Bottled water • • • • •

Environmental problems in Italy (leading country) • 5 millions plastic bottles are used per year, which are not biodegradable and have an almost unlimited life when disposed in the environment. • At their end of life plastic bottles are incinerated and become responsible for the emission in atmosphere of toxic compounds such as chloric acids, heavy metals and dioxins. • More than one third in weight of the incinerated waste remains in form of ash, containing toxic compounds.

Bottled water means transportation problems, thus energy consumption and pollution, and waste problems: glass water bottles are recyclable and within a certain extent plastic bottles as well.

Plastic bottle • During their use plastic bottles do not ensure the hygienic safety ensured by glass bottles, since they can loose unwanted compounds in water, particularly if they are stocked in a warm place or under the sunlight.

Contamination • Even if bottled water quality is good, you should not forget that it is not above contamination: small amounts of pesticides and organics can reach the water spring. As tap water it is not sterile (unless it is ozonized) and it can contain usually not harmful bacteria.

Normative The directive 80/777/ECC states what can and what cannot be considered mineral water.

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Control Water is a public good, even if its exploitation can be given in concession to private people, after payment of a bill. Water is commercialised after authorisation by the Health Department and law foresees a periodical (monthly or biweekly) control of plants (entrusted to hospitals), seasonal controls of the spring and quinquennial controls for the label renewal. Anyway producers are interested to look after the good name of the company and carry out controls to different production levels. Compared to tap water, which is daily controlled, bottled water offers less warranties of official controls.

The label (1) Production plot in terms of day, month and year; Commercial name; Merchandise class (Mineral Water); Content in L, cL or dL; Main properties (composition in mineral salts, health effects etc.); Bacteriological analysis or the saying 'Biologically pure')

The label (2)

The label (3)

• Chemical analysis: physical-chemical features as pH, spring temperature, electric conductibility, total hardness, fixed residue at different temperatures, compounds and gasses dissolved in one liter of water; • membership class (mineral, mediomineral, oligomineral) • Selling authorisation by Health Department decree, number and date; • the saying 'do not dispose in the environment'; • Bar code

• Optional is the indication of salient qualities such: • Possibility of diuretic effect, possibility of laxative effect, indicated for newborn feeding, indicated for sodium poor diets, it stimulates digestion (or similar), it can help hepatobiliary functions (or similar).

Mineral water types

Oligomineral water (lightly mineralized)

Mineral water lightly mineralized It forms about the 9% of all the mineral waters on sale in Europe. • Its low mineral content, up to 50 mg/l and its usually low pH make it more diuretic. • It is recommended in bladder stone cases or to dilute powder milk for young children. • This kind of water can be too light for all the other people.

• It forms more than a half of all the bottled mineral water in Europe. • The mineral content is included between 50 and 500 mg/l depending on the mineral content. • Advertisements point out its lightness and its diuretic action, useful to prevent bladder stoning. • It is not recommended to drink more than 2 or 3 litres/day in all cases of bladder dysfunctions and hypertension. • Lightly mineralized water can have a slightly demineralising effect.

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Mineralized water It is the real mineral water, with a fixed residue up to 1500 mg/l. Usually this is the fixed residue contained in our tap water. The diuretic effect gets slightly lower proportionally to the increasing in fixed residue.

Total Dissolved Solid (TDS): 475 mg/L

Which water should we choose? • Depending on the disorder • If no disorders are present, to choose the most suitable water for the whole family you should consider some basic criteria: 1. Price - quality

Read the label carefully: - a mediomineral water with a fixed residue between 500 and 800 mg/l can be the most suitable for your family; - low values of nitrates and sulphates, ad eventually of chlorine and sodium, are very important; - check the making date and choose the most recent;

Type of water • Mineral water lightly mineralized • Oligomineral water • Mediomineral water • Water mineralized

Fixed residue < 50 mg/l >50 < 500 mg/l > 500 < 1500 mg/l > 1500 mg/l

Waters sorted by Total Dissolved Solids Brands - (Country) – TDS in mg/L • Agua de Carabaña (Spain) 86550 • Attiva (Italy) 51120 • Bad Mergentheimer Albertquelle (Germany) 42000 • Hunyadi Janos (Hungary) 37400 • Cigelka (Slovak Republic) 29284.4 • Bad Mergentheimer Karlsquelle (Germany) 18000 • Original Fountain Of Youth Mineral Water (USA) 17349 • Acqua Regina (Italy) 17295 • Donat (Slovenia) 16870 • Abenakis (Canada) 14300

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Donat Mg (Slovenia) 13197 Saratica (Czech Republic) 12264 Hydroxydase (France) 9737 Aguas Verdes (Spain) 9595 Poljana (Ukraine) 8800 Poljana Kupel (Ukraine) 8750 Mönchsbrunnen (Germany) 8651 Westerwald-Quelle (Germany) 8500 Acqua Tettuccio (Italy) 8342 Vincentka (Czech Republic) 8020

Bottles, packages • Glass bottles and not sparking water should be preferred: the added carbon dioxide increases water acidity and our diets are already very rich in acidic compounds; • Bottles and packages should be perfectly intact. Do not buy water from dispenser where a storage outside, under the sunlight, is evident.

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Types, concentrations • • • • • • • • • •

Bicarbonated water

Type of water: Bicarbonate water Sulphate water Chloride water Calcic water Magnesium water Floridated water Irony water Sodic water Low sodic water

Content: mg/l Bicarbonate > 600 Sulphates> 200 Chloride> 200 Calcium> 150 Magnesium> 50 Fluoride> 1 Iron> 1 Sodium> 200 Sodium< 20

Sulphated water

• The anion HCO3- has a concentration higher than 600 mg/l or anyway it is dominant.

