TOXIN LEACHES INTO BOTTLED WATER

Jan 20, 2006
London Free Press
Randy Richmond

A study headed by Londoner William Shotyk, director of the Institute of Environmental Geochemistry at the University of Heidelberg in Germany, was cited as finding that bottled water in Canada -- advertised as especially clean and pure -- contains higher levels of a deadly toxin than groundwater and even tap water, because the polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, bottles leach a deadly toxin called antimony into the water, adding, "I don't want to shock people, but here's what I know: antimony is being continuously released into bottled drinking water. The water in PET bottles is contaminated."

Elizabeth Griswold, executive director of the Canadian Bottled Water Association, was cited as saying the levels of antimony found in the study are well below Health Canada accepted levels, adding, "The levels do not pose a risk to humans. They are simply trace elements.">

Shotyk was cited as agreeing the levels are much lower than accepted standards, but said his research shows the public, scientists and regulatory agencies should take a closer look at the safety of drinking water in PET bottles.

Levels of antimony rise the longer the water stays in the bottle, he said. "The point is that the antimony is constantly leaching into the water." Antimony is a brittle, silver-white metallic element used as an alloy in manufacturing.

His full study is to be published in the Journal of Environmental Monitoring.