WaterBlogged

(March 9) - A vast array of pharmaceuticals — including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones — have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans, an Associated Press investigation shows.
To be sure, the concentrations of these pharmaceuticals are tiny, measured in quantities of parts per billion or trillion, far below the levels of a medical dose. Also, utilities insist their water is safe.

But the presence of so many prescription drugs — and over-the-counter medicines like acetaminophen and ibuprofen — in so much of our drinking water is heightening worries among scientists of long-term consequences to human health.

In the course of a five-month inquiry, the AP discovered that drugs have been detected in the drinking water supplies of 24 major metropolitan areas — from Southern California to Northern New Jersey, from Detroit to Louisville, Ky.

Water providers rarely disclose results of pharmaceutical screenings, unless pressed, the AP found. For example, the head of a group representing major California suppliers said the public "doesn't know how to interpret the information" and might be unduly alarmed.

How do the drugs get into the water?

People take pills. Their bodies absorb some of the medication, but the rest of it passes through and is flushed down the toilet. The wastewater is treated before it is discharged into reservoirs, rivers or lakes. Then, some of the water is cleansed again at drinking water treatment plants and piped to consumers. But most treatments do not remove all drug residue.

And while researchers do not yet understand the exact risks from decades of persistent exposure to random combinations of low levels of pharmaceuticals, recent studies — which have gone virtually unnoticed by the general public — have found alarming effects on human cells and wildlife.

"We recognize it is a growing concern and we're taking it very seriously," said Benjamin H. Grumbles, assistant administrator for water at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Members of the AP National Investigative Team reviewed hundreds of scientific reports, analyzed federal drinking water databases, visited environmental study sites and treatment plants and interviewed more than 230 officials, academics and scientists. They also surveyed the nation's 50 largest cities and a dozen other major water providers, as well as smaller community water providers in all 50 states.

Here are some of the key test results obtained by the AP:

--Officials in Philadelphia said testing there discovered 56 pharmaceuticals or byproducts in treated drinking water, including medicines for pain, infection, high cholesterol, asthma, epilepsy, mental illness and heart problems. Sixty-three pharmaceuticals or byproducts were found in the city's watersheds.

--Anti-epileptic and anti-anxiety medications were detected in a portion of the treated drinking water for 18.5 million people in Southern California.

--Researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey analyzed a Passaic Valley Water Commission drinking water treatment plant, which serves 850,000 people in Northern New Jersey, and found a metabolized angina medicine and the mood-stabilizing carbamazepine in drinking water.

--A sex hormone was detected in San Francisco's drinking water.

--The drinking water for Washington, D.C., and surrounding areas tested positive for six pharmaceuticals.

--Three medications, including an antibiotic, were found in drinking water supplied to Tucson, Ariz.

The situation is undoubtedly worse than suggested by the positive test results in the major population centers documented by the AP.

The federal government doesn't require any testing and hasn't set safety limits for drugs in water. Of the 62 major water providers contacted, the drinking water for only 28 was tested. Among the 34 that haven't: Houston, Chicago, Miami, Baltimore, Phoenix, Boston and New York City's Department of Environmental Protection, which delivers water to 9 million people.

Some providers screen only for one or two pharmaceuticals, leaving open the possibility that others are present.

The AP's investigation also indicates that watersheds, the natural sources of most of the nation's water supply, also are contaminated. Tests were conducted in the watersheds of 35 of the 62 major providers surveyed by the AP, and pharmaceuticals were detected in 28.

Yet officials in six of those 28 metropolitan areas said they did not go on to test their drinking water — Fairfax, Va.; Montgomery County in Maryland; Omaha, Neb.; Oklahoma City; Santa Clara, Calif., and New York City.

The New York state health department and the USGS tested the source of the city's water, upstate. They found trace concentrations of heart medicine, infection fighters, estrogen, anti-convulsants, a mood stabilizer and a tranquilizer.

City water officials declined repeated requests for an interview. In a statement, they insisted that "New York City's drinking water continues to meet all federal and state regulations regarding drinking water quality in the watershed and the distribution system" — regulations that do not address trace pharmaceuticals.

In several cases, officials at municipal or regional water providers told the AP that pharmaceuticals had not been detected, but the AP obtained the results of tests conducted by independent researchers that showed otherwise. For example, water department officials in New Orleans said their water had not been tested for pharmaceuticals, but a Tulane University researcher and his students have published a study that found the pain reliever naproxen, the sex hormone estrone and the anti-cholesterol drug byproduct clofibric acid in treated drinking water.

Of the 28 major metropolitan areas where tests were performed on drinking water supplies, only Albuquerque; Austin, Texas; and Virginia Beach, Va.; said tests were negative. The drinking water in Dallas has been tested, but officials are awaiting results. Arlington, Texas, acknowledged that traces of a pharmaceutical were detected in its drinking water but cited post-9/11 security concerns in refusing to identify the drug.

The AP also contacted 52 small water providers — one in each state, and two each in Missouri and Texas — that serve communities with populations around 25,000. All but one said their drinking water had not been screened for pharmaceuticals; officials in Emporia, Kan., refused to answer AP's questions, also citing post-9/11 issues.

Rural consumers who draw water from their own wells aren't in the clear either, experts say.

The Stroud Water Research Center, in Avondale, Pa., has measured water samples from New York City's upstate watershed for caffeine, a common contaminant that scientists often look for as a possible signal for the presence of other pharmaceuticals. Though more caffeine was detected at suburban sites, researcher Anthony Aufdenkampe was struck by the relatively high levels even in less populated areas.

He suspects it escapes from failed septic tanks, maybe with other drugs. "Septic systems are essentially small treatment plants that are essentially unmanaged and therefore tend to fail," Aufdenkampe said.

