Nitrate and Nitrite in Available Bottled Water in Babol (Mazandaran; Iran) in Summer 2010

Increasing population growth and shortage of drinking water in arid and semi arid countries like Iran has made optimal use of water in different uses. Give attention to these limitations and water quality due to bottled water use is considered as a serious solution in distribution of sanitary water. Some of the pollutants such as nitrate and nitrite and water components may lead to undesirable effects such as carcinogenesis, cardiovascular disease and hypertension, and effect on the nervous system. So, consumers should be aware of the quality of the water. The purpose of this study was to determine the amount of nitrate and nitrite in some bottled waters in Babol city, Iran.

This cross-sectional and descriptive study was performed on 28 samples of 14 bottled water factories which selected randomly. Two samples of each factory were gathered once every two weeks. The amount of nitrate and nitrite was measured by DR/2000 spectrophotometer. Limit for nitrite in drinking water was 0.2 mg/L and for nitrate was 50 mg/L. Bottled water were classified from A to N brand and then evaluated and compared.

Maximum amount of nitrate and nitrite was 35.2 and 0.0462 mg/L, respectively and minimum amount of nitrate and nitrite was 8.36 and 0.0049 mg/L, respectively. Nitrate and nitrite of all samples in standard limits was less than 0.2 and 50 mg/L.

The results of this study showed that the amount of nitrate and nitrite in 14 different brands of bottled water available in Babol city is based on International and National standards and do not threaten the health of consumers.