"Raw Water," water that purports to come from a natural source and hasn't undergone any sort of treatment, is being sold as a healthier alternative to traditional spring water and tap water.
Professor of Chemistry Michelle Francl tells the The Washington Post she's not so sure the claims hold up to scrutiny.
From the article:
Michelle Francl, who chairs the chemistry department at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, said truly raw water, which is simply hydrogen and oxygen, is fine to drink—as long as it is clean, which is the issue.
“Water pulled from a spring or water that comes out of the tap—the water molecules are identical,” she said. “So the only difference is what else is in there and some of those things might be innocuous like the minerals, some of them might be not so innocuous—things like Giardia and bacteria have been found in springs.”
Bryn Mawr’s Chemistry Department has a more than century-long tradition of combining high quality, visible research programs with excellent teaching. The Chemistry Department seeks to provide a supportive and rigorous curriculum at the undergraduate and graduate level to students having diverse preparation and diverse goals.