• The SO42- content should be higher than 200 mg/l or it is anyway dominant.

• Effects: This water can accelerate gastric emptying if drunk during meals, fasting it limits gastric acidity.

• Effects: sulphated water is slightly laxative. It relax biliaric muscles and has an equilibrating effect on the stomach.

• For who: carbonated water is generally prescribed to who suffer hepatobiliaric disorders and it is recommended to who practise sport, since bicarbonate and calcium are able to neutralize lactic acid. It is useful for babies who vomit frequently or anyway as food integration in first months, since it is rich in precious minerals.

Chloride water • Water in which the anion Cl- is dominant. • Effects: if chloride water has an high mineral content (hypertonic), it increases internal peristalsis, if it has a low mineral concentration (hypotonic) it stimulates gastric secretion. Protect liver from toxic compounds. • For who: Chloridated water is recommended for hypertense people with renal problems.

• For who: it is recommended for people suffering colon diseases. It is not recommended during growth, since it can interfere with calcium adsorption.

Calcium • Calcium is one of the most common elements on the earth. • It is essential in our body for teeth and bones formation, blood coagulation, right functioning of our nervous system. Calcium ions are contained in almost all spring, drinking water. Health effects caused by hard water, very rich in calcium and magnesium, are unknown. • An excess in calcium can alter the water taste or cause scaling problems in pipes and household appliances. If you use a device for the reduction of the content of calcium and magnesium ions dissolved in water (softener), it is important that the calcium content never goes under 60 mg/l. • The W H O recommends a minimum calcium daily intake of about 700 mg.

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Calcic water • Calcic water usually is calcium bicarbonate water. It should have a calcium content higher than 150 mg/l. • Effects: calcic water usually act on stomach and liver. It helps to prevent osteoporosis and to reduce hypertension. Calcic water cannot and should not be considered a food calcium source. • For who: it is useful for people who suffer stomach and liver disorders, to prevent high pressure (?), osteoporosis and for growing children.

Sodic waters • Sodium content in sodic water is 200 mg/l. • Effects: Sodic water positively effects neuromuscular excitability. • For who: Usually it is believed that these waters are contraindicated for hypertense people, but it is a debated topic. Sodic water is recommended in case of sodium lack and for who practices sport.

Iron • Food rich in iron is very important, particularly for children and women in fertile age. The recommended daily intake is 10 mg. • Iron is usually contained in low amount in drinking water. The WHO recommend a maximum of 0.3 mg/l the EEC of 0.2 mg/l. • Possible increasing (lower than 200 mg/l) are not to be considered harmful, even if they make the water not nice to drink and give an unpleasant reddish colour.

Sodium • Sodium is an element very diffused on earth and in the biosphere, even if in nature it is almost never in its pure form, but mainly in form of salt (NaCl). Our body contains an average of 100 g of sodium which is an important metabolic regulator for nervous and muscular stimulations. • Due to our diet very rich in salt it is recommended to drink water with a sodium content lower than 20 mg/l, particularly for hypertense people and children. • To reduce the daily sodium intake it would be more logical to change your nutrition: i.e. to eat only integral sea salt, and to avoid precooked food, always rich in refined salt.

Fluoridated waters • According to law fluoridated water is water which contain a concentration higher than 1 mg/l of fluoride. It is natural fluoride, than does not originate from industrial operation residues. • Effects: Fluoridated water contains fluoride that helps to reinforce teeth and dental caries. The maximum admissible content in water is 1.7 mg/l and an excess can cause fluorosis, an accumulation of fluoride in teeth and bones. • For who: fluoridated water is recommended during the growth and for who is affected by osteoporosis, but an intake for long periods is not recommended.

Ferruginous water Iron bivalent content should be higher than 1 mg/l. Effects: Iron is assimilated by the intestine as ferric ion. For who: Ferruginous water is recommended for anaemic people, as integration to medical therapies. They are not recommended for who suffers gastritis or gastroenteritis.

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Manganese • Food usually covers the recommended daily intake of 2-3 mg. An excessive concentration in water is not necessarily harmful, but originates the same problems as iron (unpleasant taste and colour).

Magnesic waters • Magnesic water has a magnesium content higher than 50 mg/l and in rather rare in the market. • Effects: Magnesic water has a purging effect, but it is prescribed to prevent arteriosclerosis, since magnesiac waters containing lithium and potassium induce a sensible arteries dilatation. • For who: magnasiac water is useful for who suffer magensium lack, which can bring cramps, low stress resistance and fatigue.

Magnesium

Magnesium is, with sodium and calcium, among the cations most commonly found in drinking water. In humans magnesium is important for many metabolic functions and for muscular and nervous activity. The daily recommended intake is 150-500 mg.

Chromium/Copper • Chromium (Cr) Chromium is an important oligoelement for our organism, on condition that certain concentration are not exceeded and the element is not found in toxic or carcinogenic combinations (always due to industrial pollution). At present there is no recommended daily intake. • Copper (Cu) Copper is an essential element for our health, but it is toxic at high concentration. A daily intake of 1.2 mg is recommended. Copper pollution in water can originate form copper pipes corrosion by soft, acidic water.

Selenium • Even if selenium is considered a toxic element taken is high dosage, it is an important anti-oxidant. • Selenium is useful to attack free radicals and then prevent aging. • The recommended daily intake by EU is 40 pg. • A possible lack of selenium can increase the risk of tumour and cardiovascular diseases.

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