Even users of bottled water and home filtration systems don't necessarily avoid exposure. Bottlers, some of which simply repackage tap water, do not typically treat or test for pharmaceuticals, according to the industry's main trade group. The same goes for the makers of home filtration systems.

Contamination is not confined to the United States. More than 100 different pharmaceuticals have been detected in lakes, rivers, reservoirs and streams throughout the world. Studies have detected pharmaceuticals in waters throughout Asia, Australia, Canada and Europe — even in Swiss lakes and the North Sea.

For example, in Canada, a study of 20 Ontario drinking water treatment plants by a national research institute found nine different drugs in water samples. Japanese health officials in December called for human health impact studies after detecting prescription drugs in drinking water at seven different sites.

In the United States, the problem isn't confined to surface waters. Pharmaceuticals also permeate aquifers deep underground, source of 40 percent of the nation's water supply. Federal scientists who drew water in 24 states from aquifers near contaminant sources such as landfills and animal feed lots found minuscule levels of hormones, antibiotics and other drugs.

Perhaps it's because Americans have been taking drugs — and flushing them unmetabolized or unused — in growing amounts. Over the past five years, the number of U.S. prescriptions rose 12 percent to a record 3.7 billion, while nonprescription drug purchases held steady around 3.3 billion, according to IMS Health and The Nielsen Co.

"People think that if they take a medication, their body absorbs it and it disappears, but of course that's not the case," said EPA scientist Christian Daughton, one of the first to draw attention to the issue of pharmaceuticals in water in the United States.

Some drugs, including widely used cholesterol fighters, tranquilizers and anti-epileptic medications, resist modern drinking water and wastewater treatment processes. Plus, the EPA says there are no sewage treatment systems specifically engineered to remove pharmaceuticals.

One technology, reverse osmosis, removes virtually all pharmaceutical contaminants but is very expensive for large-scale use and leaves several gallons of polluted water for every one that is made drinkable.

Another issue: There's evidence that adding chlorine, a common process in conventional drinking water treatment plants, makes some pharmaceuticals more toxic.

Human waste isn't the only source of contamination. Cattle, for example, are given ear implants that provide a slow release of trenbolone, an anabolic steroid used by some bodybuilders, which causes cattle to bulk up. But not all the trenbolone circulating in a steer is metabolized. A German study showed 10 percent of the steroid passed right through the animals.

Water sampled downstream of a Nebraska feedlot had steroid levels four times as high as the water taken upstream. Male fathead minnows living in that downstream area had low testosterone levels and small heads.

Other veterinary drugs also play a role. Pets are now treated for arthritis, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, allergies, dementia, and even obesity — sometimes with the same drugs as humans. The inflation-adjusted value of veterinary drugs rose by 8 percent, to $5.2 billion, over the past five years, according to an analysis of data from the Animal Health Institute.

Ask the pharmaceutical industry whether the contamination of water supplies is a problem, and officials will tell you no. "Based on what we now know, I would say we find there's little or no risk from pharmaceuticals in the environment to human health," said microbiologist Thomas White, a consultant for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.

But at a conference last summer, Mary Buzby — director of environmental technology for drug maker Merck & Co. Inc. — said: "There's no doubt about it, pharmaceuticals are being detected in the environment and there is genuine concern that these compounds, in the small concentrations that they're at, could be causing impacts to human health or to aquatic organisms."

Recent laboratory research has found that small amounts of medication have affected human embryonic kidney cells, human blood cells and human breast cancer cells. The cancer cells proliferated too quickly; the kidney cells grew too slowly; and the blood cells showed biological activity associated with inflammation.

Also, pharmaceuticals in waterways are damaging wildlife across the nation and around the globe, research shows. Notably, male fish are being feminized, creating egg yolk proteins, a process usually restricted to females. Pharmaceuticals also are affecting sentinel species at the foundation of the pyramid of life — such as earth worms in the wild and zooplankton in the laboratory, studies show.

Some scientists stress that the research is extremely limited, and there are too many unknowns. They say, though, that the documented health problems in wildlife are disconcerting.

"It brings a question to people's minds that if the fish were affected ... might there be a potential problem for humans?" EPA research biologist Vickie Wilson told the AP. "It could be that the fish are just exquisitely sensitive because of their physiology or something. We haven't gotten far enough along."

With limited research funds, said Shane Snyder, research and development project manager at the Southern Nevada Water Authority, a greater emphasis should be put on studying the effects of drugs in water.

"I think it's a shame that so much money is going into monitoring to figure out if these things are out there, and so little is being spent on human health," said Snyder. "They need to just accept that these things are everywhere — every chemical and pharmaceutical could be there. It's time for the EPA to step up to the plate and make a statement about the need to study effects, both human and environmental."

To the degree that the EPA is focused on the issue, it appears to be looking at detection. Grumbles acknowledged that just late last year the agency developed three new methods to "detect and quantify pharmaceuticals" in wastewater. "We realize that we have a limited amount of data on the concentrations," he said. "We're going to be able to learn a lot more."

While Grumbles said the EPA had analyzed 287 pharmaceuticals for possible inclusion on a draft list of candidates for regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act, he said only one, nitroglycerin, was on the list. Nitroglycerin can be used as a drug for heart problems, but the key reason it's being considered is its widespread use in making explosives.

So much is unknown. Many independent scientists are skeptical that trace concentrations will ultimately prove to be harmful to humans. Confidence about human safety is based largely on studies that poison lab animals with much higher amounts.

There's growing concern in the scientific community, meanwhile, that certain drugs — or combinations of drugs — may harm humans over decades because water, unlike most specific foods, is consumed in sizable amounts every day.

Our bodies may shrug off a relatively big one-time dose, yet suffer from a smaller amount delivered continuously over a half century, perhaps subtly stirring allergies or nerve damage. Pregnant women, the elderly and the very ill might be more sensitive.

