Evaluation of microbial and physico-chemical quality of bottled water produced in Hamadan province of Iran

Introduction: The increasing of population and limited drinking water resources has enhanced the necessity of using bottled water. Many people are now using bottled water because they believe it is a healthful alternative beverage to soft drinks or other bottled beverages. Therefore, the bottled water industry has grown immensely during the past decades. This descriptive cross-sectional study has investigated the quality of bottled water in market and factories of Hamadan province, Iran. Materials and methods: In total, 33 bottled water samples produced in the Hamadan province of Iran, were randomly collected in 2012. The evaluated parameters were nitrate, nitrite, turbidity, Na+, K+, pH, total coliforms and fecal coliforms. The data were analyzed by SPSS software. Results: All the samples meet standard regulations of national standards of Iran and the WHO guidelines. None of the samples, had coliforms or fecal coliforms. The mean values of nitrate, nitrite, turbidity, Na+, K+ and pH parameters were 8.34 mg/l, 0.024 mg/l, 0.38 NTU, 9.36 mg/l, 0.36 mg/l and 8.34, respectively. Conclusion: We found that all measured parameters of bottled water in Hamadan province were within acceptable rang of the national and international standards, and consuming this kind of drinking water would not present any risk to the consumers' health.