The Health Risks of Bottled Water – A Quick Guide. There are basically two categories of risk associated with bottled water: Legionella and Listeria bacteria. If a bottled water company is providing public water to a home, it is an obvious risk to household members if a Legionella contamination is present. Listeria on the other hand, is more of a problem for those who consume large amounts of water, such as campers, hikers, or those who live in very rural areas where they are regularly exposed to streams and lakes with Listeria.
So, in order to reduce your risks, you need to have a competent person perform a complete legionella risk assessment for your home or business. This competent person should be a professional water consultant with experience in analyzing and managing water systems that contain either legionella or Listeria. It is important that you contract someone that is familiar with both these types of organisms. While some companies may claim to be competent in both fields, the reality is that only the knowledgeable and experienced ones can provide true and accurate results when it comes to analyzing and managing your home’s or business’s water system.
The bottom line is that, if you have health concerns associated with your drinking water, you need to contact a licensed and competent person to perform a complete, onsite legionella risk assessment for your home. Don’t wait until you find out you have an issue before contacting one of these consultants. Even though you may not be in immediate danger, in the long run, you could end up costing yourself money by hiring an expert that isn’t very knowledgeable about the material or the situation. It is much better to make an informed decision now while you still have time than to be surprised later.