Ice Mountain spring water

If you purchase some bad-tasting, bad-smelling bottled spring water under the Ice Mountain label (it tastes and smells like gasoline or motor oil), contact the EPA and the FDA as well as the 800 number on the Ice Mountain label. An independent laboratory needs to evaluate it. You can also report a problem through the FDA website, rather than by phone.

I contacted the Ice Mountain company and it took 5 days for the company to send me the carton to return samples to the Ice Mountain lab in Pennsylvania (where the spring water originated) - and then the pre-printed return label was not even marked for Overnight service, so it took additional days for it to be returned to be evaluated - and THEN, I was told, it would take an additional 10-20 days for the lab to complete the process of determining the source or cause of the contamination. In my opinion, this gives the consumer the impression that the company does not consider quality control or consumer safety a priority.

Meanwhile, the Ice Mountain company continues to sell its product to consumers nationwide. Infants - who cannot communicate to parents that the water tastes bad - or individuals with compromised immune systems, such as chemo patients (whose taste sensation is perverted from the side effects of drugs) are at risk.

Almost 2 weeks have passed, and Ice Mountain has still not posted an alert on its web site.

Diane Dew

September 5, 2002