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.

How to Choose a Filter

Wall Street Journal Article

Check out Kinetico's inclusion in The Wall Street Journal's article:

"What's Coming From Your Tap?"

Quote of Note:

Last April, Elizabeth Beyer, 47, purchased a Kinetico Inc. K5 Drinking Water Station for her father, who had a liver transplant in February. Doctors had advised him to drink only filtered water. The system, which cost $2,100, is meant to remove contaminants ranging from lead to chlorine sediment using reverse-osmosis technology and two additional filters.

Ms. Beyer, who lives in Venice, Fla., says it was worth it. Her water is clearer and crisper. "I can definitely taste the difference," she says. "You can see the difference."

Response to an Article

Tap Water - The Ugly Truth About Tap Water

Veronica O'Dea

The 20th Century lead us to many solutions to water borne disease; chlorine disinfection having helped immensely in this regard. The same time frame left us with an unfortunate plethora of complicated and potentially dangerous combinations of leftover chlorine residuals, sanitizers, pharmaceuticals, organics, pesticides and other chemicals in our water supplies.

An article written by Jeff Donn, Martha Mendoza and Justin Pritchard of the AP on 3/10/2008 stated: ... "In a five-month inquiry, AP discovered that drugs have been detected in the drinking-water supplies of 24 major metropolitan areas — from Southern California to northern New Jersey, from Detroit to Louisville, Ky. Denver was among them." ...... "• Officials in Philadelphia said testing there discovered 56 pharmaceuticals or byproducts in treated drinking water, including medicines for pain, infection, high cholesterol, asthma, epilepsy, mental illness and heart problems. Sixty-three pharmaceuticals or byproducts were found in the city's watersheds."

After researching what drugs were found and what remedies could reduce the threat it was discovered that RO membranes such as those utilized in Kinetico’s home water treatment systems have been proven to block molecular compounds having a molecular weight of 100 g/mol or greater. This group includes many of the pharmaceuticals discovered in United States’ drinking water supplies. In addition, a secondary charge-related separation process provided by RO has been shown to repel some contaminants smaller than 100 g/mol.

The discussion on reverse osmosis/ vs. filtered is one that is often misconstrued. Reducing potential hazards in our drinking water is on the mind of many and justifiably so. The following is the "Conclusion" of a paper published by the Water Quality Association's Science Advisory Committee. It may clear up some of the concerns over drinking a safer, higher quality water on a daily basis...

Conclusion

"It has been concluded that the consumption of low TDS water, naturally occurring or received from a treatment process, does not result in harmful effects to the human body. This is based on the following points: 1) No public organization with authority over the drinking water quality anywhere in the world has enacted or even proposed a minimum requirement for total dissolved minerals in drinking water. 2) The human body's own control mechanism (homeostasis) regulates the mineral content of the body fluids and the discharge of different types of ions from the body of normal, healthy individuals whether drinking low or high mineral content. 3) Several types of scientific literature searches have found no harmful effects to the human body attributable to the consumption of low TDS water. 4) Many examples of real-world situations exist in which large populations have been and continue to be provided with exclusively low TDS water without and reported unusual or ill health effects, establishes the safety of consuming such waters by human beings."

A link to the entire paper is:

http://www.wqa.org/pdf/Consumer%20Briefs/LowTDS.pdf

We know that trace minerals can be important to our health, however, I personally prefer to reduce by up to 95%, most of the potential hazards from my drinking water through the use of a Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water System and depend on a healthy diet and supplement regimen for the nutritional health of my family.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on such an important topic as Water and our Health.

Sincerely,

John L Rickert
Certified Water Specialist, VI
President
Colorado Water Quality Association

www.kineticodenver.com

PS: I feel this is an important enough topic that either a retraction or a correction should be published regarding the original article from: http://www.triplecrownnewsletters.com/member/story.php?id=6136#post
I am available for further discussion and/or clarifications at 303-934-8101.

Misinformation - Reverse Osmosis Water

A recent news article by the Brighton Standard Blade online newspaper discussed the city's water treatment processes and included a misleading statement about reverse osmosis water:

[snip]

Brighton's water is a mix of treated groundwater and well water. The reverse osmosis process works by putting the water under intense pressure and forcing it through membranes. The resulting water is pure, and must be mixed with regular well water to replace minerals that were filtered out. It is also treated with chlorine and fluoride and other required chemicals.

"If you just drank pure RO water, it would eventually, over time, just leach all of the minerals from your bones because there's no minerals in it," she (Beth Schmidt) said.

[snip]

Article by: Ben Moger Williams

This theory about reverse osmosis water leaching minerals from your bones has been shown to be untrue. There is extensive documentation to to support the claim that reverse osmosis is perfectly safe and actually better for human consumption than tap water treated with chlorine and other chemicals.

