Consumption of bottled water by children in the city of Bauru, State of São Paulo, Brazil - A brief communication

Objectives: To determine the consumption of bottled water by children in the city of Bauru, State of São Paulo, Brazil. Methods: A stratified sample of the 17 areas established by the city plan was used to identify a total of 1,000 homes for visitation. Information was collected using a questionnaire concerning the type of water consumed and population demographics. Results: Overall, around 30 percent of all residences used bottled water. Among all households where bottled water was consumed, about 26 percent had children residing. For those with children and bottled water, 81 percent reported to use bottled water for the preparation of the children's foods and beverages. Conclusions: An important percentage of children consume bottled water in the city of Bauru, State of São Paulo, Brazil. Considering previous studies showing that fluoride concentrations vary in bottled water, public health measures should be implemented in order to guarantee adequate levels of fluoride in commercialized water. © 2007, American Association of Public Health Dentistry.

Concentração de flúor em águas engarrafadas comercializadas no município de São Paulo

O objetivo do estudo foi avaliar a concentração de flúor na água engarrafada comercializada, comparando-a aos valores impressos no rótulo da embalagem. Foram coletadas 229 amostras de água das 35 marcas disponíveis em diversos supermercados, mercearias e lanchonetes de grande circulação nas diferentes regiões do município de São Paulo, em 2006. A concentração de flúor foi determinada por análise em duplicata, utilizando o eletrodo íon-específico. A concentração de flúor variou entre 0,01 e 2,04 mg/l, com diferenças significantes entre os valores estipulados nos rótulos e os encontrados com a análise. Esses resultados reforçam a importância do controle dos níveis de flúor na água engarrafada por parte da vigilância sanitária.

Measuring fluoride concentration in mineral waters in the Araraquara region, Brazil

It has been shown that people of all ages can benefit from the topical and systemic effects of water fluoridation. However, the increase in consumption of bottled water, either to substitute for or supplement consumption of water from public sources, has implications for safe fluoride supplementation. Taking that into consideration, in 1995 we analyzed the fluoride content in 31 commercial brands of mineral water in the region of Araraquara, state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Fluoride concentration as determined by our analysis was compared to the concentration of fluoride specified on each label. Only 25% of the products studied listed the fluoride concentration on their labels. In addition, among 31 mineral water brands, 26 listed the date when the chemical analysis to determine chemical composition had been performed. Of these, 20 had not been put through the annual chemical analysis determined by Brazilian law. Based on these results, if the mineral waters tested had been the only source of drinking water, fluoride supplementation would have been necessary in 69% of the samples analyzed. In the case of children up to 6 years of age who use products containing fluoride, such as topical gels, mouthwashes or toothpastes, supplementation should be recommended only if commercially bottled water is the only source of water used, not only for drinking but for cooking as well.

Qualidade microbiológica, concentração de nitratos em águas de consumo alternativo (minerais e de poços) da cidade de Jaboticabal-SP

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Análise genômicae suscetibilidade de Pseudomonas aeruginosa isoladas de rede de água de consultórios odontológicos da cidade de Barretos-SP

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Concentração de flúor em águas envasadas: análise laboratorial e da legislação relacionada

Fluoridation of water for human consumption is a method of caries prevention that brings great social benefit, if kept at optimal levels. The increase in the production of bottled water emphasizes the need to verify whether fluoride presence in these waters occurs in sufficient quantity to prevent decay, or if it represents a significant risk of fluorosis. Objective: to compare the concentrations of fluoride present in bottled water to those declared on the labels, and to make a critical analysis of legal norms on the subject. Materials and method: this was a cross-sectional study, through which 22 samples of bottled water sold in state of Ceará, Brazil, were analyzed. Analyses were performed in duplicate by the electrometric method, and results were compared to those printed on the labels. Detailed searches by laws, resolutions, ordinances, and other official documents in force, related to the topic were performed. Results: the fluoride concentrations found ranged from 0.01 to 0.36 mgF/l. Although 72.7% of the samples were classified as fluoridated, the fluoride concentrations observed were shown to be insufficient for caries prevention. As for the rules, situations where they are not clear or even divergent were found. Conclusion: the current legislation on the subject requires updates to become more objective and to create new criteria on the use of the term “fluoridated water”.

