THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 7, 1996 TAG: 9603070658
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARY FLACHSENHAAR, SPECIAL TO FLAVOR
LENGTH: Long : 263 lines
TANYA JONES is hooked.
Every day she gets her 64 ounces, easy. First thing in the morning, the 29-year-old mother of three downs a glass of water. She sips water at her job as an office supervisor; at her workouts three times a week, and at home as she prepares dinner.
``It keeps my skin clear, it keeps me feeling good,'' said Jones of Virginia Beach. ``When I drink water, I feel like I'm doing something good for myself.''
She is.
Without water, we cannot live beyond a few days. In recent years, doctors, dietitians, authors and other specialists have stressed that water is vital to health. Yet most of us drink far less than the recommended 64 daily ounces.
``Water helps nearly every part of the human body function,'' said Felicia Busch, a Minnesota dietitian and a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.
Like a tugboat, water escorts nutrients and oxygen to the body's cells and carries away waste products. It helps convert food into energy, aids breathing, cushions joints and vital organs and regulates body temperature.
Water is indeed everywhere - it makes up 55 percent to 60 percent of an adult's body weight, and even more of a child's.
For some health conditions, water is like medicine. It is instrumental in the treatment of bladder infections, kidney stones, and dehydration that results from a fever.
Author and dietitian Elizabeth Somer even prescribes water to combat a simple case of the blahs in her book ``Food & Mood'' (Henry Holt and Co., 1995). ``Chronic low fluid intake is a common but often overlooked cause of mild dehydration and fatigue,'' she says.
Eight (8-ounce) glasses will do wonders for most folks. Women need less water than do men, because water is stored in lean muscle tissue, of which women have less. The elderly, who have little muscle mass, need more water than average. So do children, who have a high proportion of body surface compared to weight. Pregnant women need an extra glass or two a day. So do all of us, when the weather is hot, when we are drinking alcohol or coffee, when we are exercising or traveling, when we are ill.
To get into the water habit, Busch suggests filling a half-gallon container with water and refrigerating it first thing in the morning. That is your daily goal. If that half-gallon seems like an ocean, substitute fruit juices and clear soups for some of the water, Busch said.
But where do you get that water?
Most experts say plain tap water is fine. But there are myriad choices, from bottled water purchased in a store, to home delivery. WATER ON TAP
When it comes to tap water, bad news frequently bubbles to the surface.
In 1994, for example, 40 people died in Las Vegas from tap water contaminated by the parasite cryptosporidium. The water came from a utility that was in full compliance with regulations.
Another report says byproducts from the chlorine in our drinking water may be responsible for more than 10,000 cases of rectal and bladder cancer annually. (Other studies disagree.)
``The majority of the tap water Americans drink is safe,'' says Erik Olson, senior attorney of the Natural Resources Defense Council, an advocacy group that pursues standards for water quality.
He declines to name the best, or worst, systems in the country, but says he drinks tap water at his home in suburban Maryland but not when he's at work in Washington, D.C.
Fear of the unknown is one reason some turn off the tap, when it comes to drinking water. But the Environmental Protection Agency sets minimum national drinking-water standards, under by the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974 and its 1986 expansion. Eighty-four contaminants sometimes found in drinking water are given maximum allowable standards - with a large safety margin, the EPA reports.
By law, a water utility must periodically test its supplies. When a contaminant level has been exceeded, the supplier must correct it, and notify customers.
``So no news is good news,'' said Bojinka Bishop, director of public affairs for the American Water Works Association, a Colorado-based trade group.
``A public-water supply is a matter of public record, and customers are entitled to information about it,'' Bishop said.
If you are concerned about what's in your water, she said, call your local supplier to find out what's in the supply. If you are serviced by a private well, contact your city's health department for information on testing.
``It is much better to make a decision in an informed way, rather than to opt for a home filter or bottled water out of fear,'' Bishop said.
Others turn off the tap because of taste. In Chesapeake, for example, bottled water is a way of life for many because high salt levels make public supplies unpalatable.
``If too much salt or chlorine affects the taste of your water, then it may be time for an alternative,'' said Frank Scully, chairman of the department of chemistry and biochemistry at Old Dominion University and a member of the American Water Works Association. ``Otherwise, my approach is that tap water is good.''
Still, in 1994, Americans drank 9.7 gallons of bottled water per person, up from 4 gallons in 1984, reports the International Bottled Water Association, the trade group for the $3 billion-a-year industry.
Nationwide, about 700 brands are available, from generic jugs that cost pennies per serving to fancy foreign imports that wear Champagne-like price tags.
Taste is the primary reason so many consumers have substituted bottled water for tap, said Jennifer Levine, the association's director of communications. In bottled water, the disinfectant ozone, which leaves behind no taste or odor, takes the place of the chlorine used to disinfect municipal water supplies.
Health-conscious consumers also are turning to bottled water as a substitute for sugary, caffeinated soft drinks, Levine said. Still other consumers assume bottled water is safer than tap, she said.
But the Food and Drug Administration has followed standards for bottled water that are compatible with EPA standards for tap water, since 1975. The FDA requires that every bottled water be analyzed yearly for chemical, physical and radiological contaminants.
Like all foods regulated by the FDA, bottled water must be processed, packaged, shipped and stored in a safe and sanitary manner and must be truthfully and accurately labeled. Recently, the FDA strengthened these regulations by publishing standard definitions for different types of water, such as spring, artesian and well (see box, this page).