This article from the National Water Quality Association summarizes extensive research regarding health effects related to the consumption of reverse osmosis (low TDS) water: Consumption of Low TDS Water

Trihalomethanes in Drinking Water

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
John Rickert or Michelle Arentzen
Advantage Water - Kinetico of Denver / Front Range
303.934.8101 or 866.688.WATER
purewater@kineticodenver.com

K5 DRINKING WATER STATION WITH VOC GUARD CAN REMOVE TRIHALOMETHANES(THMs)IN DRINKING WATER

New UK Study Links Trihalomethanes in Tap Water to Birth Defects

NEWBURY, Ohio, (June 9, 2008)—A recently published Birmingham University study* suggests that drinking tap water containing trihalomethane VOCs (volatile organic compounds) while pregnant may double the risk of serious health defects in the unborn child. Kinetico’s K5 Drinking Water Station with the VOC Guard filter can remove trihalomethanes that might be present in tap water; therefore, expecting parents who are concerned about the effects of trihalomethanes in drinking water should be relieved to learn a treatment option is available.

“While this new study is certainly alarming, especially for expecting parents, the water treatment industry has known about trihalomethanes for some time, and Kinetico has a removal solution available for concerned consumers,” says John Rickert, owner of Advantage Water / Kinetico of Denver. “Kinetico developed the K5 Drinking Water Station exactly for this reasonto solve for evolving water treatment needs now and in the future. Kinetico is pleased to offer the VOC Guard filter as one of its auxiliary filters for Kinetico’s K5 Drinking Water Station, the only customizable drinking water treatment system available on the market.” Kinetico’s VOC Guard is certified by NSF International for the reduction of trihalomethanes, (a by-product of chlorine) benzene, (from gas or oil) and methylene chloride, (from industrial and household solvents) as well as other VOCs that could be found in water.

Consumers interested in learning more about the removal of trihalomethanes from water and the K5 Drinking Water Station with VOC Guard filter should contact Advantage Water / Kinetico of Denver in Federal Heights, CO or visit www.kinetico.com to learn more about the system.

About Kinetico Incorporated
Headquartered in Newbury, Ohio, USA, Kinetico is a leading manufacturer of water treatment systems. An extensive network of Kinetico dealers serving residential and light commercial customers has helped more than a million people in nearly 100 countries experience the benefits of better water. Since 1970, Kinetico has prided itself on creating unique water treatment systems that serve customers in an expanding variety of residential, commercial, industrial and municipal applications. The company also has offices and facilities in the United Kingdom, Canada, France and Denmark. Further information is available at www.kinetico.com.

*“Study links disinfection byproducts to birth defects,” WaterTech Online, http://www.watertechonline.com/news.asp?N_ID=69967, retrieved June 4, 2008.

BioPure Water

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
John Rickert or Michelle Arentzen
Advantage Water - Kinetico of Denver / Front Range
303.934.8101 or 866.688.WATER
purewater@kineticodenver.com

BIOPURE WATER NOW AVAILABLE IN
DENVER AND FRONT RANGE

DENVER, Colorado, (April 22, 2008)—Recent news surrounding the salmonella outbreak in Alamosa and pharmaceutical contaminants in major metropolitan water supplies is giving people reason to question what harmful elements could be in their home’s water supply. The Purefecta Drinking Water System, manufactured by Kinetico Inc, produces Biopure water by filtering 99.99% of viruses and bacteria. No other in-home drinking water treatment system provides this much protection. Purefecta can also significantly reduce the amount of trace pharmaceuticals in drinking water. Kinetico’s newest dealership, Kinetico of Denver, is now offering local residents access to this innovative product.

The maker of the Purefecta water system, Kinetico Inc, has been America’s trusted name in water filtration since 1970. Its products are recommended by Better Homes and Gardens, Home Time, Popular Science and Popular Mechanics. The Kinetico Denver dealership opened its doors this January and now offers the Denver / Front Range a complete line of water filtration and softening systems. Kinetico Denver is headed by industry veteran John L. Rickert. This will be John’s 20th year as a Kinetico representative. His previous roles include owner / president of the Kinetico dealership in Eagle County and most recently, District Manager of Kinetico Inc. John also plays an active role in water treatment education and training programs throughout the United States and is on the Board of Directors of the Colorado Water Quality Association.

Safe water is a hot topic these days given the State of Emergency declared in Alamosa last month due to salmonella contamination within the city’s water supply. According to the Denver Post on 4/1/08, city officials reported a total of 326 cases, with 90 confirmed and 13 people hospitalized.

The Associated Press’s recent report which concluded that “A vast array of pharmaceuticals — including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones — have been found in the drinking-water supplies of at least 41 million Americans.”* Denver was listed as having antibiotics in its water supply. There is currently debate as to whether these pharmaceutical levels are considered harmful. Last year, the director of environmental technology for Merck & Co. Inc., addressed pharmaceutical contaminants by saying, "… there is genuine concern that these compounds, in the small concentrations that they're at, could be causing impacts to human health or to aquatic organisms."* Other experts are saying there is no concrete evidence demonstrating these pharmaceuticals pose a significant health risk to humans.

Nonetheless, many people will want to protect their drinking water and eliminate any risk altogether. Kinetico’s Purefecta is proven to remove bacterial, viral and pharmaceutical contaminants and is now available to Denver and Front Range residents. Those interested can visit www.kineticodenver.com, or call 1-866-688-9283 to schedule a free analysis of their home’s water quality.

*Source: The Associated Press 3/10/08