Read labels carefully when shoppingBy Lori Bongiorno

How do you know if an ad is telling the truth? It's not always easy, but there are certain clues you can look for to determine if the claims an ad is making are legit or if a marketer is purposely trying to mislead you into thinking a product is healthier, safer, or greener than it truly is.

Here are some ways to determine if advertising claims are fact or fiction...

Words matter. Look for specific rather than general claims. The following words are essentially meaningless because they are too vague and/or there aren't any standard definitions for them:

• Natural
• Hypoallergenic
• Nontoxic
• Fragrance-free or unscented
• Free range
• Hormone-free
• Antibiotic-free
• Eco-friendly, environmentally preferable, or eco-safe
• Green

Meaningless claims are ubiquitous in the marketplace. For instance, about 33 percent of food and beverage products launched last year made some kind of "natural" claim. When shopping, it's safer to

Tap waterBy Lori Bongiorno

Many water experts say that tap water in the U.S. is perfectly safe to drink. Bottled water, they point out, is not necessarily any safer, and sometimes it's just tap water with a much higher price tag.

Yet those statements can be hard to believe if the water that flows from your tap smells funny, tastes bad, or is discolored. It can also be difficult to ignore reports of pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and other unwanted substances in water.

What do the experts say when you dig a little deeper? "The fact that it might have an off taste or odor may not appeal to the consumer, but it doesn't mean the water is unsafe," says Philip C. Singer, Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Of course, there are exceptions to this.

Read on for explanations to common water quality concerns.

Tastes metallic

For example, if your water tastes metallic it could be contaminated with lead