Mercury Determination in Bottled Water from World Sources

Measuring mercury in water and food is a crucial part of environmental monitoring.

With a growing number of people relying solely on bottled water as their source of drinking water there is a concern that bottled water could be a source of mercury contamination. There is also a concern that the production process may be a source of contamination rather than the supplied water. In the production process contamination may come from bottle production or the process of filling and packaging the bottles. Mercury as a contaminant in water does not make water cloudy, give it a noticeable odour or change the taste but it may still be present.

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are both responsible for the safety of drinking water in the United States. The EPA regulates public drinking water (tap water), while the FDA regulates bottled drinking water. The FDA samples and tests both the source water and the final product for contaminants. The FDA “Bottled Water Final Rule” (published in the US Federal Register; 70 FR 33694 June 9, 2005) sets the allowable levels of total mercury at less than 0.002mg/L. The allowable level is easily distinguished above background because today’s instrumentation can easily detect.....