HHS HealthBeat (July 19, 2007)

Clean water

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

We expect to turn on the faucet or open the bottle, and drink the water. But keeping water safe to drink is a big job, and sometimes contaminated water causes illness.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says nearly 3,000 Americans were sickened by water they drank in 2003 and 2004. Researcher Jennifer Liang says water contamination can occur just about anywhere in the system, from the lake or the well to the pipes in the house.

Now, some people think only tap water can be contaminated and bottled water is healthier. Liang says that may not necessarily be so.

``Bottled water is generally safe to drink, and is regulated by FDA. But bottled water is not foolproof and can become contaminated – at the bottling plant, where you buy your water from, or even at home.’’ (11 seconds)

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: May 7, 2011