ISLAMABAD – Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) has declared more mineral/bottled water brands unsafe for drinking due to chemical and microbiological contaminations.
The PCRWR in its quarterly monitoring report (January-March) said that 110 samples of the water brands were collected from different cities including Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Multan, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Tandojam, Quetta and Bahawalpur.
During the examination of the samples with permissible limits of Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA), considerably higher levels of arsenic and sodium, and microbiological contamination were detected in eight brands.
The brands, which found unsafe, include Edlen Premium, Aqua Fine, Pure Aqua, Livon, Zam, Aqua Gold, Pure 18, and Aab-e-Noor.
A high level of arsenic with 20 parts per billion (ppb) against 10 ppb allowed under country’s quality standards was found in Aqua Fine. Higher consumption of arsenic could cause kidney diseases, birth disorder, skin diseases, cardiac issues, cancer, diabetes, etc.
The three brands, Livon, Edlen Premium and Pure Aqua, have high levels of sodium, while microbiological contamination in the four brands, Zam, Aqua Gold, Pure 18 and Aab-i-Noor. The contamination may cause typhoid, cholera, hepatitis, diarrhea, etc.
