October, 15 2008, 05:04pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
EWG Public Affairs, (202) 667-6982 or (202) 441-6214
Bottled Water Lobby's Misinformation Campaign
IBWA Claims Tests Show No Contaminants, But Test Results Nowhere to Be Found
WASHINGTON
Yesterday, the lobby group for the bottled water industry used
untruths, misleading statements and claims that were outright wrong in
its attempt to dispel a study by Environmental Working Group (EWG) that found harmful chemicals in a number of popular U.S. brands.
Unfortunately, the list of false and misleading statements made by
the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) is rather long, but
EWG prides itself on using the most accurate data in its research and
setting the record straight with most accurate information available.
IBWA: EWG tests show that two bottled water samples did not meet a California state standard for one regulated substance.
Fact: EWG tests show that three bottled water samples from two
cities exceeded limits for known and suspected carcinogens set by
California's Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act (also known
as Proposition 65) and the California health code on two counts:
- One chemical, bromodichloromethane, which the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency has labeled a known carcinogen and which was found at
levels three to five times higher than California's Proposition 65
safety standard. - A family of chemicals, trihalomethanes, which the EPA, California
authorities and other governmental and international bodies consider
cancer-causing by-products of municipal water treatment.
IBWA: The California requirement for trihalomethanes is eight
times lower than the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standard
of quality for bottled water and the EPA maximum contaminant level for
tap water.
Fact: The California safety standard for trihalomethanes is
more protective of California citizens than federal standards set more
than a decade ago. The EPA says that consumption of chemicals in this
family poses a risk for potential health effects, including "liver,
kidney or central nervous system problems; increased risk of cancer."
IBWA appears to have shifted its position overnight. Its initial
statement, above, released October 14, suggested that California's
safety standard for trihalomethanes is too high. But the next day, Joe
Doss, president of the International Bottled Water Association, was
quoted by MS-NBC as saying he would not defend any company that is
exceeding the standard in California. "If they have exceeded it, they
should meet it," he said, according to MS-NBC.
IBWA: The EWG report is based on the faulty premise that if
any substance is present in a bottled water product, even if it does
not exceed the established regulatory limit or no standard has been
set, then it's a health concern.
Fact: The EWG report clearly identifies the levels of
pollutants detected in bottled water samples and the federal and state
legal standards for those pollutants, but it also acknowledges that the
health effects of life-long exposure to this mixture of pollutants are
not known. EWG's position is that consumers have a right to know about
all the contaminants present in bottled water.
IBWA: EWG claims that the presence of bacteria, measured by
the HPC (heterotrophic plate count) method, is a contaminant. But these
levels did not exceed any state or federal standard, and bacteria are
commonly found at these same levels in many foods, with no adverse
health consequences.
Fact: EPA clearly states on its Safewater website
that the presence of bacteria, measured by the HPC method, serves as an
indicator of the overall hygiene at the production site. EWG measured
bacteria in the context of EPA's judgment that "the lower the
concentration of bacteria in drinking water, the better maintained the
water system is."
IBWA: The IBWA Code of Practice limit for trihalomethanes is
the same as the California standard. However, neither of the two brands
mentioned by the EWG was made by IBWA members. The decision to set the
IBWA standard at this level was made to ensure that IBWA members who
complied with its Code of Practice requirements would meet all state
and federal bottled water regulations.
Fact: This argument is simply spurious. IBWA cannot have it
both ways. It is consumer deception to say that IBWA members must meet
the 10 parts-per-billion California standard for trihalomethanes but
that it is perfectly fine for producers who are not members to sell a
product that fails the standard, in these cases quite dramatically. The
state of California has conducted rigorous risk assessments that are
the foundation of its drinking water standards. By adopting them, the
IBWA is implicitly endorsing the science that supports them and the
state of California's judgment that higher levels pose cancer risks
sufficient to require a warning under state law. The notion put forth
by IBWA that this standard is arbitrary and that outside of California
only bottled water produced by member companies must comply would be
laughable if it were not for the fact that the contaminants in question
are serious cancer-causing compounds. EWG welcomes IBWA's adoption of
the California standard for its own members. But until all IBWA members
label their products as complying with the high California/IBWA
standard, consumers have no idea whether they are buying a product made
by an IBWA member.
IBWA: IBWA supports a consumer's right to clear, accurate and
comprehensive information about the bottled water products they
purchase. All packaged foods and beverages, including bottled water,
are subject to extensive FDA labeling requirements that provide
consumers with a great deal of product quality information. In
addition, virtually all bottled water products include a phone number
on the label that consumers can use to contact the company.
Fact: It is not sufficient or relevant for bottled water to
meet the same standards as cookies and cake mix. Bottled water should
be held to the same disclosure provisions as tap water. Bottlers should
disclose on the label the source of the water, the specific filtration
method used, the frequency and type of contaminant testing conducted
and the results.
