A new study has found high level of bacteria in bottled water in Canada.
The Montreal study showed that heterotrophic bacteria counts, in more than
70 per cent of bottled water samples, exceed the recommended limits
specified by the United States Pharmacopeia (USP).
Researchers from Ccrest laboratories report their results today at the 110th
General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology in San Diego.
"Despite having the cleanest tap water a large number of urban Canadians are
switching over to bottled water for their daily hydration requirements.
Unsurprisingly, the consumer assumes that since bottled water carries a
price tag, it is purer and safer than most tap water," says Sonish Azam, a
researcher on the study.
Regulatory bodies such as Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) and Health Canada have not set a limit for the
heterotrophic bacteria counts in bottled drinking water.
However, according to the USP not more than 500 colony forming units (cfu)
per milliliter should be present in drinking water.
The study was initiated in response to a Ccrest employee’s complaint of fowl
taste and sickness after consumption of bottled water at the company.
Azam and her colleagues randomly purchased several brands of bottled water
from a local marketplace and subjected them to microbiological analysis.
They discovered more than 70 per cent of famous brands tested did not meet
the USP specifications for drinking water.
"Heterotrophic bacteria counts in some of the bottles were found to be in
revolting figures of one hundred times more than the permitted limit," said
Azam. In comparison the average microbial count for different tap water
samples was 170 cfu/mL.
Azam stressed that these bacteria most likely do not cause disease and they
have not confirmed the presence of disease-causing bacteria, but the high
levels of bacteria in bottled water could pose a risk for vulnerable
populations such as pregnant women, infants, immunocompromised patients and
the elderly.
"Bottled water is not expected to be free from microorganisms but the cfu
observed in this study is surprisingly very high. Therefore, it is strongly
recommended to establish a limit for the heterotrophic bacteria count as
well as to identify the nature of microorganisms present in the bottled
water," said Azam.
Source : THE TIMES OF INDIA