Many concerns about chronic low-level exposure focus on certain drug classes: chemotherapy that can act as a powerful poison; hormones that can hamper reproduction or development; medicines for depression and epilepsy that can damage the brain or change behavior; antibiotics that can allow human germs to mutate into more dangerous forms; pain relievers and blood-pressure diuretics.

For several decades, federal environmental officials and nonprofit watchdog environmental groups have focused on regulated contaminants — pesticides, lead, PCBs — which are present in higher concentrations and clearly pose a health risk.

However, some experts say medications may pose a unique danger because, unlike most pollutants, they were crafted to act on the human body.

"These are chemicals that are designed to have very specific effects at very low concentrations. That's what pharmaceuticals do. So when they get out to the environment, it should not be a shock to people that they have effects," says zoologist John Sumpter at Brunel University in London, who has studied trace hormones, heart medicine and other drugs.

And while drugs are tested to be safe for humans, the timeframe is usually over a matter of months, not a lifetime. Pharmaceuticals also can produce side effects and interact with other drugs at normal medical doses. That's why — aside from therapeutic doses of fluoride injected into potable water supplies — pharmaceuticals are prescribed to people who need them, not delivered to everyone in their drinking water.

"We know we are being exposed to other people's drugs through our drinking water, and that can't be good," says Dr. David Carpenter, who directs the Institute for Health and the Environment of the State University of New York at Albany.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.

In light of recent cases of toxins entering tap water supplies in the Valley, O Premium Waters has developed an emergency response plan to help businesses and individuals who cannot afford to go periods of time without drinkable water.

During the last couple of years, public and private municipal water systems have experienced problems like pipe breaks and water contamination. The latest contamination involved a toxic chemical called TCE that entered the Arizona American Water’s supply to Paradise Valley and Scottsdale residents. This prompted many businesses to ask O Premium Waters for a plan of action if another ban on drinking tap water is issued. Hospitals and healthcare facilities especially asked for assistance, as they are required by law to have an alternative water source for emergencies.

“In the event that the city water supply becomes unavailable, like the water contamination issue in Scottsdale/ Paradise Valley a couple of weeks ago, and the City of Phoenix’s water scare in December 2007, an independent emergency water source should already be secured,” said Frank Leonesio, CEO of O Premium Waters, the largest home and office bottled water delivery company in Arizona.

The O Premium Waters Emergency Water Management Program models an accredited national response plan created by the Joint Commission, a nonprofit organization that regulates safety and quality of care in the healthcare industry.

The emergency response plan, which includes a one-time $9.99 registration fee, will provide water at a reasonable charge at or below standard rates since it is designed as a public service. In the event of a water emergency, the business or homeowner can call O Premium Waters and a representative will deliver packaged or water in within hours. Service will be provided until the public water system is fixed.

“This program is a proactive approach to ensure families and businesses have a sufficient clean water supply in the event of an emergency,” Leonesio said. “Most individuals don’t plan for water emergencies, yet the frequency of these occurrences accelerates due to water supply contamination cases and an aging water infrastructure found in every major city in the United States. Thus emergency water management has become a valid concern and a reason for preparation during the last couple of years.”

All businesses or residents in the greater Phoenix-metropolitan area are eligible by visiting the website at www.owaters.com and clicking on the Water Emergency link to register for this service.

About O Premium Waters
O Premium Waters, headquartered in Mesa, is the largest home and office bottled water delivery company in Arizona. In addition to home and office water delivery, O Premium Waters offers a wide variety of services, including, custom labeled bottled water, water softeners, de-chlorinators, a five-step reverse osmosis purification system and the Esßo Beverage System. For more information about O Premium Waters, visit the website at www.owaters.com.

ROCHESTER, NY — Expect continuing debate in the coming year over whether bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical component of polycarbonate plastic used to make water bottles and other products, has a negative impact on human health.

In a December 25 article carried by the Associated Press, writer Ben Dobbin notes that several retailers — Vancouver, British Columbia-based Mountain Equipment Co-op; Patagonia, based in Ventura, CA, a maker of outdoor products; and the Whole Foods Market chain — have made decisions reflecting their concerns about the substance.

Mountain Equipment Co-op, Canada’s largest consumer cooperative, has withdrawn polycarbonate bottles from shelves in its 11 stores while it waits for Canadian health regulators to finish a preliminary review of BPA in May. Patagonia removed polycarbonate water bottles from its 40 stores in 2005, and also in that year Whole Foods stopped selling polycarbonate baby bottles and children’s drinking cups.

Meanwhile, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the plastics and bottled water industries insist that the very small amount of BPA used in polycarbonate does not pose a health risk. In the bottled water industry, 3- and 5-gallon polycarbonate bottles that are returned, washed and refilled for cooler dispensing are viewed as environmentally responsible because they are recycled many times.

The Rochester area has a special interest in the debate, because one of the world’s largest makers of polycarbonate products, Nalge Nunc International, a division of Waltham, MA-based Thermo Fisher Scientific, employs about 900 at a suburban Rochester plant, the article said.

Recent efforts by states to regulate or ban BPA are inconclusive. For instance, California this year failed to act on an Assembly bill that would have banned various BPA-containing products, but the International Bottled Water Association and other industry advocates believe that proposal and similar ones in other states will return for consideration. The industry has formed a group, the Coalition for Consumer Choice (CCC), to oppose what it believes could be unreasonable and scientifically unsound regulation of BPA.

The CCC points to a 2007 report by a European Union panel of independent scientific experts who concluded that daily dietary exposure to BPA is well below any level that would cause risk to humans, including infants and children. It also says BPA has been used extensively and safely world-wide for more than 50 years.

