Bottled tap water withdrawn after cancer scare

The world of bottled water is another world!

Earl

****


Bottled tap water withdrawn after cancer scare

Felicity Lawrence, consumer affairs correspondent
Saturday March 20, 2004
The Guardian

First, Coca-Cola's new brand of "pure" bottled water, Dasani, was revealed
earlier this month to be tap water taken from the mains. Then it emerged
that what the firm described as its "highly sophisticated purification
process", based on Nasa spacecraft technology, was in fact reverse osmosis
used in many modest domestic water purification units.

Yesterday, just when executives in charge of a £7m marketing push for the
product must have felt it could get no worse, it did precisely that.

The entire UK supply of Dasani was pulled off the shelves because it has
been contaminated with bromate, a cancer-causing chemical.

So now the full scale of Coke's PR disaster is clear. It goes something like
this: take Thames Water from the tap in your factory in Sidcup, Kent; put it
through a purification process, call it "pure" and give it a mark-up from
0.03p to 95p per half litre; in the process, add a batch of calcium
chloride, containing bromide, for "taste profile"; then pump ozone through
it, oxidising the bromide - which is not a problem - into bromate - which
is. Finally, dispatch to the shops bottles of water containing up to twice
the legal limit for bromate (10 micrograms per litre).

The Drinking Water Inspectorate confirmed yesterday it had checked the
Thames water supplied to the factory and found it free of bromate. Because
it is unsafe at high levels, standards for bromate in tap water are strictly
monitored.

Bromide is a naturally occurring trace chemical which has a sedative effect.
It is said to have been added by the British army to soldiers' tea during
the second world war to dampen down their lust. But when it is oxidised into
bromate it becomes "a pretty nasty carcinogen", according to David Drury,
one of the principal inspectors for the DWI.

"I've checked Thames water's supply this morning and it is free of bromate,"
he said.

The legal limits are set to have a wide margin of safety, and the Food
Standards Agency advice yesterday was that while Dasani contained illegal
levels of bromate, it did not present an immediate risk to the public.

"Any increased cancer risk is likely to be small. However the levels are
higher than legally permitted in the UK and present an unnecessary risk.
Some consumers may chose not to drink any Dasani they purchased prior to its
withdrawal given the levels of bromate in it," the FSA said.

Coca-Cola said it was voluntarily withdrawing all Dasani "to ensure that
only products of the highest quality are provided to our consumers".

On Sat, 20 Mar 2004 22:40:01 +0100, Earl Evleth wrote:

The world of bottled water is another world!

Earl

****


Bottled tap water withdrawn after cancer scare

Felicity Lawrence, consumer affairs correspondent
Saturday March 20, 2004
The Guardian

First, Coca-Cola's new brand of "pure" bottled water, Dasani, was revealed
earlier this month to be tap water taken from the mains. Then it emerged
that what the firm described as its "highly sophisticated purification
process", based on Nasa spacecraft technology, was in fact reverse osmosis
used in many modest domestic water purification units.

Aren't all brands of bottled water that very same thing? What we pay for
is really packaging plus the distribution costs and profit. Aren't all
the French water brands actually owned by the glass/plastic container
industry?

Arguably, tap water is much safer anyway. Bottled water ought to be
dated, stored in cool or refrigerated areas, etc.

If it's too old and it sat in a hot place for too long, you'll get scared
at the e-coli count. (Granted, most likely of the old, benign strains,
not the new nasty ones.)

On 21/03/04 1:16, in article ,
"devil" wrote:

Aren't all brands of bottled water that very same thing?

The gaseous bottle waters in France are taken from spring which have
naturally carbonated water. HOWEVER, in the processing they CO2 comes
out and has to be recharged at the end of the process!

The problem with these waters are if they have excess nitrates, which
are not good for us. I know of no scandal in France but would not
exclude one now an then. I think a distribution of a nitrate
contaminated bottle water in France was forbidden a couple of years
ago, it came from Bretagne where the water table is polluted
by nitrates coming form agricultural pollution.

One of the problems in Southern California is that the Colorado River
water has been contaminated by perchlorate from the Henderson Nevada.
This is a facility which produces ammonium perchlorate for solid state
rocket fuel. Waste material has gotten into the water table and this
has fed perchlorate into river.

So the irrigation water being used in the El Centro area is contaminated
to some extent. The Salton Seas is not contaminated, apparently there
is a bacteria which can exploit the perchlorate, which is a "energetic
material".

I don`t know where the problem is now and if the water is totally cleaned
up before human consumption in that area.


Earl

"Earl Evleth" wrote in message
...

So now the full scale of Coke's PR disaster is clear. It goes something
like
this: take Thames Water from the tap in your factory in Sidcup, Kent; put
it
through a purification process, call it "pure" and give it a mark-up from
0.03p to 95p per half litre; in the process, add a batch of calcium
chloride, containing bromide, for "taste profile"; then pump ozone through
it, oxidising the bromide - which is not a problem - into bromate - which
is. Finally, dispatch to the shops bottles of water containing up to twice
the legal limit for bromate (10 micrograms per litre).

Often wondered about the attraction of the word "pure". It was pointed out
in the aftermath of that story that the "purest" water available is sold by
Halfords (a motor spares and accessories store) for use in car batteries.
However, if you drank it consistently it would eventually leech out all the
essential minerals from the body. Ley's hear it for a bit of impurity in
life!

