It reads: "BOTTLED WATER ONLY. No Water Cups Available!"

What do they think they are? An airline?

(Thanks, Michael!)

Here are a few choice goodies found in the water: Coliform bacteria, caffeine, the pain reliever acetaminophen, fertilizer, solvents, plastic-making chemicals and the radioactive element strontium.

All brands met the federal standards for drinking water, though researchers were concerned enough about two of the brands to release their names.

Sam's Choice sold by Wal-Mart and Acadia of Giant Food supermarkets contained chlorine byproducts above California's (stricter) standards, according to the Washington-based Environmental Working Group, an organization founded by scientists that advocates stricter regulation.

From USAToday:

In the Wal-Mart and Giant Food bottled water, the highest concentration of chlorine byproducts, known as trihalomethanes, was over 35 parts per billion. California requires 10 parts per billion or less, and the industry's International Bottled Water Association makes 10 its voluntary guideline. The federal limit is 80.

Water researcher Dr. David Carpenter, director of the Institute for Health and the Environment of the University at Albany, who had no role in the study, singled out trihalomethanes as the biggest concern because of strong research links to cancer.

"These are levels that should not be in bottled water," he said.

Giant Food officials declined to comment. Instead, company officials released a brief statement asserting that Acadia meets all regulatory standards.

Acadia is sold in the mid-Atlantic states, so it isn't held to California's standard. In most places, bottled water must meet roughly the same federal standards as tap water.

The researchers also said the Wal-Mart brand exceeded California's limit by five times for a second chlorine byproduct, bromodichloromethane.

The Environmental Working Group said it notified California's attorney general of its intent to sue Wal-Mart. The group wants the company to label its bottles in California with a warning of cancer-causing chemicals. Wal-Mart did not respond to a request for comment.

Ultimately, the researchers concluded that bottled water was, in some cases, no less polluted than tap water, and a waste of money. They recommended filtering tap water yourself.

Group: Wal-Mart, Giant bottled water shows more contamination [USAToday]

He writes:

Jay,

Thanks for alerting us to David’s discovery about Primo in “The Incredible Shrinking Water Bottle” post. First, we want to thank David for making the simple choice of choosing Primo over other bottled waters.

As your readers have pointed out, many beverage bottles alter when exposed to high heat. Because Primo bottles are made from a renewable plant-based natural plastic that is better for the environment that oil-based bottles, in some instances, exposure to high temperatures can alter the shape of the bottle. As with all beverages, we recommend storing Primo in a cool place. In addition, there should be no worry that any chemicals can leach into the Primo water. Rigorous testing indicates that regardless of temperature, there is no known leaking of chemicals from Primo’s natural, petroleum-free bottle to the water inside. Primo single-serve bottles are also 100% BPA free.

Thanks to your story, we will update the “frequently asked questions” section on our Web site at www.primowater.com to clarify these points.

Tim Ronan
Vice President Marketing and PR
Primo Water Corporation

Thanks for the clarification, Mr. Ronan. We also think that updating your FAQ is good idea.

PREVIOUSLY: The Incredible Shrinking Water Bottle

Editors,

I recently purchased a case of Primo bottled water. Like other products,
it's trying to a niche. Their spin is that the plastic in the bottle is
made from plants, not crude oil. Additionally, they claim the water tastes
just as good as the national brands. BUT the thing you aren't told is that
the bottle shrinks!

I left a bottle in my car while I was at work (I park in an open lot). When
I left work and got into my car, I noticed that the bottle was half its
original size. The bottle shrank after a few hours under the Houston sun.
Perhaps plastic made from corn by-products is not as durable as plastic
from petroleum. Whatever it is, I am concerned. If the bottle was full and
it shrank, it could have exploded from the pressure. Or it could have
gushed out as I was opening it. Because the plastic is so sensitive to 100
degree heat, it doesn't serve its purpose very well. And, this probably
means that toxins could be leaking out from the plastic.

Buyer beware!

I have enclosed a picture that compares the original bottle with the
shrunken version.

Thank you,

David

Degradable bottles seem like a good idea, we just don't want them degrading inside of our cars.

I'm was browsing my local HyVee (supermarket) and found one interesting deal. You can either buy their 15 pack "Best Seller" spring water for $3.88 or if you look down you will notice that the same exact 24 pack of spring water can be bought for $3.88. I know it might get confusing to compare unit prices or price per oz, but this is just ridiculous. I like how the box for the 15 pack says "NOW" right next to it, as if getting less for the same price is actually a good thing. I guess it is harder to carry 24 bottles vs 15 bottles, so you are actually paying for the convenience.

The confusion has put some companies in hot water. PepsiCo Inc.'s Aquafina brand and Coca-Cola Co.'s Dasani were slammed by consumer and environmental groups for failing to clearly note that their products came from water systems.

Aquafina, which adorns its bottles with a snow-capped mountain design, recently said it would revise its labels to include the phrase "public water sources." A Coca-Cola spokeswoman said there were no plans to put similar disclosures on Dasani bottles. Both companies cite local supplies as their water's source on their websites, though neither provides a detailed water quality analysis.

Right now, they don't have to. Bottled water is regulated as a food product by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, unlike public water systems, which fall under state regulation. The federal government doesn't demand the level of disclosure that the bill in Sacramento would.

Source of water would be clear under new law [L.A. Times]
(Photo: Getty Images)

[Updated to reflect correct location of incident—our bad; we misread the article dateline as the location of the incident and incorrectly wrote "Beijing" the first time around.]

As you recall, bottled water costs 1,000 times more than tap water. Places like New York have tap water just as good or better than bottled water. Add a home water filter, refrigeration, and the foresight to bring the water with you in, and bottled water starts to look pretty stupid.

Aquafina labels to spell out source - tap water [CNN] (Thanks to Jim!)
(Photo: Anthony, Baby)

Then we thought about how stupid it was to buy water from Fiji . Not that there's anything wrong with Fiji, but we don't need their water. We have water. So when we saw the following quote, we were glad we didn't buy water that had to be transported from Fiji.

And in Fiji, a state-of-the-art factory spins out more than a million bottles a day of the hippest bottled water on the U.S. market today, while more than half the people in Fiji do not have safe, reliable drinking water. Which means it is easier for the typical American in Beverly Hills or Baltimore to get a drink of safe, pure, refreshing Fiji water than it is for most people in Fiji.

Message in a Bottle [Fast Company via BoingBoing]
(Photo: rickabbo)

Should I buy bottled water?
You do not need to buy bottled water for health reasons in New York City since our water meets all federal and State health-based drinking water standards. Also, bottled water costs up to 1,000 times more than the City's drinking water.

Now, if we're talking about sparkling or seltzer water, that's a different story. We would pay good money to put a second faucet in our sink that dispenses carbonated water. — BEN POPKEN

(Photo: Spirit635)