Far from mineral water "carcinogenic" panic

Recently, reports on the carcinogenicity of bromate in mineral waters and short messages have been reported: After disinfection, water has carcinogens, but national standards are not limited. For consumers, "bromate" is an unknown, it is a real concern. However, with the introduction of the new National Standard for Drinking Natural Mineral Water, consumers are expected to—


The picture shows the technical staff in the water sample composition (data picture)


Since the beginning of the summer, the mineral water that caused consumers to panic has caused cancer and said that it is expected to no longer be a worrying topic. The latest news shows that the new National Standard for Drinking Natural Mineral Water is coming soon. According to information released by the relevant AQSIQ on the 5th, the revised Draft National Standard for Drinking Natural Mineral Water has been solicited for comments on the Internet. The initial limit for bromate in the new standard is 0.01mg/L.

At present, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) is organizing nationwide special inspections to require all production enterprises to strengthen process control and effectively control the bromate content of mineral water.

Bromate cancer?

Some time ago, the reporter received a series of warning messages about carcinogenicity of mineral water. Earlier, reporters learned about this from relevant reports. These reports and text messages are not as diverse as those in the previous food safety crisis. The bromate produced by the disinfection of mineral water is a common reference to “carcinogenic,” and the “defects” or “absences” of national standards are the source of the problem. Where

According to relevant reports, as the country’s drinking water standards require very strict limits on the total number of colonies, it is limited to 50 cfu/ml. Therefore, in the process of sterilization of a large number of ozone by various manufacturers, a byproduct such as bromate is inevitable. The bromate, an inorganic disinfection by-product produced by the use of ozone to disinfect public drinking water, is classified as a Class 2b potential carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

Is bromine carcinogen another irresponsible hype? According to the relevant experts from the AQSIQ, under normal circumstances, water does not contain bromate, but it generally contains bromide. When ozone is used to sterilize water, bromide reacts with ozone and oxidized to produce bromate. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) believes that potassium bromate has a carcinogenic effect on experimental animals, but the carcinogenic effects of bromate on humans are not yet certain, and bromate has been classified as a carcinogen for humans.

Late standard?

The reporter interviewed several friends who had previously expressed concern about the leakage of mineral water in the new “National Standard for Drinking Natural Mineral Water” message. Many of them responded quickly to the relevant state departments and expressed appreciation: “It is really fast. There are standards? They did a good job this time!" A friend is almost rejoicing.

However, a mineral water company official who did not wish to be named said that this is a "standard for late arrival." Although the “bromate” is not familiar to consumers, the drinking water industry is well known. Earlier reports also said that this is a "secret" hidden in the drinking water industry in China for more than a decade.

In the early stage of mineral water production in China, ozone is rarely used to sterilize water. However, in recent years, mineral water companies have generally adopted ozone sterilization technology, resulting in the prominent phenomenon of bromate.

According to the information released by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine on the Internet yesterday, in 1993, the World Health Organization set the limit of bromate in water to 0.025 mg/L in the Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality, and it was revised to 0.01 mg/L in 2004. China's National Standard for Drinking Natural Mineral Water also stipulates that the limit of bromate is 0.01mg/L, which is consistent with the standards of the World Health Organization.

The new national standard, "happy", "sorrow" fall?

Even if it is "probably" carcinogenic, if the new national standard is promulgated and implemented, there will be more protection for consumers' health and safety. This is undoubtedly "good." However, people in the industry said that for mineral water producers, “say two things”. The reason is: “To reduce the content of bromate in mineral water products, enterprises must increase investment in water treatment.” "Although any company wants low-cost and high-profit, but the cost increases, it means different to 'camel' and 'horse'." He even worried about the company's different positions, will once again cause the new national standard in the consultation to "compromise" key indicators. "Or even "difficulty."

But not everything is pessimistic. Relevant experts pointed out that if a new national standard is issued, relevant regulatory authorities will supervise them according to standards. However, monitoring whether the bromate index exceeds the standard is not what method the company uses to control bromate. There may be many "solutions" for controlling bromate. Enterprises should pay attention to the improvement of scientific and technological R&D capabilities and the exploration and improvement of process methods. "In fact, some companies have already done so."

The formulation of many product standards, especially mandatory national standards, is destined to involve related interests. Sometimes some of these stakeholders may not know it. Relevant experts pointed out that as food safety and disclosure of product quality information continue to increase, in the game of multi-interest, the chips of public consumer interest are doomed to become heavier and heavier.

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