Following up to Earl Evleth

First, Coca-Cola's new brand of "pure" bottled water, Dasani, was revealed
earlier this month to be tap water taken from the mains.

they had another publicity disaster when the mains from the
reservoir burst and desani flooded our streets, pictures of
flooded homes with desani bottle superimposed in local papers.

Sunny delight, coke, desani, alll crap IMHO.
--
Mike Reid
"Art is the lie that reveals the truth" P.Picasso
Walking, Wasdale, Thames path, London etc "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" -- you can email us@ this site
Spain, food and walking "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" -- dontuse@ all, it's a spamtrap

Following up to Earl Evleth

I don`t know where the problem is now and if the water is totally cleaned
up before human consumption in that area.

I think coke ruined the water in the processing, our tap water is
fine as far as I know. (Bexley, Kent).
--
Mike Reid
"Art is the lie that reveals the truth" P.Picasso
Walking, Wasdale, Thames path, London etc "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" -- you can email us@ this site
Spain, food and walking "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" -- dontuse@ all, it's a spamtrap

Who cares? Turn on the tap and drink up.

Capitalist Pig


"Earl Evleth" wrote in message
...
On 21/03/04 1:16, in article ,
"devil" wrote:

Aren't all brands of bottled water that very same thing?

The gaseous bottle waters in France are taken from spring which have
naturally carbonated water. HOWEVER, in the processing they CO2 comes
out and has to be recharged at the end of the process!

The problem with these waters are if they have excess nitrates, which
are not good for us. I know of no scandal in France but would not
exclude one now an then. I think a distribution of a nitrate
contaminated bottle water in France was forbidden a couple of years
ago, it came from Bretagne where the water table is polluted
by nitrates coming form agricultural pollution.

One of the problems in Southern California is that the Colorado River
water has been contaminated by perchlorate from the Henderson Nevada.
This is a facility which produces ammonium perchlorate for solid state
rocket fuel. Waste material has gotten into the water table and this
has fed perchlorate into river.

So the irrigation water being used in the El Centro area is contaminated
to some extent. The Salton Seas is not contaminated, apparently there
is a bacteria which can exploit the perchlorate, which is a "energetic
material".

I don`t know where the problem is now and if the water is totally cleaned
up before human consumption in that area.


Earl

On 21/03/04 12:04, in article ,
"127.0.0.1" wrote:

as usual this has nothing to do with travel, thanks for the crap, earl


You don`t order bottled water when traveling???

By the way, what is your name?

Earl

"Mike O'sullivan" wrote
| Often wondered about the attraction of the word "pure". It was pointed
| out in the aftermath of that story that the "purest" water available
| is sold by Halfords (a motor spares and accessories store) for use
| in car batteries.
| However, if you drank it consistently it would eventually leech out
| all the essential minerals from the body. Ley's hear it for a bit of
| impurity in life!

From http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNew...368894-ap.html
The Food Standards Agency said Dasani may have broken guidelines designed
to protect shoppers from misleading marketing.
"This bottled water does not appear to follow our labeling guidance on the
use of the term 'pure,'" an agency spokesman said on customary condition of
anonymity.
"Consumers may not realize that there are three types of water sold in
bottles: natural mineral water, spring water and drinking water (which can
be tap water). If a product is not labeled as mineral water or spring water,
it will, in fact, be bottled drinking water."
The FSA's guidelines state the term "pure" should only apply to "single
ingredient foods or to highlight the quality of ingredients."
Since Dasani takes tap water, a pure product, removes material through
purification, then adds calcium, magnesium and sodium bicarbonate for taste,
it may not be allowed to be called "pure," he said.

Owain

Dans l'article , devil
a écrit :


On Sat, 20 Mar 2004 22:40:01 +0100, Earl Evleth wrote:

The world of bottled water is another world!

Earl

****


Bottled tap water withdrawn after cancer scare

Felicity Lawrence, consumer affairs correspondent
Saturday March 20, 2004
The Guardian

First, Coca-Cola's new brand of "pure" bottled water, Dasani, was revealed
earlier this month to be tap water taken from the mains. Then it emerged
that what the firm described as its "highly sophisticated purification
process", based on Nasa spacecraft technology, was in fact reverse osmosis
used in many modest domestic water purification units.

Aren't all brands of bottled water that very same thing? What we pay for
is really packaging plus the distribution costs and profit. Aren't all
the French water brands actually owned by the glass/plastic container
industry?

Arguably, tap water is much safer anyway. Bottled water ought to be
dated, stored in cool or refrigerated areas, etc.

If it's too old and it sat in a hot place for too long, you'll get scared
at the e-coli count. (Granted, most likely of the old, benign strains,
not the new nasty ones.)

In fact bottled water here in France is dated, and instructions for storage
and consumption are given on the bottles. For example, Contrex, a flat
water, says on its bottle: "To be consumed before the date given on the
bottle, and within 48 hours once the bottle has been opened." Badoit, a
gassy water, states: "To be consumed before the end of the month indicated
on the bottle. Keep out of the sun, in a clean, dry place with an even
temperature." Evian has instructions similar to Badoit's. I suspect the
same is true of all the brands.

Donna Evleth