| Abstrakt: |
Objective: To assess the quality and compare different brands of bottled drinking water with WHO standards. Methods: This is a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted in Peshawar, Pakistan in 2022. 14 brands of bottled water were selected randomly by convenient sampling. Brands included were Aqua Divine, Aqua drink, Aqua Green, Aquafina, Nestle mineral water, Aqwah natural, Dasani, Hydrosip, Max 10 water, Muqattar, Truly, Tyrant Aqua, Dua, and Wah water. Two samples of each brand were taken and analyzed for physiochemical parameters, which included color, turbidity, taste, odor, and minerals such as calcium, total solids, nitrates, chloride, and sulphates. Comparison with WHO standards was done using one sample T-test using a one-sample t-test. Results: According to our results, the pH values obtained were within the WHO range of 6.5-8.5. Chemical parameters such as calcium ranged between 10 mgs/L to 65 mgs/L(WHO level up to 300 mg/L, and Chloride concentration ranged from 20 to 156 mgs/L(WHO standard is 200 mg/L). Total solids were 500mg/L (WHO standard is up to 100mg/L), sulphates were 200 mg/L (WHO standard is up to 500mg/L and nitrates were not detected in any of the samples. Whereas physical properties such as color, odor, and turbidity were normal. Conclusion: Our study concluded that the bottled drinking water of different brands available in Peshawar city is physiochemically fit for consumption as all the parameters tested were within the permissible limits of WHO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
