By JONATHAN FOWLER Associated
Press Writer
GENEVA (AP)--Despite
perceptions that it's healthier, there is little difference between
bottled water and tap water--apart from cost--a conservation group
said Thursday.
``Bottled
water may be no safer, or healthier, than tap water in many countries
while selling for up to 1,000 times the price,'' the World Wildlife
Fund said.
Bottled water
is the fastest growing beverage industry in the world, worth up
to $22 billion a year, according to the fund.
A study commissioned
by the fund found the ``bottled water market is partly fueled
by concerns over the safety of municipal water and by the marketing
of many brands which portray them as being healthier than tap
water.''
The fund also
said bottled water sales were rising because people were worried
about pollution.
``Our attitudes
toward tap water are being shaped by the pollution which is choking
the rivers and streams,'' said the fund's water campaign director
Richard Holland.
But the study--conducted
by University of Geneva researcher Catherine Ferrier--said the
only difference between some bottled water and tap water is that
it is distributed in bottles rather than pipes.
But Stephen
Kay, spokesman for the International Bottled Water Association,
said the fund's criticism was misguided.
``The goals
are laudable, and we agree totally that people have a right to
clean drinking water,'' he told The Associated Press by telephone
from Alexandria, Va. ``But bottled water sales are a symptom of
the problem, not the cause itself.''
``The difference
between bottled water and tap water is that bottled water's quality
is consistent,'' he said.
But according
to the fund, regulatory standards for European and U.S. tap water
are tougher than those applied to the bottled water industry.
But Kay said
this was not the case.
``Bottled
water standards in the United States are at least as protective
as those for tap water, and the industry is making a concerted
effort to develop international standards,'' he said.
While agreeing
bottled water may be safer in areas where tap water may be contaminated,
the fund said boiled or filtered tap water is still a better option
for people on a lower income.
Buying bottled
water is ``not a long term sustainable solution to securing access
to healthy water. Protecting rivers will help ensure that tap
water remains a service which delivers good quality drinking water
for everyone at a fair price,'' according to the fund.
The group
added that 1.5 million tons of plastic are used to bottle water
every year. ``Toxic chemicals can be released into the environment
during the manufacture and disposal of bottles,'' it said.
But Kay said
the industry was serious about recycling.
``We are committed
to encouraging consumers to recycle, and to making our packing
even more recyclable,'' he said.
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