Ingredients in over the counter bottled water include more than just hydrogen and oxygen. Water products sold as pure and natural by Desani (Coca Cola Company), Smart Water (Glaceau), and Nestle include various chemicals including magnesium sulfate, potassium chloride, salt, calcium chloride, and sodium bicarbonate.
A professor out of the University of Idaho notes that these additives are used to enhance the taste of the bottled water. Robert Mahler, a professor of soil science and water quality, stated that the chemical add a sweet taste to the water, and that pure water does not have a taste.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) monitors tap water, yet the Food Drug Administration (FDA) keeps the bottled water industry in check. The additives pose no health concern per Professor Marion Nestle, Food Studies and Public Health at New York University. In her book “What to Eat”; she added that the extra chemicals in bottled water create a salty and bitter flavor.
In addition, the quantities added to the bottled water are too small to amount to any harm to the consumer. Secondly, one will note that the same additives are found in tap water as well. In the end, most consumers make note of the nutritional values in a bottle of water, after all one is more concerned with whether or not sugar has been added.