How UAE ensures safety of bottled water

Questions continue to be raised around the safety of drinking bottled water, with fears that plastic would be contaminating the water consumed.
Although local experts say that more research is required to confirm the impact of microplastics found in bottled water on the human health, people are generally advised to drink filtered tap water in reusable containers.
A study published on Wednesday tested 250 water bottles in nine countries to find that leading brands of bottled water were contaminated with tiny plastic particles, likely seeping in during the packaging process.
The US-based Orb Media report showed the presence of polypropylene, nylon and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is used to make bottle caps, in water calling it "widespread contamination" of plastic in the water.
Led by microplastic researcher Sherri Mason of the State University of New York at Fredonia, the study tested bottles from Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Thailand and the United States, identifying plastic in 93 per cent of samples that included major brand names.
Researchers widely believed that the plastic came through the industrial process of bottling the water. Previous research by Orb Media has found plastic particles in tap water, but on a smaller scale.
However, Katharina Elbracht, German dietitian and founder and clinical director of Beyond Nutrition in JLT, told Khaleej Times that the impact microplastics can have on the human body remain unclear.
"Research is not clear yet about the effects microplastics can have on our health and to which extent. Microplastics can not only be found in bottled water as recent studies are showing, but also in tap water as well as in fish and seafood we are eating," said Elbracht.
She added that filtered tap water could be an alternative to bottled water since plastic already has a negative impact on the environment.
The UAE uses approximately 800 million bottles every year and the UN estimates the use of million plastic bottles a minute worldwide.
With varied sizes of microplastics, carbon block filters are able to remove the main part of the particles. Reverse osmosis filters and ion exchange system are more effective because they can remove smaller particles, Elbracht said.
Dr Tamer Abdelgawad, medical director at Advanced Care Oncology Centre in Dubai, said bottled water could be carcinogenic if misused or unsafely stored. He warned from consuming water in a plastic bottle that has been kept in high temperatures or forgotten in a car for days since temperature and plastic combination could produce carcinogenic particles.
"We need a bigger sample size than 250 bottles to make conclusions. For stronger evidence, we need thousands of water bottles to be tested from different regions. Most of the countries the water was sampled from are developing countries where the mistake might have come from the manufacturing process itself," said Abdelgawad.
"Further, the study does not say where the bottle sample came from. Was it from factories, homes or companies?"
However, he emphasised that plastic bottles of water must be safely stored by factories and consumers to avoid free radicals leading to carcinogens. The most secure way to consume water, he said, is tap water with the right filters. "If we cannot cope with good filters, then the second option could be the five-gallon water bottles that are well stored," said Abdelgawad.
How UAE ensures safety of water bottles
Speaking to Khaleej Times, Jay Andres, CEO of Mai Dubai, said the company has a testing lab that consistently conducts tests on its products.
"We test for a multitude of things, and we never found any plastic in our water," he said.
The Dubai Municipality implements safety measures and inspections on groceries, supermarkets and food entities. A new smart labelling and tracking system was launched last year to detect safety of the five-gallon water bottles and ensure they aren't overused.
The system will be implemented in bottled water manufacturing companies in Dubai to help consumers and inspectors check the number of times the bottles were used via a mobile app. Officials previously set the number of maximum refilling at 33 as overused bottles can release carcinogenic substances in the water.
When approached for a comment on bottled water impact, an official said more firm research has to be conducted to confirm the impact of bottled water on one's health.
However, he confirmed that the UAE abides by the international standards set on water manufacturing companies worldwide to ensure product safety.
Dr Farah Manzar, general practitioner at Al Quoz Aster Clinic, said plastic, in general, has negative impact on the environment and, therefore, on people's overall wellbeing.
She suggested using metallic or stainless steel bottles that cool the water during warm temperature and could be refilled. Manzar further stressed that plastic water bottles must not be used more than three times. "Try not to use a bottle with cracks or scratches as it indicates a decay in plastic material and grows bacteria," she said.
And although tap water also contains microplastics, it isn't as high as bottled water. She emphasised on the use of water filters.
"Plastic bottles are non-degradable and increase landfill waste that produce methane and contribute to global warming. That's besides the marine effects and air pollution it has."
sherouk@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE
• Dubai

Sherouk Zakaria

sherouk@khaleejtimes.com