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DOWN TO EARTH

Bottled water trade on without BSTI approval

By Khalilur Rahman
Locally produced bottled water, now on sale in the market is making good business. Several firms have marketed their products tn attractive plastic containers under dif ferent brand names with labels of mineral or pure' water. The price of each bottle varies from Taka 8 to 12 depending on the quantity Some of the manufacturers of the item have also clearly printed tn bold letters on the labels that the contents are of WHO (World Health Organisation) standard
In the absence of any official supervision on the trade of this type of water it la difficult to ascertain the exact number of firms engaged in the field But The Dally Star correspondent Inam Ahmed sent to conduct a survey on the production, sale and quality of bottled water re-tiably learnt that at least half a dozen plants are manufacturing the item. In view of the increased demand for the product some other entrepreneurs are also planning to set up water treatment factories, traders told the Star.
The quality of most of the bottled water has not yet been tested by the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) and as such those have no standards mark. One of the water producing firms submitted the sample of Its product to the BSTI for quality testing In November last year. But due to inadequate facilities available at the BSTI laboratory the water sample could not be tested for certification. Afterwards the BSTI asked the same firm to deposit Its water sample for test when provisions for proper examination were made by the authority. Despite repeated reminders no sample was sent to BSTI for the test, sources told the Star
Only one firm submitted its water sample tn March to the BSTI and certificate showing drinking water was issued in favour of its product But the company is selling the product as mineral water' of WHO standard printed in the label. A BSTI source said that the firm was not given the standard mark as mineral water which it was using. The BSTI has issued letter to the firm to cor rect the label by omitting mineral water' but to no effect. the source added. The source further said that a series of 20 tests was carried
out on the water sample before granting certificate as drinking water and there was no follow up whether the company w^s selling the same product that it sent for testing to the BSTI The BSTI author
ity has no such mechanism to collect water samples from the market for testing nor is it required under law, another BSTI source pointed out. He, however, said that three more companies have voluntarily submitted samples of their products for certification but tests are yet to be carried out.
WHO has laid down standard specifications for pure water along with its colour, taste and smell and also the safe level of minerals to be
present tn what is termed as ‘mineral water People in western countries are partlcu larty inclined to take mineral water for its food value instead of simple water, a BSTI official said. The concentration of
minerals in each litre of water has been defined under the WHO standard. As per the WHO standard for mineral water the maximum permissible limits of solids in each litre may be as follows : lead — 0.10 milligram (mg). arsenic — 0.05 mg, selenium — 0.01 mg. chromium— 0.05 mg. cyanides — 0.05 mg. cadmium — 0.01 mg. nitrates — 45 mg and barium — 1.01 mg. Any excess or disproportionate presence of minerals in water will not be
useful for health. The WHO standard allows maximum concentration of solids in a litre of water upto 500 mg which can be extended, in some cases to 1500 mg. The BSTI follows the WHO Stan dard
In case of pure drinking wa ter standard set by WHO specifics tliat each litre should contain 0 3 mg iron. 0.1 mg manganese. 1 mg copper 5 mg zinc, 75 mg calcium. 200 mg sulphate (SO*) and 0.6 to 1.2 mg flouride The maximum permissible concentration of these substances in pure water set by WHO is : iron — 10 mg. manganese — 0.5 mg. copper — 1.5 mg. zinc — 15 gm. calcium — 200 mg. sulphate — 400 mg and flouride — 15 mg According to an expert, heavy concentration of flouride may cause tooth problems
Talking to The Daily Star a spokesman of the BSTI said that In the absence of proper supervision and sample testing it was difficult to say how the manufacturers of bottled water were maintaining WHO standards although they were claiming to do so. There were complaints of the presence of moss-like substances in some bottled water on sale In the market, it is learnt. A consumer came to the Star office with a sealed bottle of muddy water which he bought from local market. The bottle with the label of mineral water is now at our disposal
The BSTI spokesman said that the testing of bottles was no less important than the contents In those. The quality of plastic used in producing bottles must be up to the standard. Otherwise, the users of bottled water may be exposed to serious health hazards, the spokesman added; He said that the authority was actively considering the need for testing the quality of water and the bottles for public Interest. For this the BSTI has recommended to the higher authority to make the testing of water obligatory. At present the BSTI tests 1 1 3 items of mass consumption. Some of the items include edible and coconut oil. newsprint, fertilizer. CI sheet, loaves of bread, biscuits. etc. Bottled water was not included tn the list of compulsory items as an affluent section of the people consumes it, the BSTI source said.