STAFF REPORT ISB: Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) has found 10 mineral water brands in the country unsafe due to chemicals and contamination.These brands included Dewan Water Express, Aqua National, Natur Aqua, Butt Water, Best Natural, Noble, AFRA, NASH, Aftab Qarshi and Ideal Life were found unsafe by the PCRWR, shows the PCRWR quarterly monitoring report.

The PCRWR has been tasked for quarterly monitoring of mineral water brands and publicise the results to improve quality of bottled water.

According to the report, 76 samples of mineral water brands were collected from Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Bahawalpur, Tando Jam, Karachi, Quetta, and Peshawar. Out of the ten unsafe brands, four brands (Aqua National, Natur Aqua, Butt Water, Best Natural) were comparatively high level of arsenic ranging from 27-57 ppb than PSQCA water quality standard for arsenic (10 ppb).

The excessive level of arsenic can cause various types of skin diseases, diabetes, kidney diseases, hypertension, heart diseases, birth defects, black foot diseases and multiple types of cancers whereas two brands (Aftab Qarshi and Ideal Life) were found to be unsafe due to microbiological contamination which may cause cholera, diarrhoea, dysentery, hepatitis and typhoid.

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