Qualitative analysis of physico-chemical parameters of packaged drinking water commercially available in India

The demand for packaged drinking water is increasing day by day, so it is necessary that the quality of this water must be monitored. Our present study focuses on the determination of the concentration of minerals and trace elements present in commercialised packaged drinking water sold out in various regions of India. In total, we have analysed 41 brands. The different treatments through which this water has passed as claimed by the manufacturers are also mentioned. The average value of the total dissolved solids in these waters is found to be 101.1 mg L−1. The content of anions and cations present in water is represented by box and whisker plots. Bottled water samples are also analysed for the radioactive element uranium, which is observed in the range of <0.1 to 9.2 μg L−1 with a mean concentration of 1.6 μg L−1. The radiation dose assessment for various age groups has been calculated due to the ingestion of uranium present in the water.