IBWA: Consumers should search for information not on the
label via a request to the bottler, and if the bottler declines to
provide that information, the consumer can choose another brand.
Fact: The IBWA's position is the same as EWG's: Buyer Beware
IBWA: Bottled water is not simply tap water in a bottle.
Bottled water companies that use municipal source water often treat and
purify the water, employing processes such as reverse osmosis and
distillation before it is bottled and delivered to consumers as a
packaged food product. The product will be labeled as "purified water,"
or alternatively, "reverse osmosis water" if it is treated by reverse
osmosis or "distilled water" if it treated by distillation. If bottled
water is sourced from a municipal water system and has not been further
treated, FDA requires the label to state that it is from a municipal or
community water system.
Fact: Consumers need to know the precise source of the water
they drink and the results of all contaminant testing. Simply naming a
type of treatment means nothing to the average consumer. By claiming to
use treatment, the companies can avoid disclosing the source of their
water. And there is nothing in the FDA rules to guarantee that the
bottler has used high-quality, effective treatment.
IBWA: In addition to federal and state regulations, members
of the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) are required to
adhere to standards in the IBWA Bottled Water Code of Practice that, in
several cases, are stricter than FDA and state bottled water
regulations. The IBWA Bottled Water Code of Practice is enforced
through a mandatory, annual, unannounced plant inspection by an
independent, third party organization.
Fact: EWG supports IBWA's efforts to promote stricter
standards. But the IBWA does not represent the entire bottled water
industry and cannot vouch for the safety and purity of bottled water
produced by non-IBWA members. Since labels do not routinely disclose
IBWA membership, the consumer has no way to distinguish brands that
adhere to IBWA standards from those that do not.
IBWA: EWG was critical of the bottled water brands found to
contain fluoride, although the levels of fluoride found in the bottled
water tested by the EWG were in compliance with the FDA standards.
Fact: Neither the FDA nor other authorities offer a
one-size-fits-all safety standard for fluoride. The U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention warns that babies and young children who
consume too much fluoride can develop a form of permanent tooth damage
called enamel fluorosis and estimates that 1/3 of U.S. children 15 and
younger have this condition. CDC cautions against mixing infant formula concentrate with fluoridated water.
The American Academy of Pediatrics warns against giving fluoridated drinking water to infants younger than six months, and the American Dental Association
recommends formula made with fluoride-free water for babies less than 1
year old. Bottled water brands that do not disclose the presence of
fluoride deprive consumers of their right to know what is in the water
they buy for themselves and their families.
And finally, can the FDA ensure bottled water quality and purity? Not so much.
EWG's Investigation found that the FDA has rarely inspected
bottled water plants - and if it has, to date it has not published the
results. FDA's website acknowledges that "bottled water plants
generally are assigned low priority for inspection."
FDA regulations require bottled water manufacturers to test their
product once a week for microbiological contamination but only once a
year for chemical contaminants and once every four years for
radiological contamination. Bottlers that process and package tap water
can obtain a waiver of federal testing requirements by submitting the
water quality report from the municipal water supply that is the basis
for their product.
NOTE: The IBWA recently brought on board Tom Lauria, formerly
the top spin doctor for the tobacco industry. We detect Mr. Lauria's
fingerprints on IBWA's rebuttal to EWG's scientific testing. In our
view, he has had extensive experience distorting the facts and
misleading consumers in an attempt to hide the truth about the industry
that pays his salary.
What is IBWA trying to hide?
From the IBWA's website:
"The career of Tom Lauria, the new vice president for communications
of the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA), spans 25 years
in some of the more challenging media relations and public affairs jobs
- such as work he did for The Tobacco Institute.... In his new position,
Lauria oversees the editorial content for IBWA's Web site, IBWA's
Bottled Water Reporter bimonthly magazine and the weekly e-mail news
alert Splash. He also is responsible for development of IBWA's public
affairs outreach." IBWA, June 2008
The Environmental Working Group is a community 30 million strong, working to protect our environmental health by changing industry standards.
(202) 667-6982LATEST NEWS
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The Guardian reported that "hundreds of members of the teaching cohort at Columbia walked out in solidarity with the students who were arrested" while "students put protest tents back up in the middle of campus on Monday after they were torn down last week when more than 100 arrests were made."
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"Procedural irregularity, a lack of transparency about the university's decision-making, and the extraordinary involvement of the NYPD all threaten the university's legitimacy within its own community and beyond its gates," they wrote. "We urge the university to conform student discipline to clear and well-established procedures that respect the rule of law."
In a statement early Monday, several hours before the walkout, Columbia University president Minouche Shafik—who last week enabled NYPD arrests of students at the encampment—announced in her first statement since the sweep that all classes would be virtual "to deescalate the rancor and give us all a chance to consider next steps."
