e. Coli Bottled Water Recall

If the environmental impact of plastic water bottles, economic cost of buying bottled water, and health concerns about potentially toxic endocrine disruptors leaching into bottled water doesn’t get you to choose filtered tap water, maybe this will: Last week, 14 brands were recalled because of e.Coli contamination.

All of the bottled water brands were produced by Niagara, which posted a recall statement on its website but declined to name names. A USA Today story listed them as Acadia, Acme, Big Y, Best Yet, 7-11, Niagara, Nature’s Place, Pricerite, Superchill, Morning Fresh, Shaws, Shoprite, Western Beef Blue (really?) and Wegmans.

Since bottled water manufacturers aren’t required to test or disclose findings about the purity of their product–unlike municipal water, which is tested regularly and posted by the Environmental Protection Agency–I’m not surprised.

Once again, with feeling: The safest drinking water comes from the tap, not the bottle.