Meanwhile, the AP article notes that an expert panel of US academic and government researchers told a National Institutes of Health conference in August “the potential for BPA to impact human health is a concern, and more research is clearly needed.” BPA is a hormone-mimicking chemical, the article said, and the panel cited evidence that Americans have higher levels of BPA than those found to cause harm in laboratory animals.

O Premium Waters Response...

In the past, O Premium Waters has used polycarbonate reusable bottles to deliver water to it's customers. However, over the last 3 years most of those bottles have been replaced by PET plastic bottles such as those used in small bottles purchased from the grocery store and PET has proven to have no scientific basis for health issues. While polycarbonate bottles may ulitmately prove to be safe after further FDA investigation O Premium Waters has committed to ending the use of those bottles for it's customers.

Best known for founding the highly successful O Premium Waters and Q The Sports Club, Arizona entrepreneur Frank Leonesio has launched his third company in the Valley with sights on redefining the beverage industry.

With 2008 projections set at $38M, Mesa, Ariz.-based Esίo Beverage Company is Leonesio’s latest business venture. Already successful, the company recently debuted its Esίo Beverage System to Arizona residents. The first of its kind, the Esίo Beverage System is an innovative beverage system that produces hot and cold beverages at the touch of a button. The system features purified water, premium blend coffees in regular and decaffeinated varieties, fresh fruit juices, gourmet peach and green teas, vitamin fitness water and four Sqwincher Lite sports drink flavors. Each beverage contains five calories or less per serving and is made in seconds, sized-to-order, all from one device that is delivered directly to customers’ doors.

Already installed in over 1,000 Valley homes, the Esίo Beverage System allows users to conveniently drop a small, flexible, air-tight Esίo-pak into the dispenser for fresh, sized-to-order beverages. With each three oz. Esίo -pak producing 18 six-ounce drinks, the system frees up the ever-crowded refrigerator, while saving families and employers time and money. Currently, O Premium Waters is installing the new Esio Beverage System at a rate of 500 per month.

“The Esio Beverage System offers today’s consumers an economical and eco-friendly alternative to store-bought beverages that’s fast, easy and convenient,” Leonesio said.

Recognizing the global demand for such a product, Esio will launch internationally in January through additional distribution channels including home and office delivery companies and a nationwide franchise division that will initiate in the first quarter of 2008. Unlike the single-serve systems currently on the market such as Tassimo, Senseo and Keurig that only dispense coffee, tea and hot chocolate, The Esio Beverage System has over 13 beverage varieties that are dispensed instantly. More beverage products are in the development phase to be distributed in 2008.

Seeing an opportunity to provide an environmentally-friendly solution to today’s bottle-hungry beverage market, Leonesio anticipates his third Valley business venture will add to his already successful portfolio. A Valley resident since 1997, in 2001 Leonesio tapped into the bottled water business founding O Premium Waters headquartered in Mesa, Ariz. Since that time, he has propelled the corporation to become Arizona’s No. 1 bottled water home and office delivery company and the fastest-growing bottled water company in the country. O Premium Waters services over 50,000 Valley homes and offices via a fleet of 75 trucks and vans and a support staff of nearly 250 employees.

Leonesio also founded Q The Sports Club, a national multimillion-dollar health club chain that launched in 1990 and brought one of the first high-end health club experiences to Arizona at an affordable monthly rate. Introducing five-star amenities complemented by state-of-the-art equipment, Q The Sports Club opened over 20 locations across the southern half of the U.S. from California to Florida, each with a premier club experience averaging 15,000 members per club. The successful company was sold in 1999 to Fitness Holdings Worldwide. Leonesio, a board member at Barrow Neurologic Institute, is also credited with bringing The Health & Wealth Raffle to St. Joseph Hospital, which has become the largest fundraiser for non-profit hospitals in the United States.

About Esio Beverage Company
With headquarters in Mesa, Ariz., Esio Beverage Company is the worldwide manufacturer and distributor of the Esίo Beverage System. The first of its kind, the Esίo Beverage System is a fast, economical and eco-friendly, space-saving system that features hot and cold beverages at the touch of a button, allowing households and offices alike to enjoy premium blend coffees in regular and decaffeinated varieties, fresh fruit juices, gourmet peach and green teas, vitamin fitness water and four Sqwincher Lite sports drink flavors. Each beverage contains less than five calories per serving and is made in seconds, all from one device. For more information, visit www.esiobev.com .

About O Premium Waters
O Premium Waters, headquartered in Mesa, is the largest home and office bottled water delivery company in Arizona and the fastest growing home and office bottled water delivery company in the world. Utilizing a unique 10 step purification process, O Premium guarantees its bottled water is more pure than any other purified water product available today. O Premium Waters owns the exclusive rights to sell the Esίo Beverage System and is the certified Esίo dealer for the Phoenix metropolitan area. For more information about O Premium Waters, visit their website at www.owaters.com.

First of its Kind Beverage System Makes Refreshing Debut, Launches Nationwide

MESA, AZ, Nov. 2 /PRNewswire/ - Conversations by the water cooler just got more interesting thanks to a revolutionary beverage system developed and distributed by two Arizona-based companies.

Esio Beverage Company introduces the Esio Beverage System, which is the first of its kind in the world that produces hot or cold beverages at the touch of a button including purified water, premium blend coffees in regular and decaffeinated varieties, fresh fruit juices, gourmet peach and green teas, vitamin fitness water and four Sqwincher Lite sports drink flavors. The company will introduce Sumatra and French vanilla coffees as well as old-fashioned lemonade later this month. Each beverage contains less than five calories per serving and is made in seconds, all from one device.

