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Pure drinking water is the basic element in any health oriented way of life. Although there is a great deal of water in the world less than 3% of the world's 'fresh' water is fit for human consumption and most of the so called drinkable water is not pure.

For the consumer, there are really only three alternatives supplies of drinking water: Municipal tap water, well water and bottled water.

Although regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of the United States Government, tap water contains significant contaminants even after treatment and the pipes and other infrastructure of most municipalities in the United States add additional contaminants before the water gets to the consumer.

Most tap water supplies also contain significant chlorine additives to kill bacteria and chlorine ruins the smell and taste of the water.

Well water is not regulated by any agency and is often subject to industrial and animal (and sometimes human) contamination.

As a result of the many problems with municipal tap water and well water, bottled water has become a popular drink for human consumption. But most bottled water has contamination problems as well. The statement 'Bottled Water' does not guarantee purity.

In terms of regulation, only a handful of states have regulation for bottled water so this type of water can come from any source (even bottled tap or well water).

For water distributed through Interstate Commerce, the Food and Drug Administration of the United States Government does establish rigorous standards but this regulation does not apply to water bottled and sold within state lines. Any reputable water supplier subject to FDA regulations and testing will freely supply copies of the test results.

Some bottled water vendors merely pass low cost tap water through cellular filters (there are some vendors who merely pass tap water through wooden 2X4 construction material) and mark up the resulting contaminated tap water in bottles as much as 1600%. This practice is unethical at best and very misleading.

Recent studies have shown that as much as 25% of all bottled water is nothing more than high priced repackaged tap water.

And some studies and reports have revealed that some bottled water products that are not regulated contain as much as 1,000 to 15,000 colonies of bacteria per quart.

A number of suppliers of bottled water brand their water as 'Spring Water' but investigation has shown that there are very few good springs near large bottling plants. Since transportation of water is a critical cost element in the final price, the consumer must be careful to ensure that the water did indeed originate from a spring fed source.

It must also be noted that even if the bottled water did come from a spring, springs today are subject to significant industrial and agricultural runoff that causes contamination.

The only sure way to get a consistent source of pure water is by purchasing from a supplier that processes and purifies water. Many experts agree that a steam distillation process complimented by the addition of oxygen through ozonation creates the purest, freshest tasting water and there are a number of companies that utilize this water process. And unlike some bottled water companies, purified water suppliers have made a considerable investment in plant and equipment.

Rigorous FDA testing is utilized by the best purified water companies as a means to ensure that their customers receive only the purest water available.

When choosing any water supplier, the consumer is advised to ask to see the test results of the regulatory agency. If these results show any contaminants in the water, or are unavailable from the water supplier ' choose another supplier.