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Next on the GAO's subjects for scrutiny comes drinking water. NBC's Tom Costello explained that municipal water supplies are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency whereas bottled water comes under the less stringent oversight of the Food & Drug Administration. For example, CBS' Kelly Wallace pointed out, "tap water must be tested in certified labs; not the case with bottled water. Tap is checked for maximum levels of phthalates, potentially dangerous chemicals; not bottled." Elisabeth Leamy filed for ABC's A Closer Look and told us that fully 45% of all bottled water is taken from municipal supplies. Some is subsequently further filtered; some is not. Yet FDA labeling rules do not require disclosure of "where the water comes from, how it is treated, or whether it is treated at all."
Bottled water is big business. CBS estimated its sales at $22bn annually. ABC put the number at $16bn. Yet with water in bottles costing 1,900 times more than water from a tap, CBS' Wallace noted that sales stopped growing in 2007. "The industry blames the recession."
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