The company named Mesa, Ariz.-based O Premium Waters its exclusive distributor of the beverage system in Arizona for home and office bottled water deliveries. Esio will launch internationally in January 2008 through additional distribution channels including home and office delivery companies and a nationwide franchise division that will initiate in the first quarter of 2008. Unlike single-serve systems currently on the market such as Tassimo, Senseo and Keurig that only dispense coffee, tea and hot chocolate, Esio Beverage System has over 13 beverage varieties that are dispensed instantly and sized-to-order.

Through its trademarked drop 'n drink(TM) technology, Esio Beverage System allows users to conveniently drop a small, flexible, air-tight Esio-pak into the dispenser for fresh beverages that mix with water in mid-air as they are being dispensed, eliminating cross-contamination between drinks. Going from water, to cranberry juice to even coffee, each beverage delivers the same quality, without compromising taste. Ideally located on the front of the machine, the system features an accessible storage door that divides and organizes up to nine Esio-paks, making every beverage conveniently within reach.

As an alternative to store-bought beverages, the Esio Beverage System features the same superior quality taste, yet requires minimal storage space. Each Esio-pak produces 18 six-ounce drinks, ultimately saving room in the ever-crowded refrigerator. With three Esio three-pak boxes replacing over 60 half-liter bottles from entering the landfills, the Esio Beverage System serves as an active eco-friendly solution to today's bottle-hungry beverage consumers. Also, when compared to other store-bought, brand-name beverages, the Esio Beverage System saves consumers up to 33 percent in beverage costs.

"As the exclusive Arizona dealer for the Esio Beverage System, O Premium Waters could not be more excited about the system debut," said Frank Leonesio, founder and CEO of O Premium Waters. "The Esio Beverage System is a true revolution in refreshment, offering a new standard of beverage quality and convenience."

Featuring an effortless process for on-demand hot and cold beverages, the fast, convenient system is compatible with both purified bottled water and filtration systems. Offering a unique strength-selector dial, users can customize the strength and flavor of each beverage to meet the needs of their own personal tastes. With the product slogan "Always on, always full, always ready," the Esio-paks are delivered directly to customers' doors monthly and eliminate the inevitable grinding of coffee beans, brewing of tea and countless trips to the grocery store, offering a system that is perpetually ready to provide beverages of choice on-demand.

O Premium Waters has just secured the exclusive rights to offer the system to their customers, giving Arizona residents the first opportunity to order the system from O Premium Waters. The Esio Beverage System has already been installed in over 1,000 Arizona homes, reporting tremendous interest and positive feedback from the system.

For more information or to order the Esio Beverage System, please visit www.esiobev.com.

About Esio Beverage Company

With headquarters in Mesa, Ariz., Esio Beverage Company is the worldwide manufacturer and distributor of the Esio Beverage System. The first of its kind, the Esio Beverage System is a fast, economical and eco-friendly, space-saving system that features hot and cold beverages at the touch of a button, allowing households and offices alike to enjoy premium blend coffees in regular and decaffeinated varieties, fresh fruit juices, gourmet peach and green teas, vitamin fitness water and four Sqwincher Lite sports drink flavors. Each beverage contains less than five calories per serving and is made in seconds, all from one device. For more information, visit www.esiobev.com .

About O Premium Waters

O Premium Waters, headquartered in Mesa, is the largest home and office bottled water delivery company in Arizona and the fastest growing home and office bottled water delivery company in the world. Utilizing a unique 10 step purification process, O Premium guarantees its bottled water is more pure than any other purified water product available today. For more information about O Premium Waters, visit www.owaters.com.

I must admit to being conflicted about current discussions regarding the quality of municipal tap water versus bottled water. It is a debate the bottled-water industry, by and large, has left to others; members of our industry would rather sell the positives of their product – great taste, portability of the product, and the overall health benefits of drinking lots of good, clean water.

But recently the bottled-water industry has come under particularly harsh criticism for alleged gross waste and pollution. Critics fault the use of clean water resources by private enterprise, the cost of packaging, and the energy it takes to transport bottled water to market. And there is some truth to their arguments; it takes substantial energy and natural resources to manufacture, bottle and distribute our product.

However on the conservation side, one of our trucks can service 1500 individual households versus 1500 individual households driving their personal vehicles to the store to purchase the water. Just this one service alone saves thousands of gallons of fuel and oil each month. I also really want to buy into the ideal, as voiced my many city’s Public Relations staffs, that municipal tap water is “just fine” for human consumption as it flows virtually free from the kitchen faucet. Wouldn’t it be great if all sources for municipal tap water were pristine, easy to purify, locally abundant, treated only with absolutely safe chemicals and subsequently transported at low cost through completely clean pipes?

THE REALITY IS THAT BOTTLED WATER IS TRULY BETTER

Emotions aside, the reality is that bottled water is truly a lot better for you than municipal tap water. And it is not at all true that bottled water entails more cost to society than the cost of creating and distributing municipal tap water equal in quality to the variety of bottled water offerings.

First, let’s look at the quality issue. A lot of the “fresh" water our local governments use as a source for tap water doesn’t start out all that healthy for humans. Some ground waters and surface waters have naturally occurring and abundant organic and inorganic contaminants. In the western United States, many source waters have issues with arsenic and radon. Although this isn’t the result of human pollution--it occurs naturally--it is still bad for humans. In the Great Plains, where the water table is subject to rapid recharge and there is a lot of agricultural activity, water tends to be high in phosphates (fertilizer) and atrazine (herbicide). In coastal areas of the United States, you will often find high sodium and/or sulfur in local water. Everywhere, you find additives to the source water from human activity (bacteria), the burning of fossil fuels (MBTE) and chemical manufacturing and consumption byproducts (this list is far too long to cite here but you owe it to yourself to check out the EPA’s website).

