High Levels of Bacteria Found in Bottled Mineral Water: Study

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November 3, 2004

"High Levels" of Bacteria Found in Bottled Mineral Water: Study

By Rauscher

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Nov 01 - Bottled mineral water, generally considered more pure than tap water, is often contaminated with bacteria and fungi, a researcher warned today in a report to the 44th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC), a meeting of the American Society for Microbiology.

"Hospital water is increasingly accepted as a source for pathogens," Dr. Rocus R. Klont from University Medical Center Nijmegen, the Netherlands, told Reuters Health. "Immunocompromised patients often receive bottled mineral water under the assumption that it is safer than tap water."

To determine the risk of infection from bottled water, Dr. Klont and colleagues look for bacterial and fungal contamination in 68 commercial mineral waters, one tap water, and one water sample from a natural well from nine European and seven non-European countries.

"We found high levels of bacterial contamination in commercially bottled mineral water," Dr. Klont told Reuters Health.

Overall 40% of all samples showed evidence of contamination with either bacteria (37%) or fungi (4%). Bacteria grew from 21 samples, including cultures of 8 coagulase-negative staphylococci, 10 gram-negative nonfermenters and 9 gram-positive rods.

Legionella DNA was detected in six samples and Legionella antigen in six others. Molds were detected in three samples.

"These findings indicate that the general perception that bottled water is safe and clean is not true," Dr. Klont noted in comments to Reuters Health.

"The risk of disease to healthy individuals may be limited, but immunocompromised patients are generally more susceptible to infection and therefore might be at higher risk of becoming infected," he added.