US consumers have discovered high levels of arsenic in bottled water brands in the United States.

A new report published Wednesday by the journal Consumer Reports (CR), noted the presence of large amounts of arsenic in 11 bottled water brands in the United States.

According to the report, 11 brands out of 130 that have been studied by the organization, contain detectable amounts of the chemical. Six of them "had levels of 3 parts per billion or more (ppb)".

These marks are Starkeywhole foods; Peñafiel, Keurig Dr. Pepper; Crystal geyser Alpine spring water; Volvic, by Danone; and two regional brands, Crystal Creamery and EartH₂O.

The non-profit badociation noted that from late 2016 to early 2017, Starkey Water, has recorded more than 2,000 cases in which it has been detected that arsenic level It was above the threshold set by the federal government of 10 parts per billion (ppb).

One year later, internal tests Whole foods They showed that their mark had levels below the federal limit, but that they still represented risk for the health if it is consumed regularly. This has been emphasized by various groups of independent scientists, including CR.

The problem becomes alarming considering that in recent years the sale of bottling of water has increased in the country because of the concern of the population about quality of tap water. According to the organization, bottled water is the best-selling drink United States and, paradoxically, there have been cases in which the product contained more arsenic than tap water.

"It does not make sense for consumers to buy bottled water whether it is less safe than tap water"Said James Dickerson, scientific director Consumption reports.

"Bottled water, the product by which people pay a quantity of money, often because they badume it to be safer, must be regulated at least as strictly as thetap guide ", he added.

The report believes that the federal government should amend the limitations authorized to l & # 39; arsenic in the product and limit it to 3 ppb.

As part of the investigation, the federal government purchased two brands of imported water subject to an import alert, because arsenic level greater than of what is allowed.

The purpose of the alert is "to prevent the distribution of potentially counterfeit products in the United StatesAccording to the Food and Drug Administration, however, the organization said it was able to buy the products easily in retail stores located in two states of the country and Amazon. These marks are Jermuk and Peñafiel.

On the latter, Keurig Dr. Pepper, reported this week having performed new tests on the drink confirming levels above federal limit, An average of 17 ppb.

Given this figure, the company has suspended the production of bottled water for two weeks in his Mexico factory, which exports bottled water to the United States. During this period, he plans to improve the filtration at the plant to reduce arsenic levelsThe company said Consumer Reports.

"An arsenic level of 17 ppb is a no-brainer violation of the federal standard 10 ppb of bottled water, "said Jean Halloran, director of CR's food policy.

A problem consumer misinformation

A key problem, according to the organization, is that neither industry nor government informs the public about the quality of bottled water.

In addition, some States regularly independent tests about bottled water looking for contaminants, as they should the municipalities for tap water.

Among the problems that surround this situation is the case of California-based Crystal Creamery, which has the license has expired to sell bottled water since June 2018 and that still remains can find on the shelves some service centers.

Other independent studies have revealed disturbing amounts of arsenic. For example, a 2011 study by the Los Angeles County Commissioner for Agriculture, Weights and Measures found that bottled water from the grocery chain Trader Joe had 3.48 ppb of arsenic. As reported by Consumer Reports.