Our local governments try to make their local source waters suitable for us by treating the water with chemicals like chlorine, lime and sodium hexametaphosphate, and by the sheer volume of water, it is hidden through dilution. Yes, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)--through the Safe Drinking Water Act--says it is legal to serve a vast array of inorganic chemicals to tap water customers as long as they are below the maximum contaminants levels (or MCLs) they set by rule making. Any municipality having contaminants in their tap water below these levels can proudly say to their customers their tap water is just fine.

EPA SETS STANDARDS FOR ONLY 35 CONTAMINANTS

But is it really? The EPA sets the bar for this reassuring pronouncement by creating MCL standards for only 35 potential contaminants. The process that produces those MCLs entails years of review and a lot of input from industry lobbyists as well as everyday citizens. If you have concerns about any chemicals other than those 35 (and, if you pay attention to reports of recent medical research, you probably should have concerns) then you are out of luck; the local water works isn’t even testing for them at any contaminant level.
I can say with complete and utter assurance that consumers of bottled water do not have to deal with questionable source water, adding potentially harmful chemicals, or limited testing. We know consumers will punish us, stop purchasing our products if we don’t provide them with something far better than what comes from the tap. Our company uses municipal tap water as a source but cleans it with 10 highly sophisticated filtration processes before putting it in sterile, sealed bottles in a clean room environment. Obviously, we don’t have to send that water to the consumer through several series of aged piping either. Speaking of water pipes, the Federal Government’s latest report states the average age of the U.S. water piping infrastructure ranges between 50-100 years old. The reported “fix” will surpass $1 Trillion dollars. O Premium Waters bottles approximately 1.5-2 million gallons of Purified Water per month, most of which is PUT INTO 5 GALLON RE-USABLE BOTTLES THAT LAST FOR YEARS.

BOTTLED WATER IS REGUALTED BY THE EPA AND FOOD AND DRUG AMINISTRATION (FDA)

In addition to the standards of the EPA for our source water, we, along with the other bottled-water industry players are also subject to the standards of the FDA which regulates bottled water as a food product. The FDA has several quality standards for bottled water, in addition to the EPA standards, as well as container and labeling standards.
But even those governmental standards are clearly, by themselves, not enough to assure consumers they are getting a product which is “better” than tap water. OPW voluntarily test their finished product water hourly for total dissolved solids (TDS), daily microbial test for bacteria, and a weekly independent laboratory test as required by the FDA, enforced by the State of Arizona through the Maricopa County Health Department.

IN THE END IT IS NOT EVEN CLOSE BOTTLED WATER IS BETTER

In the end, this is not a close call. Our bottled water is a lot better than the minimally tested, chlorinated, flocculated, fluoridated municipal tap water that also happens to be transmitted through miles of aged piping. Remember, ultimately the Market votes with its checkbook and the results are in – bottled water has demonstrated double digit growth for well over a decade. But let’s pause. Even though I am making a strong statement about bottled versus tap water quality, I sincerely believe we are only talking about a minor sub-issue. The real overriding issues in this discussion--the elephants I see in the room--are: (1) our throw-away culture which wastes the vast majority of our food and beverage containers, and (2) the real wisdom of our government trying to make all tap water as good as bottled water when less than 1% of municipal tap water is actually used for human consumption.

As is the case with any beverage, bottled water requires the use of containers. But it is also true that those containers have clear benefits to consumers. They make beverages portable, sanitary, and safely preserved until it is time to use them. Bottled water is uniquely useful to our society when disaster strikes and the municipal tap water systems don’t function at all.

LET’S CHANGE THE DEBATE

It is unfortunately also true that consumers throw most of those containers in the trash instead of recycling them. If we as a society recycled all of our beverage containers - glass, plastic and metal - instead of throwing them away, what would be the benefit to our society? We would clearly avoid landfill costs, create jobs in the recycling industry, and avoid tapping virgin, natural resources for our reasonable container needs. Therefore, rather than waste time debating whether tap water is “just as good as bottled water”, we would be better served to avoid the negative effects of throwing the containers away when those containers are designed and made to be recovered and reused in a variety of ways. There are many ways to get that done. Container deposit laws have been enacted in a number of states. Almost 50% of municipalities now have some form of curbside recycling. Other countries, as well as certain states, have much higher recycling rates; we should be learning from the tools and incentives that already work elsewhere. Wouldn’t it be better for us to work as a society to recycle our consumer packaging instead of attacking one product after another because they utilize packaging consumers currently throw away? In the case of OPW’s total water production per month (1.5-2 million gallons), they use only about 10% of that product for one way sport bottles? That’s right, 90% of OPW’s water is delivered in reusable 5 gallon bottles that have a life cycle of approximately 5 years, and at the and at the end of that life, are recycled.

ESIO A NEW INNOVATION FROM O PREMIUM WATERS SAVES ENERGY AND OUR LANDFILLS

Esio is a new hot and cold beverage dispenser that looks like a water cooler and delivers not only hot and cold water but coffee, tea, juice, sport drinks and more on demand. The wonderful thing about the Esio system is that it can be used in your home or office and each 3 oz. extract filled pouch makes 14-18 servings. This revolutionary new eco-friendly packaging eliminates 20 individual plastic single serve bottles (one box) from ending up in our landfills. O Premium Waters is leading the industry in this area for more information on this system visit www.esiobev.com.

O PREMIUM WATERS TAKES FURTHER STEPS TO REDUCE ITS ENERGY AND PLASTIC USE IN THE MANUFACTURING OF ITS SPORT BOTTLES

Recently our company has reduced the plastic in our bottles from 23.5 grams to 17 grams and the size of our sport bottle caps from 28 mm to 26 mm all in the interest of using less energy and contributing less to our landfills. This has reduced the energy and plastic used by approximately 35% as we continue to find ways to lower our carbon footprint.

