends bottled water for people with compromised immune systems.
As a result, government mandate labeling won’t make the water safer, and it won’t educate consumers on the risks. However, new bottled water labeling regulations will increase paperwork, bureaucracy, and waste money. But then Washington specializes in those things.