Summary
The Animal Based Nutrition Research Foundation (ABNRF) conducted independent laboratory testing of several popular bottled water brands to evaluate the presence of heavy metals, BPA, and PFAS. The goal was to provide transparent, science-based context around water quality and avoid fear-driven interpretations of contaminant detection.
Heavy metals such as lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and aluminum naturally occur in the environment, and health risk depends on dose, duration, and total exposure rather than mere presence. Most bottled waters tested—including Icelandic Glacial, Voss, Mountain Valley, Aqua Panna, Saratoga, and Deer Park—had heavy metal levels below the laboratory’s reporting limits, meaning no measurable concentrations were detected.
Two measurable findings occurred in plastic bottled waters: arsenic in Fiji water (1.02 ppb) and aluminum in Evian (403 ppb). These values remain well below EPA health-based safety limits for drinking water. The study also detected trace BPA in Evian and Voss and trace PFAS in Fiji, but these levels were near laboratory detection thresholds and below reporting limits, indicating extremely small concentrations.
The report emphasizes that bottled water typically contributes very little to total heavy metal exposure compared with foods such as rice or grains, which can contain far higher levels. Risk assessment should therefore consider overall dietary exposure, frequency of intake, and nutritional status, rather than isolated measurements.
Overall, the findings suggest that the bottled waters tested pose very low contaminant exposure, and most detected substances were far below regulatory thresholds. The authors stress the importance of independent testing and proper context when interpreting environmental contaminant data, noting that regulatory warnings such as California’s Prop 65 reflect conservative precautionary policies rather than direct health danger.