Abstract
Consumers are reacting to the water quality problems by buying bottled water which is an expensive solution and only partially addresses the problem. Subsequently, sales of bottled water have increased dramatically in the last ten years. To assess the quality of bottled water in Egypt, samples of 14 Egyptian brands of uncarbonated natural bottled water were evaluated within 6 months. Physico- chemical parameters of a total of 84 samples were tested using standard methods comparing them with those reported on their manufacturer's labeling and/or with government- issued production licenses. A comparison between the water composition and the maximum contaminant levels imposed by the Egyptian standards and several other international guidelines for all parameters was reported and discussed. They varied in composition among the brands and from lot to lot for a particular brand. The results obtained showed that a significant number of bottled water brands contain some elements (e.g. fluoride and several heavy metals) above the maximum concentration allowed for bottled waters by the Egyptian standards and several other international organizations. These results suggest the need for more stringent standardization of the bottled water market, with particular attention to quality control, labeling, and continuous monitoring.