Bacteriological Assessment of Bottled Drinking Water Available at Major Transit Places in Mangalore City of South India

Introduction Safe drinking water is essential for human life. It is generally considered that bottled water is safe for usage by people. For long-distance travelers, it serves as the only source of reliable drinking water. But, several studies have reported that bottled water does not always meet the acceptability standards. Objectives To assess the bacteriological and physical quality of bottled water marketed in major transit areas and to check its compliance with national standards. Methods The investigating team visited retail shops at three main transit sites for long-distance travelers in Mangalore city. A total of 24 water bottles of 12 brands were randomly selected. The analysis of total viable count (TVC) was done to assess the bacteriological quality of samples. Results In 3(12.5%) samples, all of which were of local brands, batch number, the period of manufacture, and the period of expiry were not mentioned. Odor and floating bodies were present in one sample each. Five (20.8%) water bottles had been enriched with minerals. Ozone treatment was the most commonly 22(91.7%) used method for disinfection of water. In only 15(62.5%) samples, the bacterial contamination was within acceptable limits certified for drinking purposes. Water samples manufactured by multinational companies (p=0.018), those with batch number mentioned (p=0.042), the best period of manufacture (p=0.036), and long expiry dates (p=0.028) were acceptable for usage. Conclusion Surveillance of bottled water manufacturing industries in the settings on a regular basis needs to be done by regulatory agencies. These measures will ensure safe and wholesome bottled water for public usage.

[1]  P. Reddy,et al.  Physico-Chemical and Bacterial Evaluation of Public and Packaged Drinking Water in Vikarabad, Telangana, India - Potential Public Health Implications. , 2016, Journal of clinical and diagnostic research : JCDR.

[2]  D. Guwatudde,et al.  Bacteriological and Physical Quality of Locally Packaged Drinking Water in Kampala, Uganda , 2015, Journal of environmental and public health.

[3]  S. Kaur,et al.  Microbial evaluation of bottled water marketed in North India. , 2015, Indian journal of public health.

[4]  Michael B. Fisher,et al.  Microbiological and Chemical Quality of Packaged Sachet Water and Household Stored Drinking Water in Freetown, Sierra Leone , 2015, PloS one.

[5]  M. Umaru,et al.  Qualitative Assessment of Sachet and Bottled Water Marketed in Bauchi Metropolis, Nigeria , 2015 .

[6]  M. Umaru,et al.  Qualitative Assessment of Sachet and Bottled Water Marketed in Bauchi Metropolis, Bauchi-State, Nigeria , 2015 .

[7]  A. Rahmani,et al.  Evaluation of microbial and physico-chemical quality of bottled water produced in Hamadan province of Iran , 2014 .

[8]  Hansa Kundu,et al.  Physico-chemical and bacterial evaluation of packaged drinking water marketed in delhi - potential public health implications. , 2014, Journal of clinical and diagnostic research : JCDR.

[9]  M. Balaji,et al.  Microbiological analysis of packaged drinking water sold in Chennai , 2014 .

[10]  A. Lamikanra,et al.  The bacteriological quality of different brands of bottled water available to consumers in Ile-Ife, south-western Nigeria , 2014, BMC Research Notes.

[11]  Mercy J. Newman,et al.  Microbiological quality of packaged water sold in Accra, Ghana , 2013 .

[12]  I. Dahal,et al.  Microbial assessment of bottled drinking water of Kathmandu valley , 2013 .

[13]  K. N. Mathur,et al.  Bacteriological evaluation of packaged bottled water sold at Jaipur city and its public health significance. , 2013 .

[14]  B. Bist,et al.  Assessment of Microbiological quality by coliform estimation in drinking water sources of Mathura region , 2012 .

[15]  N. Nili,et al.  Bacteriological Safety Assessment of Municipal Tap Water and Quality of Bottle Water in Dhaka City: Health Hazard Analysis , 2011 .

[16]  I. K. Olayemi,et al.  Contamination of Sachet Water in Nigeria: Assessment and Health Impact , 2011 .

[17]  L. Semerjian Quality assessment of various bottled waters marketed in Lebanon , 2011, Environmental monitoring and assessment.

[18]  K. Latha,et al.  Profile of Clients Seeking Consultation at Yoga Therapy Department: A Cross Sectional Study , 2010 .

[19]  Ravi S. Pandey,et al.  Water Pollution with Special Reference to Pesticide Contamination in India , 2010 .

[20]  M. Sridhar,et al.  Quality of packaged waters sold in ibadan, nigeria , 2010 .

[21]  P. O. Olutiola,et al.  Microbiological quality of packaged drinking water brands marketed in Ibadan metropolis and Ile-Ife city in South Western Nigeria , 2010 .

[22]  Z. A. Pirzada,et al.  Bacteriological quality of bottled water brands in Karachi, Pakistan , 2010 .

[23]  M. M. Abd El-Salam,et al.  Quality of Bottled Water Brands in Egypt Part II: Biological Water Examination. , 2008, The Journal of the Egyptian Public Health Association.

[24]  G. Kassenga,et al.  The health-related microbiological quality of bottled drinking water sold in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. , 2007, Journal of water and health.

[25]  P. Deepa,et al.  Risk assessment of heterotrophic bacteria from bottled drinking water sold in Indian markets. , 2006, International journal of hygiene and environmental health.

[26]  R. M. Bhardwaj WATER QUALITY MONITORING IN INDIA- ACHIEVEMENTS AND CONSTRAINTS , 2005 .

[27]  K. Jones,et al.  The microbiological quality of drinking water sold on the streets in Kumasi, Ghana , 2003, Letters in applied microbiology.

[28]  M. Haseena,et al.  Bacteriological study of bottled drinking water marketed in Mangalore. , 2003, The Journal of communicable diseases.

[29]  H. B. Mathur,et al.  Analysis of pesticide residues in bottled water , 2003 .

[30]  P. Reddy Microbiological analysis of bottled water , 2000 .

[31]  M. Costa,et al.  Alterations in total bacteria, iodonitrophenyltetrazolium (INT)-positive bacteria, and heterotrophic plate counts of bottled mineral water , 1994 .