pakistan 
Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) has declared 22 brands of mineral/bottled water as hazardous for human consumption.
This information was laid forth in its quarterly report – for April to June 2021 – issued on Thursday.
PSQCA collected a total of 180 samples of mineral/bottled water brands from Rawalpindi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Islamabad, Multan, Sargodha, Sialkot, Karachi, Tandojam, Badin, Quetta, Loralai, Sahiwal, Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Mianwali, Peshawar, Abbottabad, Muzaffarabad and Gilgit.
The 22 brands were declared unsafe for human consumption after the comparison of test results with allowable limits of PSQCA.
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PCRWR has now been tasked by the government for monitoring the quality of bottled or mineral water brands and then publicising results in the best interest of public health.
Brands such as Pure, Hunza, Spring Fresh Life, UF Pur Edge, Douro, Dropice, Puricana Mineral, Drops, Best Natural, Hidrade, Blue Plus, Sunlay, Aqua King, Al Barkah Water and Koyo were found to be unsafe due to the presence of higher levels of sodium in it. As per details, the sodium levels ranged from 60-165 mg/L; higher than the PSQCA bottled water quality standard for Sodium, which is 50 mg/L.
One brand called Drops was declared unsafe due to the presence of a higher quantity of total dissolved solids (TDS) ranging 629 mg/L than the PSQCA water quality standard for TDS, which is 500 mg/L.
One brand, Pure Nature, was found unsafe due to the presence of 24 µg/L arsenic. The permissible quantity is 10 µg/L arsenic under the PSQCA water quality standard.
Another brand named Pure was pronounced unsafe due to the presence of 11 mg/L potassium. The allowed potassium is 10 mg/L.
Six brands such as BROOK, McWay Water, Masafi, Alkaline Water, Al-Umer, and Aqua Best were found microbiologically contaminated and were thus declared unsafe for drinking.
