Is your bottled water safe?

Congressional Report: FDA has little authority to regulate bottled water brands. Conversely, municipal water utilities are required to make test results public. Watchdog group's survey: Less than 2 percent of bottlers disclose important info.

Unlike tap water suppliers, bottled water companies don't have to have their water tested by a certified laboratory, and they aren't required to notify customers within 24 hours if they find elevated levels of contaminants.

While municipal water utilities are required to provide public reports of test results, bottled-water makers are not. (On the other hand, well water, which is found in many rural areas, isn't regulated as water provided by towns and cities is.) So although you may fork over a pretty penny for bottled water, that doesn't mean it's any better than what's coming out of your faucet. In fact, it could be worse and you'd never know it.

The new research is backed by a second report from the Environmental Working Group. The nonprofit advocacy organization surveyed the labels and Web sites of nearly 200 popular bottled-water brands and found that less than 2 percent disclosed three important facts that can affect safety: the water's source, purification methods, and chemical pollutants in each bottle. (See the full report on bottled water at EWG's Web site.)