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Drinking
water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at
least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of contaminants
do not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk. More
information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained
by calling the Environmental Protection Agency's Safe Drinking Water Hotline
(800-426-4791).
Water
is a universal solvent that naturally picks up material as it falls from
the sky as rain or snow, and travels over or through the ground.
Some of this water ends up as drinking water. The sources of drinking water
(both tap water and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds,
reservoirs, springs, and wells. As water travels over the surface of the
land or through the ground, it dissolves naturally-occurring minerals and,
in some cases, radioactive material, and can pick up substances resulting
from the presence of animals or from human activity.
Contaminants
that may be present in source water include:
(A)
Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from
sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations,
and wildlife.
(B)
Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally-occurring
or result from urban storm runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges,
oil and gas production, mining, or farming.
(C)
Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such
as agriculture, storm water runoff, and residential uses.
(D)
Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organics,
which are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production,
and can also come from gas stations, urban storm water runoff and septic
systems.
(E)
Radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally-occurring or be the result
of oil and gas production and mining activities.
In
order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulations
which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public
water systems. FDA regulations establish limits for contaminants
in bottled water which must provide the same protection for public health.
This
report is provided with the technical assistance of Consumer Confidence
Services, a division of MAS Technology Corporation, |
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