From: unLtd Spice Art [Poppy8sd@dslextreme.com]
Sent: Friday, June 15, 2001 11:50 PM
To: fdadockets@oc.fda.gov
Subject: BOTTLED WATER CHANGES - Lauren Posnick @FDA 6-11-01

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES  
21 CFR Parts 129 and 165  
[Docket No. 01N-0126] 
AGENCY:  Food and Drug Administration 
HHS. ACTION:  Direct final rule
 Beverages:  Bottled Water
                                                                        3rd E-mail
Lauren Posnick
Center for Food Safety - Applied Nutrition (HFS-306)
Food and Drug Administration
200 C Street SW
Washington DC 20204 202-358-3568
    
    To  Lauren Posnick:

         Do the proposed changes mean that FDA intends to allow 
     bottlers to do to bottled water what EPA has done to tap water?
    "DBP's are chemicals that result from the unintentional 
     interaction of disinfectants...in the water supply...DBP's 
     include bromate, chlorite, HAA5, and TTHM...chlorine-based 
     disinfectants chlorine, chloramine, and chlorine dioxide, chloroform 
      (a byproduct of treatment with chlorine) and bromate (a byproduct of ozonation). 
      Both disinfectants and DBP's can have adverse health effects 
      (59 FR 38668 at 38679-38710)"
     
      "...drinking water regulations (NPDWR's) are issued by EPA 
      to protect the public health from the adverse effects of
      contaminants 
      in drinking water...which are not regulatory requirements 
      but rather are nonenforceable health goals."
     
      Americans individually are doing whatever they can to avoid      
  the consequences of toxic chemicals, unchecked rampant 
  industrial discharge, powerful carcinogenic "disinfectants" 
  --EPA's water "goals" are utter failure.  i.e. EPA has done nothing to stop US Navy discharges of pollutants into San Diego waters every week, even though permits expired over two years ago.  

       For Millions of Americans that means buying bottled water 
  daily in the belief and the hope that it is safer and it is cleaner 
  than municipal drinking water.  Even if residential water filters screened out the 79 known contaminants in drinking water, 
  many, including working-class poor, can not afford to buy them.  
       FDA has a mandate not to permit any known carcinogen 
  in any product which is consumed.  Some other government
  agency violating its department's mandate is no justification 
  for FDA to do the same.  Permitting carcinogenic contaminants 
  in bottled water is violation of mandate, violation of laws, 
  violation of Americans' right to clean water.
   
  Proposed Changes to Standards for Bottled Water:

  *  Lowered to standards no better than EPA "goals"
  *  Permit known carcinogens in water
  *  Predictable harm to adults, children 
  *  Allows bottlers to police themselves
  *  Requires only a single toxins test per year
  *  Fails to require labeling contaminant kind, quantity 
  *  Allows bottlers to ship untested water
  *  No consequence-enforcement-penalty if bottlers exceed
          contaminant levels
  *  No publicity / advance notice to public of proposal 
  *  Violation of FDA mandate 

       This life-threatening change will be shocking disturbing 
  news to American public.  For ALL of these:

          the proposal is inappropriate, illegal and unacceptable.  

      This is to request:  comment deadline be kept open for 
  proposed changes, to allow time for scientific community, 
  consumer organizations and congressional representatives 
  to examine and comment on this serious threat to health. 
  The media possibly also have interest.

   Sincerely,

   Diana London
   President
   unLtd Spice Art