LET’S NOT ADD TONS AND TONS OF CHEMICALS TO OUR WATER SUPPLY

Municipal tap water, although relatively cheap to homes because it is subsidized by taxpayers and industry, is not without substantial cost. If we didn’t have to spend that estimated trillion dollars on aged water piping infrastructure, treatment plants, and chemicals, could we not better spend that money on other needs? The vast majority of tap water is actually used for industrial processes and other mundane purposes, such as washing cars and flushing toilets. Does it make sense indeed; is it even possible - for local governments to attempt to bring tap water up to the higher quality of bottled water? Maybe we could use the money saved by not treating water to impossibly high standards, but instead improve our natural water sources for uses other than drinking water. What about the real benefit of not adding tons and tons of chemicals like chlorine and chlorine byproducts to our waterways?

Water Waste

The recently popular notion that bottled water is somehow an environmental demon simply lacks a comprehensive understanding of the beverage market. Consider the fact that it takes four gallons of water to make a gallon of beer and that’s before you go upstream to the agricultural products that have to be grown (barley/hops) with water before you bottle. If you compute those usages (growing, processing and bottling), it takes over 42 gallons of water for a one gallon of beer. While not as egregious as beer, it still takes three gallons of water to make one gallon of soft drinks.

At O Premium Waters, for every 1 gallon of water we purify for consumption, we use 1.15 gallons of source water, eliminating only the unwanted contamination. Bottled water is the most efficient user of water in the entire beverage industry. Even better, bottled water is a healthiest beverage you can consume.

FINAL ANALYSIS

In the final analysis, a back-and-forth debate about tap versus bottled water quality doesn’t begin to address the bigger issues we face as inhabitants of this planet. We can recycle and we can offer other convenient methods for consumers to do their part in conserving, like using reusable 5 gallon bottles. We can also make wise decisions on how to spend our tax dollars. We can work together vigorously to keep our surface and ground water suitable for wildlife and recreation. Municipal tap water can be used with great confidence for many purposes. And the bottled water industry can continue to be held to the highest standards of taste and quality for human consumption.

THIS ARTICLE’S BASIC CONTENT WAS AUTHORED BY BRECK SPEED, CHAIRMAN OF MOUNTAIN VALLEY SPRING WATER COMPANY, AND SUBSEQUENTLY EDITED, WITH ADDITIONAL COMMENTS, BY O PREMIUM WATERS.

Consider these products from our everyday life:

Coca Cola’s main ingredient in Coke products is “TAP WATER”
Bath and Body Works “Body Lotion” is made from “TAP WATER”
Campbell’s V-8 Juice made from “TAP WATER”
International Delight Coffee Creamer made from “TAP WATER”
Wishbone Salad Dressing made from “TAP WATER”
Ocean Spray’s Cranberry Juice made from “TAP WATER”
Bud Light beer is made from “TAP WATER”
All Pharmaceutical Companies use “TAP WATER”

This list could go on to name virtually every company and product on the market that uses water as one of their ingredients. However, is this accurate representation of those products? Absolutely not, nor is it a valid representation of Aquafina or any other Purified Water offering on the market today, including O Premium Waters. All of the above named products and companies use “tap water” or “municipal water” as their source for one simple reason – it is the only water that is piped into virtually every residence and business in the U.S.

Since the source of the water is immaterial to the finished product, why would any company have their source water trucked into their respective plants if the end product is the same whether it comes from a river, well, aquifer, spring, or the municipal water system? The answer clearly is, “you wouldn’t”. The recent media spin of Aquafina being “tap water” is tantamount to saying that Boeing’s new 787 Carbon Fiber Jet is made of mere plastic. Taken out of context, the new carbon fiber jet is “plastic”, however in the context of the massive Jet’s carbon fiber construction, a reasonable comparison cannot be made. The same is true for “tap water” vs. “purified water”; it is the purification of the base product (tap water) that converts it to a highly purified drinking water. Comparing municipal water that may contain over 140 different allowable contaminants versus a contaminant free Purified Water product makes as much sense as a plastic Jet Liner.

It doesn’t take much testing or tasting to determine that the amount of allowable contaminants in tap water, in addition to the chlorine added to make it safe, are not acceptable to most water drinkers’ palate. If we follow the most recent media hyperbole, shouldn’t we now refer to "tap water" as "river water"? After all, virtually all of Greater Metropolitan Phoenix's municipal water comes from the Colorado River. Getting the point? It is clear that this anti business sentiment, sensationalized by the media, defies the supporting data and good old common sense.

Regardless of the Public Service Announcements and slick advertising campaigns developed by individual cities, tap water is increasingly not an option for cooking, baking, or general human consumption. The “Market” is determining the direction; drinking water will not be routinely consumed without the extensive purification processing done by quality companies like O Premium Waters. Remember, companies like O Premium Waters (and Aquafina), that process and bottle Purified Water, are the most regulated companies in the water business. Their source water (municipal water) is highly regulated by the Environmental Protective Agency (EPA) and their product water (end product) is highly regulated by Federal Drug Administration while the actual purification process is regulated by the State of Arizona and enforced locally by Maricopa County Health Department. Sounds like more than “river water”?! Enjoy a cold glass of Purified Water on us!

Remember how popular Snapple used to be? Duck! It probably is, but I don’t seem to hear as much about it.

Snapple always seemed surgary to me. Fruity but sugary. I was thirstier after drinking it than before.

And spendy. Isn’t it almost two bucks a bottle?

Now, you can forget Snapple and get the fount of continuous drinking pleasure we call the Esio Beverage System.

Esio is a handsome machine for home or office. You snap in the cost-effective flavor elements, decide on a strength, and the purified O Premium Waters mixes with the coffee, green tea, juices, or fitness water substances to make a delicious hot or cold drink!

The most caloric is 4 calories! Take that, Snapple!

Sound expensive? Not when you consider that your water lugging days are over—we do it! And the flavor elements are so long-lasting they run rings around the Snapple bottle or other popular beverages in terms of cost.

