A two-year study by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) analysed ten popular brands of water. They found thirty eight chemical pollutants, with an average of eight contaminants in each brand. Further, more than one-third of the chemicals found are not regulated in bottled water. What types of pollutants did they find?

  • Disinfection byproducts
  • Urban waste water pollutants like caffeine and pharmaceuticals (Tylenol)
  • Heavy metals and minerals including arsenic and radioactive isotopes
  • Fertilizer residue (nitrate and ammonia)

    A broad range of other, tentatively identified industrial chemicals used as solvents, plasticizers, viscosity decreasing agents, and propellants