8 Bottled Water Brands Found Unsafe for Use

In another round of testing “pure bottled water” brands, Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) has declared 8 brands unfit for drinking. The samples were collected by PCRWR from several cities including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Multan, Lahore, Bahawalpur, Tandojam, Quetta, and Karachi to conduct the tests.

The authority found that the samples contained chemicals and microbiological contaminants that were detrimental to human health.

---

ALSO READ

Underground Water Levels Have Dropped by 90% in Most Cities of Punjab

---

Not Safe for Drinking

Following brands were deemed unsafe for drinking by PCRWR after testing 110 samples;

• Edlen Premium,
• Aqua Fine,
• Pure Aqua,
• Livon,
• Zam,
• Aqua Gold,
• Pure 18, and
• Aab-e-Noor.

---

ALSO READ

SC Orders PFA to Shutdown All Substandard Bottled Water Companies

---

The Impurities

PCRWR concluded that the samples contained following impurities;

• Aqua Fine contains a high level of Arsenic content, 20 ppb to be precise against the PSQCA standard of 10 ppb.
• Edlen Premium, Pure Aqua and Livon contain high level of sodium i.e. 57-60 ppm against the PSQCA standard of 50 ppm
• Zam, Aqua Gold, Pure 18, and Aab-e-Noor contain microbiological contaminants.

High Arsenic level can cause dangerous skin diseases, birth defects, and multiple cancer types among others. Microbiological contamination causes Hepatitis, Cholera, Typhoid Diarrhoea, Dysentery etc.

The test results are part of the quarterly monitoring task that the government has assigned the PCRWR. PCRWR conducts tests on water samples every quarter of the year and these were for the January to March 2018 period.