Web Extra Article - Health

Water, water, everywhere

Know what you are getting - and paying for

by Anne Stropel

H2O is the most abundant molecule on Earth’s surface. In its liquid form it is called water, in its solid form it is ice and snow, and in its gaseous state water vapour or steam. It is essential for all known forms of life on earth. Doctors instruct us to keep well hydrated - it is often recommended that we drink six to eight glasses of water per day.

About 71 per cent of the Earth’s surface is covered in water. However, 97.5 per cent of that water is salt water, leaving only 2.5 per cent as fresh water and two-thirds of that is frozen in glaciers and polar ice caps. Much of the rest is underground, with only a tiny fraction of the Earth’s water available for human consumption.

Though many places on earth lack adequate water supplies, here in Canada both tap water and bottled water are abundant and safe to drink.

In this country, bottled water is classified as a food and is subject to the same checks as any other food commodity. The Canadian Food and Drugs Act and Regulations do not require bottled water marketers to have a licence. However, as soon as the product is offered for sale, their facilities would be subject to regular inspection by the Canadian Food and Inspection Agency. Bottled water sold in Canada has generally been found to be of good quality from both microbiological and chemical standpoints, and is not considered to pose a health hazard.

In Canada bottled water is sold in sealed containers, in individual serving sizes or in larger bottles. They are usually labelled as either "spring" or "mineral" water. However, it may also be water from various sources that has been treated to make it fit for human consumption.

Bottled water is most often disinfected by exposing it to ultraviolet light or by ozone, killing harmful organisms, but is not sterilized.

Health Canada has put out a publication entitled Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality. For more information on bottled water in Canada, visit the Health Canada website, www.hc-sc.gc.ca, and go to Water Quality in the A-Z Index.