Eighty-five percent of bottled-water manufacturers also belong to the International Bottled Water Association, which sets even tougher standards for members. These include unannounced plant and product inspections by NSF International, a 52-year-old agency with no ties to industry or government. The agency tests and certifies products affecting public health and safety.
Many manufacturers of bottled water also voluntarily apply for an NSF seal, an additional certification program administered by the agency. If the letters ``IBWA'' or ``NSF'' appear on a bottle of water, the product has met high standards. However, some manufacturers have earned the seal but do not use it on their bottles.
``Bottled water is an extremely safe product,'' says Mike Miller, general manager of the bottled water program at NSF. ``In the bottled waters we've looked at over 12 years, we've never seen any herbicides, pesticides, lead or mercury.''
Most bottled water originates in protected underground sources, but about 25 percent comes from the same supplies that municipal utilities use. This does not mean the product is ``just tap water,'' said the bottled-water association's Levine. The water goes through a rigorous cleansing to remove chemical and microbiological contaminants, she explained.
The industry works hard to maintain its reputation, said Levine, adding that even the Perrier scare of 1990 was good news.
``When Perrier found elevated levels of benzene in its water, the company pulled the product off the shelves,'' she said. ``What most consumers didn't realize is that the benzene did not exceed allowable levels. The company just has extremely high standards.'' WATER-FILTER SYSTEMS
At least 7,000 water-filter products are on the market. ``Different technologies do different things and there is no one product that can do everything,'' said Nancy Culotta, general manager of the drinking-water treatment unit program at NSF International.
More than 1,400 water filters carry a certification seal from the independent agency.
``The consumer should first find out what's in the tap water by asking the local utility for an analysis,'' Culotta said. ``The local health department can help if you use water from a private well.''
Once you know if and what evil lurks, you can banish it, she said. Inorganic or heavy metals, such as lead, are best removed by a reverse-osmosis or distillation system. Carbon units are effective for ousting chlorine and organic chemicals.
The agency's seal indicates a filter does what it claims to do, that the accompanying literature is truthful and easy to read, and that the product is structurally sound and doesn't add harmful elements to the water. ILLUSTRATION: Graphics
Janet Shaughnessy/The Virginian-Pilot
[For complete graphic, please see microfilm]
HAVE WE GOTTEN THE LEAD OUT?
Most experts say drinking tap water is safe. Sometimes, however,
it can pose a hazard.
Too much lead, for example, can damage the brain, kidneys,
nervous system and red blood cells. Young children and pregnant
women are at greatest risk.
In 1986, the EPA banned future use of lead pipe and lead solder
in public drinking water. But lead can enter tap water in households
with lead pipes, copper pipes with lead solder or chrome-plated
brass fixtures.
If you are concerned, have your water tested. Call your public
water utility or contact the Division of Consolidated Laboratory
Services, a branch of the state Department of General Services at
(804) 786-7905 for referral to a local qualified private
laboratory.
If the amount of lead exceeds 15 parts per billion, the ``action
level'' set by the EPA, it is advisable to reduce it. You may want
to invest in a filter, but there are some simple things you can do
immediately:
Any time the water in a faucet hasn't been used for six hours or
longer, flush your cold water pipes by allowing the water to run
until it becomes as cold as it will get. Then, let it run for 15
more seconds. The longer water is exposed to lead pipes or solder,
the greater the possibility of lead contamination. (Flushing may be
ineffective in high-rise buildings with lead-soldered central
piping.)
Use only water from the cold-water tap for drinking, cooking and
making baby formula. Hot water is likely to contain higher levels of
lead.
Don't boil water longer than five minutes. Boiling concentrates
lead and some other contaminants.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
NSF International, a 52-year-old agency with no ties to industry
or government, gives advice on water-filter systems for the home. It
also publishes a list of filters that carry NSF certification. For
information, call (800) NSF-8010. Or write: NSF International, P.O.
Box 130140, Ann Arbor, Mich. 48113-0140.
The Water Quality Association, a trade group of professionals who
manufacture, sell and install water-treatment equipment, certifies
people who sell and install water filters, and provides names of
certified professionals. Write Consumer Questions, Water Quality
Association, P.O. Box 606, Lisle, Ill. 60532.
For more information on bottled water or to determine if a
bottler is an International Bottled Water Association member, call
the IBWA hot line at (800) WATER-11. To learn if a bottler is
NSF-certified, call (800) NSF-MARK.
For information on municipal water supplies in Hampton Roads,
contact individual cities:
Chesapeake - water and sewer customer service, 547-6352; health
department well inspections, 436-8672.
Norfolk - water quality, 441-5678.
Portsmouth - water department, 393-8561; health department,
396-6970.
Suffolk - health department, 925-2300.
Virginia Beach - public utilities customer service, 427-4631.
ABOUT BOTTLED WATERS
Beginning in May the Food and Drug Administration's new
guidelines for defining bottled waters goes into effect. They do not
include carbonated water, seltzer water, soda water and tonic water,
which are classified as soft drinks. Included are:
Artesian water - drawn from a well that taps a confined aquifer
(a water-bearing rock, rock formation or group of rocks) in which
the water level stands above the natural water table.
Mineral water - from a protected underground source. It must
contain minerals or trace elements that distinguish it from other
waters.
Purified water - produced by distillation, deionization, reverse
osmosis or comparable process. Water from municipal sources that has
been sufficiently processed may be labeled ``purified.''
Spring water - flows naturally from an underground source to the
surface of the earth. Spring water must be collected directly from
the spring or from a drilled hole that is adjacent to where the
water naturally emerges.
Well water - collected from an aquifer through a hole drilled or
otherwise constructed in the ground.
by CNB