Mineral Water Myths
Myth 1 - Spring water is the subject of many popular misconceptions. For example, many people believe spring water is actually "pure" water. On the contrary, spring waters contain many of the same impurities and contaminants found in drilled wells or even tap water. Water purity is often represented numerically by "Total Dissolved Solids," or TDS, which measures the concentration of soluble impurities in pure H2O. On average, the purity of spring water is roughly comparable to tap water on a TDS basis.
How, then, can spring water bottlers advertise their product as "100% pure" spring water? As it turns out, the term "100% pure" refers not to the lack of impurities in the water, but to the source of the water. That is, 100% of the water in the bottle came from an underground source rather than a surface water source. These cleverly worded claims may be legally permissible, but many people find them misleading, to say the least.
Myth 2 - "Natural" - Another adjective which seems to pop up frequently in spring water advertising is "natural." While this term may conjure up images of a pristine wilderness setting, the fact is that "natural" could mean just about anything. This vague term even applies to tap water, since tap water is ultimately derived from a "natural" source. Come to think of it, what's an "unnatural" water?
Myth 3 - "Protected source" is yet another spring water sales claim that can be easily misinterpreted. When most people hear this term, the common image is a remote mountain spring, miles from the nearest civilization. The reality is more likely to be a locally drilled well and pumping station surrounded by a chain link fence. Hence, the "protected" source!