Esio green tea, with all its antioxidant magic, is 4 cents an ounce…43% less than Lipton Green Tea.

Esio Peach Tea? The same…43% less than Lipton Ready-to-Drink Peach Tea

Esio Diet Cranberry is 32% less than Ocean Spray.

The Esio Vitamin Fitness Water is one-fourth the cost of Propel Berry Flavor.

The Esio coffees are about 15% less than Starbucks one-pound blend.

These can add up when people are drifting into the kitchen or coffee room of your office every few hours.

To inquire about test-driving Esio, go to www.esiobev.com. We will even offer you a free Esio system when you sign up for water.

And—if we can’t beat your present water delivery terms by 20%, we will write you a check for $1000!

The Esio Beverage System not only makes delish coffee, tea, juice, and fitness water with the touch of a wand…er, button…but it is not some big, sloppy product that will squat in your home or office, making a mess.

Do you know how some so-called conveniences are more trouble than they are worth? How about those little countertop grills? Ick!

There is a special compartment on the Esio to hold the flavor paks out of sight. They last over 18 months, so you can stock up and be prepared.

A little kid can’t turn it on to slop on the floor. Some brings Junior to the office…press the child protection lock on the front! There, Junior-proof!

There are no tippy, saggy cups of wet coffee grounds to clean up…or as I used to do, spill on the floor or into an office sink with no disposal.

The little flavor paks are sealed and pop in like a CD.

And the thing is beautiful. Remember when design used to be a draw? Well, it still is in some companies.

So why not try the Esio Beverage System today? Go to www.esiobev.com.

We can all use a little order in our lives. My order is: Make mine strong!

When clients come to the offices with Esio Beverage Systems, they are impressed.

The Esio unit is sleek, modern and efficient-looking. Without a wait for it to warm up or for you to “put on a fresh pot,” they are served delicious Arabica coffee, caf or decaf. Or maybe they prefer tea. How about a cranberry juice? Or Vitamin Fitness Water?

It’s like being in Steven Spielberg’s office or something. You aim to please! Always the best for your clients.

Your employees are also happy. Employees love the coffee room—and the Esio is coffee room and water cooler combined.

Happy employees make even happier clients!

A bottle of O Premium Water sits on top and mixes with the patented flavor elements in mid-air.

I tried the Esio. I can say it was fun to operate and produced a tasty, satisfying drink in what seemed like seconds.

It’s also cheaper per serving than Starbucks (not even close), but also than beverages you lug from the store, even the big box store.

Quality, speed, low cost, convenience, no heavy lifting—who says you can’t have it all?

For more information, go to www.esiobev.com. Try it, your clients will like it! Make that--love it

Americans love their coffee. Coffee is an art form now.

Perfect coffee starts with the perfect bean. Don’t even get me started. Some people stand around talking about whether the sunny slope of a mountain in Jamaica is superior to the other side for producing La Bean!

Even the supermarket brands have different flavors, though—so trying new coffees is fun.

If your tap water is “distasteful,” say experts (meaning medicine-y, in my view), use bottled or filtered water. O Premium Waters is both! Never use softened water.

Match the grind to the brewing method. Grinding right before making the coffee ups the flavor by one-fourth!

Add one rounded tablespoon per cup of water—then see if that suits you.

Water should be between 190 and 200 degrees. Less and you get thin, lifeless coffee. More and the coffee will get bitter.

Percolators can cook away delicate flavors. They also run the water over the grounds many times, which can taste funky.

French press coffee—with that cylinder you squoosh down into the water and grounds—can be killer strong—and there is no way to keep it warm.

Drip makers make a light, clear coffee. But if you leave the container on the heating element, it can get bitter.

Oh, for heaven’s sakes, I might as well move to Seattle with all this. All you really need to do is sign up for the Esio Beverage System.

The handsome machine sits on the counter at home or office, topped by a bottle of pure, O Premium Water. In addition to gourmet coffee at any strength you want, it dispenses green tea, peach tea, fitness water, and cranberry juice.

Check it out at www.esiobev.com. Cheaper than the other methods, too. And you don’t need to move to Seattle to get it!

Many ministries use custom label bottled water to spread their message. Churches hold both church and community outreach events where bottled water is passed out to attendees. Putting your message and contact information is a valuable outreach tool. Custom Label Waters of Mesa, Arizona makes the process easy and affordable. We have a program specifically designed for all religious and non profit organizations. Call Today 480-962-8000!

What better way to personalize your wedding than with custom labeled bottled water! Many brides today are looking for a unique way to celebrate their wedding. Custom label Waters of Mesa, Arizona makes custom label bottled water easy and affordable. Brides can use their personalized water for rehearsal dinners, bridal showers and as party favors.
Call today for your free estimate! 480.962.8000

Bottled Water Delivery for your Office

OPremium Waters delivers purified and electro-lite bottled water to your business or office for one low price. So low, OPremium Waters guarantees if you get more than 6 - 5 gallon bottles per delivery to your business or office, they'll beat your currently monthly pricing by 20% or more OR pay your business $1,000.

Plus O Premium Waters will not charge for the use of water cooler(s) or deliveries.

Sign Up Today!

Bottled Water Delivery to your Home

For just $36.99 per month, O Premium Waters will deliver purified water or electro-lite water to your home. Drink all of the bottled water you want, every month, and you pay just $36.99 per month.

O Premium Waters will not charge you extra for using the bottled water cooler. OPremium will also not charge you for their deliveries, it's FREE.

Order Today! 480-962-8000 or visit Home Bottled Water Delivery Service

O Premium Waters services - Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, Tempe, Glendale, Queen Creek, Gilbert, Chandler, Casa Grande, Peoria, and other cities surrounding Phoenix Arizona