Bottled water bliss
Locally sold brands stand up to scientific scrutiny
Published:Sunday | July 10, 2022 | 12:11 AMTyrone Reid - Associate Editor â Investigations
Potability tests conducted on 10 randomly selected brands of bottled water sold in Jamaica have confirmed that they are fit for drinking.
The Sunday Gleaner potability tests were conducted at the Northern Caribbean University’s (NCU) Agriculture Research Centre by microbiologists at the College of Natural and Applied Sciences, Allied Health and Nursing.
“There were no coliforms present after the microbial analysis was conducted and as a result the (bottles of) water are safe for drinking,” said microbiologist and lab coordinator Anton Irving, who led the testing.
He, however, noted that an elemental analysis was not conducted that tests for heavy metals such as lead.
A section of the report detailing the findings of the membrane filtration analysis for water potability noted that all samples had no traces of coliforms, which would have indicated faecal contamination.
BRANDS INCLUDED IN TESTS
The brands included in the water potability tests were Dasani, Alka Vida, iCool, Catherine’s Peak, Roxane, Aqua Essential, Life Span, Wata, Good Life and 876 Blue Mountain.
Reacting to the results of the Sunday Gleaner potability tests, Everton Baker, director of environmental health in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, said the findings are in keeping with what the ministry has observed in its own testing.
“I am not surprised by the results. We haven’t had any challenges for the most part with bottled water sold in Jamaica,” said Baker.
He added that the health and wellness ministry has not had to pull any bottled water product from the shelf in recent years.
According to Baker, in addition to conducting potability tests, the ministry also puts the bottling plants under the microscope.
“We conduct inspections at the facilities for them to meet and maintain certain standards of public health. And, potability tests are also conducted periodically,” he pointed out.
Last week, The Sunday Gleaner reported that water potability tests conducted on samples collected at 12 communal standpipes in eight parishes that serve thousands of residents confirmed the commodity being supplied by the National Water Commission (NWC) was fit for drinking purposes.
In that batch of tests, only one standpipe – which was not being serviced by the NWC but from a well – did not meet the potability standard.