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Standards Compliance and Health Implications of Bottled Water in Malawi

Chidya, Russel C. G. ; Singano, Lazarus ; Chitedze, Isaac and Mourad, Khaldoon A LU (2019) In International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 16(6).
Abstract
Many people around the globe prefer bottled water especially in developing countries, where tap water is not drinkable. This study investigated the quality of bottled drinking water sold in Lilongwe city, Malawi. Compliance with Malawi Standards (MS) 560 (2004) for natural mineral water, MS 699 (2004) for bottled water and the World Health Organisation guidelines for drinking water were examined. Bottled water from different 12 brands was purchased from local stores and analysed for its pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), EC, turbidity, Ca, Mg, Na, K, Fe, NO3−, Cl−, F−, SO42−, hardness, alkalinity, and Escherichia coli. A Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) resulted in two clusters in which most of the brands (92%, n = 12) belonged to one... (More)
Many people around the globe prefer bottled water especially in developing countries, where tap water is not drinkable. This study investigated the quality of bottled drinking water sold in Lilongwe city, Malawi. Compliance with Malawi Standards (MS) 560 (2004) for natural mineral water, MS 699 (2004) for bottled water and the World Health Organisation guidelines for drinking water were examined. Bottled water from different 12 brands was purchased from local stores and analysed for its pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), EC, turbidity, Ca, Mg, Na, K, Fe, NO3−, Cl−, F−, SO42−, hardness, alkalinity, and Escherichia coli. A Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) resulted in two clusters in which most of the brands (92%, n = 12) belonged to one group. The two clusters and significant differences (ANOVA p < 0.05) in chemical compositions among the brands were attributed to the variations in the water source and the treatment processes. The results showed that 10 brands did not comply with the MS 699 (2004) turbidity standard (1 NTU) and the pH of one of the brands was below the minimum MS 699 (2004) standard of 6.50. This research showed that 12 brands had bottle labelling errors and discrepancies in chemical composition. The article highlighted the need for a strict inspection from the responsible governmental ministry to improve water quality and to adjust water bottles’ labels according to water characteristics. (Less)
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author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
physico-chemical, microbiological, water quality, food safety, Lilongwe, Malawi
in
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
volume
16
issue
6
article number
951
pages
19 pages
publisher
MDPI AG
external identifiers
  • scopus:85063260594
  • pmid:30884819
ISSN
1660-4601
DOI
10.3390/ijerph16060951
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
a07ceb6d-a990-4128-b956-df24ca2a1088
date added to LUP
2019-03-18 10:56:04
date last changed
2023-09-22 20:25:27
@article{a07ceb6d-a990-4128-b956-df24ca2a1088,
  abstract     = {{Many people around the globe prefer bottled water especially in developing countries, where tap water is not drinkable. This study investigated the quality of bottled drinking water sold in Lilongwe city, Malawi. Compliance with Malawi Standards (MS) 560 (2004) for natural mineral water, MS 699 (2004) for bottled water and the World Health Organisation guidelines for drinking water were examined. Bottled water from different 12 brands was purchased from local stores and analysed for its pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), EC, turbidity, Ca, Mg, Na, K, Fe, NO3−, Cl−, F−, SO42−, hardness, alkalinity, and Escherichia coli. A Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) resulted in two clusters in which most of the brands (92%, n = 12) belonged to one group. The two clusters and significant differences (ANOVA p &lt; 0.05) in chemical compositions among the brands were attributed to the variations in the water source and the treatment processes. The results showed that 10 brands did not comply with the MS 699 (2004) turbidity standard (1 NTU) and the pH of one of the brands was below the minimum MS 699 (2004) standard of 6.50. This research showed that 12 brands had bottle labelling errors and discrepancies in chemical composition. The article highlighted the need for a strict inspection from the responsible governmental ministry to improve water quality and to adjust water bottles’ labels according to water characteristics.}},
  author       = {{Chidya, Russel C. G. and Singano, Lazarus and Chitedze, Isaac and Mourad, Khaldoon A}},
  issn         = {{1660-4601}},
  keywords     = {{physico-chemical; microbiological; water quality; food safety; Lilongwe; Malawi}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{03}},
  number       = {{6}},
  publisher    = {{MDPI AG}},
  series       = {{International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health}},
  title        = {{Standards Compliance and Health Implications of Bottled Water in Malawi}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16060951}},
  doi          = {{10.3390/ijerph16060951}},
  volume       = {{16}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}