Reputed to Help Restore Energy, Vitality, and Combat Fatigue. While the IBWA voluntary code prohibits health claims, some bottlers still make such claims. Thus, representations about bottled water purity, premium and natural sources, and healthfulness remain extremely widespread. The FDA rules seem to have little effect on bottlers' claims of water purity and cleanliness. This claim is boldly featured on IBWA fact sheets and its Web site.
Bottled water is always high quality, whereas tap water is of inconsistent quality.
No waterborne illness has been traced to bottled water. For example, a bottled water-related cholera outbreak in U.S. territory in the Pacific was written up in 1996 in CDC's flagship journal, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report , and other outbreaks traced to bottled water in Portugal and elsewhere have been documented. IBWA also implies that bottled water is safe for the immunocompromised. There is no evidence that bottled water is truly immune from Cryptosporidium or Giardia unless it is fully protected and treated with EPA-CDC recognized best available technologies, and much bottled water does not receive this treatment. Indeed, internal industry communications highlight that IBWA is well aware that some bottlers do not use these treatment technologies.