[Loch-Ruadh] Fw: Bottled Water

[Rhonda New]

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Something for our fighters (and other good gentles) to think about.
/EH

      bottled trouble?
     Air Date: 2/27/2003
            Station: KXAS Fort Worth, TX
            Reporter name: Deborah Ferguson
            Reporter email: Deborah.Ferguson at nbc.com





     COULD REFILLING YOUR WATER BE DANGEROUS TO YOUR HEALTH? EXPERTS SAY WATCH OUT!






     You know that water bottle you refill all day long, trying to get in those 8 healthy glasses?

      Well, you could be doing a lot more than quenching your thirst.

      Before you fill'er up again, you may want to think twice! Health experts say reusing water bottles intended for single use can breed harmful bacteria.

      So, we set out to investigate just how many germs are on typical bottles of typical people who reuse and refill their water bottles in the course of their everyday lives. We asked 12 people to hand over the bottles they used for an entire week.

      The tests were overseen by Dr. Peter Kmieck, a microbiologist at Kappa Labs in Miami, Florida. His lab routinely conducts tests for the federal government. For the test, our subjects' bottles and water samples were carefully logged and tested for coliforms-a signal, Dr. Kmieck says, of something potentially serious.

      We also conducted the tests with the input of Dr Cathy Ryan. She is Professor of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. Dr. Ryan began studying bacteria growth in water bottles when her son's school asked for a water bottle at the beginning of the year, which was to remain at school and be reused over and over.

      She conducted tests and found fecal coliform in some of the bottles.
      For more on Dr Ryan's test, click here and the information will be sent to you.

      How does bacteria get on the bottles and in the water? According to experts, bacteria can feast on food particles, saliva and sweat that are deposited in reused bottles.

      The results?
      Out of the 12 water bottles tested, 6 came back with coliform bacteria too numerous to count.
      "The results were very interesting. Out of the gate, we had 50 percent of the samples showing to be non-potable," says Dr. Kmieck, meaning the water is considered undrinkable. "50 percent is a high number," he adds.

      Dr. Ryan adds, "If this was a domestic water supply or a town water supply, a boil water order would be issued, or the water supply would be shut down."

      Can it make you sick?
      Dr. Ryan says certain types of the bacteria could lead to diarrhea and vomiting, and that "you wouldn't actually be able to distinguish if it was from the water that you were drinking or from a touch of the flu that you got from someone else."

      So, what do our test volunteers think now? Most refuse to reuse.
      · "I will never reuse a bottle again," says Penny Angleton.

      · "Wow. "I couldn't tell anything was growing in there because it was just clear water," says Ted Kallergis. "That's really gross and disgusting. I'm probably only going to use the [bottle] once now," he adds.

      · "I'm surprised by that," says student Kate Devlin. She adds, "I'm going to start with a fresh bottle every time I drink it."

      · "It's pretty gross. I could be making myself sick from the water and never, never know it," says Cindy Napoles.

      · Student Mark McCoy vows from now on he will "buy a new bottle every day."

            This is not an issue about bottled water, but about people taking bottles and using them over and over again. Whether people refill at the tap, at the water fountain, or wherever.the source of the water is not the concern.

            The International Bottle Water Association says it's packing is intended for single use only. It says the bottles are not made for high temperature cleaning... and recommends they be recycled when empty -- not reused.


      Scrub and scour BEFORE you sip.

            So, how should you wash your water bottle? "Scrub it out with soapy water and let it dry completely," says Dr. Ryan.

            Dr. Ryan also recommends washing the bottle daily.

            Both Dr. Ryan and Dr. Kmieck say that cleaning your bottle in the dishwasher is not a good idea. "Some of them [the bottles] have a narrow orifice or a narrow opening, and thereby may be difficult to disinfect in the washing machine." He says dishwashers would be an appropriate way to clean wider-necked bottles.

            According to Dr. Kmieck, reused water bottles should be washed "at least every other day. I would say to use a disinfectant, such as a diluted chlorine solution, would probably be the way to do it."







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