New Hampshire could soon require bottled water companies to test for and remove PFAS contaminants.Last year, the state set strict limits for chemicals in public water systems. Now, a bill is proposing that bottlers follow the same rules.“New Hampshire has the most protective drinking water standards coming out of the tap. We want to extend that to the bottled water,” said state Rep. Renny Cushing, a Hampton Democrat and the sponsor of the bill. Cushing’s bill is called the “Safe Bottled Water Drinking Act.”“People presume … that the water has been tested and meets certain standards, but in fact it hasn’t historically, but now we’re going to require it,” Cushing said.Last year, the state tested 20 different bottled water brands and found only one – from a company based in Massachusetts — with elevated levels of PFAS chemicals. That company shut down.Cushing said that if the bill passes, all bottlers that do business in New Hampshire would have to meet the state’s drinking water standards.“We’ve in fact received support from bottled waters in state,” he said. Out-of-state manufacturers are pushing back, saying new regulations would complicate production and distribution.In a statement, the International Bottled Water Association said: “It would also make it difficult for companies to provide needed bottled water products during emergencies or natural disasters in a state that has standards that are different from those required by FDA.”The bill could be voted on next month.
New Hampshire could soon require bottled water companies to test for and remove PFAS contaminants.
Last year, the state set strict limits for chemicals in public water systems. Now, a bill is proposing that bottlers follow the same rules.
“New Hampshire has the most protective drinking water standards coming out of the tap. We want to extend that to the bottled water,” said state Rep. Renny Cushing, a Hampton Democrat and the sponsor of the bill.
Cushing’s bill is called the “Safe Bottled Water Drinking Act.”
“People presume … that the water has been tested and meets certain standards, but in fact it hasn’t historically, but now we’re going to require it,” Cushing said.
Last year, the state tested 20 different bottled water brands and found only one – from a company based in Massachusetts — with elevated levels of PFAS chemicals. That company shut down.
Cushing said that if the bill passes, all bottlers that do business in New Hampshire would have to meet the state’s drinking water standards.
“We’ve in fact received support from bottled waters in state,” he said.
Out-of-state manufacturers are pushing back, saying new regulations would complicate production and distribution.
In a statement, the International Bottled Water Association said: “It would also make it difficult for companies to provide needed bottled water products during emergencies or natural disasters in a state that has standards that are different from those required by FDA.”
The bill could be voted on next month.
