FDA sets strict DEHP limit for bottled water

How safe is that water bottle you just purchased?  Are you sure the clear, refreshing liquid inside is as pure and chemical free as you expect?  Bottled water is actually regulated quite extensively, but despite that monitoring, new risks continue to be addressed to help reduce any potential threat to long-term consumer health.

Bottled water is federally regulated under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Manufacturers of bottled water must follow the FDA’s stringent food safety and labeling  requirements, as well as specific Good Manufacturing Practices to help ensure that the water inside those creatively designed plastic bottles maintains a specific quality level. 

There are also state responsibilities for bottled water.  State health departments efforts are focused on supporting the federal regulations and making sure that they are strictly adhered to. Some of the state responsibilities include:

• Making sure that all water comes from approved sources
• Inspecting and analyzing those approved sources
• Certifying  third-party testing labs to ensure consistent & reliable results
• Random and annual inspections of bottling plants and finished products

Water sources for bottled water sold in the USA can also be outside the U.S. borders, so the bottled water industry also voluntarily follows the International Bottled Water Association Model Code, which requires annual plant and water source inspections.

On the other hand, pubic drinking water (municipal water) is regulated as a product by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through the Safe Drinking Water Act. Public water goes through a water treatment system of coagulation, sedimentation, disinfection and filtration that helps eliminate contaminants and assure the best quality results.

The blitz of popularity that bottled water has enjoyed, also brought with it new environmental and health issues.  One such issue is the release of a chemical known as  DEHP or di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate. This chemical is on the California Proposition 65 list of chemicals known to cause cancer or birth defects or other reproductive harm. Studies have shown that the main exposure to this chemical is through diet (ingestion). The clear, flexible plastic used to mold the bottles can sometimes contain DEHP, and the potential for this chemical to leach out of the plastic and into the water inside is very real. 

For this reason, effective April 16, 2012, bottled drinking water will have to meet new, stricter FDA water quality standards.  The existing FDA 21 CFR 165.110 was recently amended, establishing a specific allowable DEHP limit of 0.005 mg/litre. Manufacturers of bottled water will now be required to annually monitor both their source water and finished product for appropriate levels of DEHP. By setting a specific DEHP limit, and requiring adherence to Best Practices in Manufacturing, bottled water safety will be equivalent to the EPA’s requirements for public drinking water.

Now - if we can only find a way to reduce the significant assault on the environment that bottled water presents.  The World Wide Fund for Nature suggests that over 1.5 million tons of plastic is used in 89 billion liters of water every year. While the DEHP may be limited in each individual bottle, the accumulative result is large amounts of this chemical leaching out into landfills at amazing rates.

On step forward, but still losing the race.