Bottled mineral water as a potential source of antibiotic resistant bacteria

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Quantitative variations in heterotrophic plate count and in the presence of indicator microorganisms in bottled mineral water

Quantitative variations in heterotrophic plate count (HPC) and in the presence of indicator microorganisms in 0.5, 1.5 and 20-L bottles of different brands of Brazilian mineral water were analyzed during their shelf life. No variations were identified in the presence of indicator microorganisms, but quantitative variations in HPC were observed in some brands, which suggests that changes may be occurring in the water quality during storage. The aim of this study was also to evaluate the quality of the bottled mineral waters and the presence of enterococci and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were verified in six and two bottles, respectively, which is in disagreement with the microbiological quality criteria established in the current legislation. Although no limit is set for HPC in mineral water, this study relies on the limit of 500 colony-forming units per mL of sample (CFU/mL). Seventy-two bottles presented levels above 500 CFU/mL and up to 560,000 CFU/mL. This study showed that the control of HPC (<500 CFU/mL) for non-returnable packaging seems to be adequate to ensure the quality of mineral water during storage. The high values of HPC and its variations detected during storage seem to fully justify the need for a reevaluation of the use of HPC in bottled mineral water quality management. More detailed studies on the potential health risk of HPC and its variations in mineral water are also needed. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.

Opportunistic pathogens and elements of the resistome that are common in bottled mineral water support the need for continuous surveillance

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Mineral water: A microbiological approach

The microbiological quality of bottled mineral water of various domestic brands sold in Brazil was investigated, with particular focus on the heterotrophic plate count (HPC). Neither total coliforms nor Escherichia coli were found in any 1.5 L bottle samples. Total coliforms were found in 2.9% of the small bottles, while in 20 L bottles the presence of total coliforms and E. coli was demonstrated in 15.5 and 2.4% of samples, respectively. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was detected in 4.3, 4.5 and 9.5% of small, 1.5 and 20 L bottles, respectively. In 36.4% of the samples of 1.5 L bottles, the HPC was above 500 cfu/mL. This percentage of samples with an HPC above 500 cfu/mL increased to 52.0 and 61.9% in small and 20 L bottles, respectively. Higher contamination by total coliforms, E. coli, P. aeruginosa and HPCs occurred in 20 L bottles. In conclusion, several samples in this study were outside the international quality standard for mineral water and the large number of samples with high HPCs shows that more work must be done on the use of HPC in mineral water and the damaging effects that these microorganisms may cause to humans. The bottled mineral water was confirmed as a particularly important public health problem, due to the poor microbiological quality of the products that are marketed. © IWA Publishing 2012.

Hydrochemical evaluation of bottled mineral waters and spring at Corumbataí city, São Paulo State, Brazil

This investigation was carried out within São Paulo State, Brazil, and involved the sampling of well-known mineral bottled waters for performing a comparative hydrochemical study and of a spring occurring at Corumbataí city, in order to evaluate its suitability for bottling. Several methods were utilized for acquiring the hydrochemical data like the methyl orange end-point titration, potentiometry, ion selective electrode, colorimetry, flame photometry and inductively-coupled plasma spectrometry. The results obtained for the analyzed samples were compared with the guideline values established by the National Commission of Rules and Standards for Food of the Brazilian Health Ministry published in 1976. The Brazilian Code for Mineral Waters that was established by Register 7841 published on 8 August 1945 was also taken into account for verifying if the spring waters are mineralized. The hydrochemical data allowed identify some constituents impoverishing the water quality, thus, implying on its nonutilization for commercial purposes (bottling). In one specific case, the spring water only can become appropriate for human consumption after previous chemical treatment. © 201 WIT Press.