Bottled Water Regulation

FDA proposes changes in bottled water regulation

9/23/2008 4:20:24 PM

WASHINGTON — The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed changes to its bottled water regulations regarding E. coli that will make them at least as protective of public health as those of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), according to a September 22 article in Occupational Health and Safety. In 2006 the EPA required the FDA to choose between issuing a new standard of quality regulation regarding fecal coliform or declaring that such a regulation was not necessary by December 1, 2009. This ultimatum was given after the Center for Disease Control traced 68 waterborne disease outbreaks and 10,926 illnesses over a nine year period to source water contamination and inadequate treatment, according to the article. In its proposed regulations, the FDA says it will: ● Require that source water be tested specifically for total coliform. ● Require that bottled water manufacturers test for Escherichia coli (E. coli) if source water or finished bottled water products test positive for coliform. ● Prohibit source water containing E. coli from being used in the production of bottled water. ● Require bottlers to keep records of actions taken to eliminate E. coli. The entire text of the proposed rule is available at the link below. To view the full article, click here. To access the proposed rule, click here. For related information on this story, click here.