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ABSTRACT:
Sales of bottled water have increased dramatically in recent years, with worldwide sales of more than $35 billion, largely because of the public perception of purity and safety and public concern about the quality of tap water. Presently, there are no Food and Drug Administration (Washington, D.C.) recommendations regarding temperature and duration of storage for bottled water once it is opened and used. The objectives of this study were to examine the effects of time and storage temperature on bacterial growth and characterize the types of microorganisms contaminating bottled water after drinking once from the bottle. Bottled and tap water were tested using standard microbiology culture techniques. The bacterial count in bottled water increased dramatically, from less than 1 colony per milliliter (col/mL) to 38 000 col/mL over 48 hours of storage at 37°C. Bacterial growth was markedly reduced at cold temperatures (refrigeration) compared with room temperature, with 50% fewer bacterial colonies in 24 hours and 84% fewer colonies in 48 hours. Interestingly, tap water resulted in only minimal growth, especially at cold temperatures (< 100 col/mL at 48 hours). These findings may be useful to increase public awareness and development of guidelines on storage temperature and expiration time for bottled water once it is opened and used. Water Environ. Res., 77, 3013 (2005).
KEYWORDS: bottled water, tap water, bacterial growth, safety, regulation, guidelines, International Bottled Water Association, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Food and Drug Administration.
doi:10.2175/106143005X73901
Introduction
Bottled water has become increasingly popular, with a current U.S. market of more than $5.7 billion and a worldwide industry of approximately $35 billion (Bottled Water Web, 2002). The market is growing at a rate of approximately 10% per year, and industry experts anticipate that bottled water will become second only to soft drinks as America's beverage of choice (Bullers, 2002; FDA, 2002). Such explosive growth in the bottled water industry is presumably a result of people's perception of purity, safety, better taste, convenience, and increasing public awareness of fitness and beneficial effects of drinking water on health. Furthermore, because bottled water contains no caffeine, calories, or sugar, it is used as a diet drink and is often viewed as a statement of lifestyle.
Americans are drinking bottled water in record numbers-approximately 18 bil. L...