People dont tend to think about where bottled water comes from, or the complications of the bottling process. The first concern is with its safety, taste and cost. Many consumers dont realize that bottled water is marketed and sold in various categories based on the source of the water and how it is treated. This explains why your grocery store carries water with some combination of the following labels attached: artesian, flouridated, ground, mineral, purified, sparkling, spring, sterile and well water. If the bottled water is sold with anything extra added, such as minerals, chemicals, or flavoring, these ingredients must appear on the label. Whether or not these various ingredients are added by the bottler or are present thanks to Mother Nature (sodium, radon, sulfates), they must meet allowable levels as outlined by the FDA or state regulations (if applicable). Many consumers regard bottled water as less healthy than distilled water, despite the filtration methods used in the bottling process. This mindset stems from the simple fact that filtration cannot remove all the impurities present in water; only distillation has the capability to produce perfectly pure water. Filters may clog or be poorly cleaned and maintained. This means the filter can become a breeding ground for bacteria, creating water more contaminated than the source water. Charcoal filters improve the taste and water odor, but ultimately do little more than disguise the fact that the drinking water is contaminated. Just because water looks fine, smells fine and tastes fine, does not always mean that it is fine. Reverse osmosis systems also rely on charcoal activated filters , which dont remove pollutants and contaminants that can only be removed by the distillation process. During distillation, tap water is heated in a stainless steel vaporizing chamber until it becomes sterilized steam. The pure steam vapor is condensed back to its original state but without the chemicals, toxins and pollutants. No other process of water filtration is as effective.
