By Go Green

Glacier Water Services was sued for consumer fraud for their vended water*
*Tests Show Many Machines Fail State Health Standards - Environmental Group Sues Glacier for Consumer Fraud

We know that in some cases water from vending machines have been found to have high counts of trihalomethanes (THMs), chlorination byproducts linked to increased risk of multiple types of cancer, miscarriages, and birth defects.**

**Press Release: Is Vended Water Really Chemical Free

Do you know how often the ones in your area are tested or maintained? Do you know what kind of filtration is used and whether the filters are changed periodically as they need to be? Do you know if the filters are NSF-Certified to remove the contaminants of health concern such as trihalomethanes, arsenic, mercury, asbestos, PCB's, lead and chlordanes?

If not changed at proper intervals, water vending machines can lead to contamination with unhealthy bacteria and fungii!***
***Drinking-water quality and issues associated with water vending machines in the city of Los Angeles.

For more information on how safe your vended water may be please read
Is Water From Vending Machines Really "Chemical Free?", a report put out by Environmental Working Group and Environmental Law Foundation.

And what about the plastic bottles you are refilling?

Do you know that many of the plastic bottles used to carry water to and from these machines and stores are not designed to be re-used and can actually leach plastic chemicals into the water after many uses? Unless you're using glass you may be drinking suspected carcinogens leached from the plastic bottles.

What about water vending stores? Are they okay?

I went to 2 water stores in my area and asked them whether the filters they used were NSF-Certified or not. They looked at me like I was from another planet. Enough said. It should be noted that they are regulated in California under the same rules as water vending machines, and we have already read above how well that is going.

If you insist on using water from a water store please ask the following questions:
1) Are you using NSF Certified filters? If so what are they certified to reduce? May I see the NSF Certificate for those filters?

2) Do you inspect and change the filters regularly? Can you show me proof of that?

Or, maybe it would be easier to just buy a Multi-Pure NSF Certified carbon block filter and/or Reverse Osmosis system, and not have to lug bottles back and forth from the store or machine! And this way you will know for sure that your water filter at home is changed properly and that it filters the contaminants you want filtered per NSF standards and certification!

The bottom line on this is that we just don't know what we are really getting when we buy water from water machines or water stores. If operated responsibly they might be okay. I for one am not willing to bet my health on it.

Two more very important points about bottled water vs. filtered water:

1) Multi-Pure filtered water is cheaper than bottled water. If you're buying bottled water you're probably paying $0.40 - $2.00 a gallon! But after you recover the cost of the system, your Multi-Pure filtered water only costs about 8 cents a gallon! Plus, there is the convenience of having it at your tap, saving you gasoline, time and effort to get to and from the store and saving you chiropractic or doctor bills from lugging those big heavy bottles around!

2) Multi-Pure filtered water tastes better than bottled water! You may not realize it now but bottled water has a the taste of plastic! Once you start drinking Multi-Pure filtered water you will notice the difference and when someone offers you a bottle of water you'll taste it and say (or at least think), "Wow! This tastes like plastic!" (Eccch!)

http://watefilterhealth.info