Anita Ratnassari - Comment

October 8, 2008 Division of Dockets Management (HFA-305) Department of Health and Human Services Food and Drug Administration 5630 Fishers Lane, Rm. 1061 Rockville, MD 20852 Re: Docket number FDA-2008-N-0446 “Beverages; Bottled Water” Dear Sir or Madam, I believe the propose regulation to evaluate the level of coliform in source water and finished products of bottled water is worthy and necessary for public health. While there are some who seldom consume bottled water, I think that this regulation would certainly benefit those who are consuming bottled water frequently. In 2007, it is estimated that the total U.S. category volume surpassed 8.8 billion gallons, which translates to over 29 gallons per person, which means U.S. residents drink more bottled water annually than any other beverage, other than carbonated soft drinks. I am concerned about the frequency of testing proposed by FDA, that is to include at least weekly testing for total coliform in source water and finished products, or last least 52 source samples and 52 finished product samples per year. My concern is primarily because EPA regulation seems to surpass that number. EPA requires public water systems which serve fewer than 1000 people to test once a month or less, the systems with 50,000 customers must test 60 times per month, and those with 2.5 million must test at least 420 times per months. Therefore, considering the high bottled water consumption in the U.S., I would suggest to reevaluating the proposed frequency to ensure that it adequately ensure the safety of bottled water. Sincerely, Anita Ratnasari