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According to JVP:
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Critics on Monday condemned far-right Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for what one group called a "hateful and dangerous" campaign speech in which he claimed that Muslim "infiltrators" would steal Indians' wealth if the opposition wins parliamentary elections that began last week.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rhetoric against Muslims is extremely divisive and dangerous. It would only fuel more hate and violence against the already battered community. pic.twitter.com/KT36FVpS6u
— Raqib Hameed Naik (@raqib_naik) April 21, 2024
Members of Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)—which does enjoy the support of a significant number of Indian Muslims—have often portrayed Muslims as outsiders. BJP officials have also pushed a baseless conspiracy narrative roughly analogous to U.S. white supremacists' "great replacement" theory, in this case positing that Muslim migrants and rapidly reproducing Indian Muslims will eventually outnumber Hindus—who make up around 80% of the country's 1.4 billion people.
Modi's remarks came a day after India's seven-step election of 543 members of the Lok Sabha, or lower legislative house, began. Modi is running for a third consecutive term. He's being challenged by INC President Mallikarjun Kharge, leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha, the upper legislative house. Results will be announced on June 4.
Kharge responded to Modi's remarks by blasting the "panic-filled" address as "not only a hate speech but also a well-thought-out ploy to divert attention" by the prime minister, the BJP, and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)—a fascist-inspired political and paramilitary movement whose brand of Hindu supremacy heavily influenced the rise of the BJP.
"Lying for power, making baseless references to things, and making false accusations on opponents is the specialty of the training of RSS and BJP," Kharge said, adding that Indians "are no longer going to fall prey to this lie."
Indian journalist and
Washington Post opinion columnist Rana Ayyub said on social media that "this is not a dogwhistle, this is a targeted, direct, brazen hate speech against a community."
Thousands of Indians petitioned the country's Election Commission seeking punitive action against Modi.
"The prime minister, while campaigning... made a speech on April 21 in Rajasthan that has disturbed the sentiments of millions of Constitution-respecting citizens of India," one petition states. "The speech is dangerous and a direct attack on the Muslims of India."
Muslim groups around the world also slammed Modi's speech, which the U.S.-based Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) called "hateful and dangerous."
"It is unconscionable, but not surprising, that far-right Hindutva leader Narendra Modi would target Indian Muslims with a hateful and dangerous diatribe despite his role as the leader of a nation with such a diverse religious heritage," said CAIR national executive director Nihad Awad.
"We again call on the Biden administration to declare India a 'country of particular croncern' over its discriminatory and violent policies targeting Muslims and other religious minorities," Awad added. "Global Islamophobia is alive and well in India and must be confronted before it escalates to something even worse."
South Asia historian Audrey Truschke, a professor at Rutgers University in New Jersey, accused Modi of "straight-up fascism."
"Modi had a history of encouraging mass violence against Muslims," Truschke added. "So we should all take his words seriously."
Modi was chief minister of the western state of Gujarat in February 2002 when a train full of Hindu pilgrims was set ablaze, killing 58 people. The cause of the disaster remains disputed, but Modi was quick to blame Muslims for the fire. In a three-day paroxysm of intercommunal bloodletting, Hindu mobs murdered at least hundreds—and perhaps thousands—of Muslim men, women, and children. Many women and girls were raped. More than 250 Hindus were also killed during what came to be called the Gujarat riots, during which an estimated 150,000 people were also forcibly displaced.
A team sent by the British government concluded that Modi was "directly responsible for a climate of impunity" that enabled the pogrom. However, a special investigation commissioned by the Indian Supreme Court cleared him of complicity in 2012. Modi's alleged role in the massacre led to a U.S. visa ban during the George W. Bush administration that was lifted during the tenure of former President Barack Obama after Modi became prime minister.
Deadly violence against religious minorities and others has increased during BJP rule. And while the U.S. State Department has perennially criticized the Indian government's human rights record, Modi was courted by both the Trump and Biden administrations. Last year, the White House literally rolled out the red carpet for Modi, who was lavishly feted by President Joe Biden and invited to speak before a rare joint session of Congress. Several progressive lawmakers boycotted the address.
Earlier this year, Progressive International's (PI) executive body used Modi's consecration of a highly controversial Hindu temple on the former site of a 16th-century Muslim mosque destroyed by a Hindu nationalist mob as an opportunity to issue a warning about the accelerating erosion of democracy in India.
"The Modi government has made a decisive move to overthrow India's secular constitution in the name of a new Hindu supremacist nation," PI's statement asserted. "As prime minister, Modi has pushed this Hindu nationalism as India's dominant political force: banning the hijab in schools, introducing 'anti-conversion' laws, abusing municipal forces to demolish Muslim households and shops in cities, and pushing for a 'uniform civil code' in law."
Anti-Muslim speech has also increased dramatically in India, according to a report published earlier this year by the U.S.-based India Hate Lab. The publication detailed 668 incidents in 2023—75% of which occurred in BJP-ruled states.
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