Natural Mineral Water Research Articles

Chemical signature and antimicrobial activity of Central Portuguese Natural Mineral Waters against selected skin pathogens.

The common therapeutic indications of Portuguese Natural Mineral Waters (NMWs) are primarily for respiratory, rheumatic and musculoskeletal systems. However, these NMWs have been increasingly sought for dermatologic purposes. Opposing to what is observed in the major European Thermal Centres, there are few scientific evidences supporting the use of Portuguese NMWs for clinical applications. The aim of this study was to characterize the antimicrobial profile of individual NMWs from the central region of Portugal and correlate the results with their physicochemical characterization. An extensive multivariate analysis (principal component analysis) was also performed to further investigate this possible correlation. Six collection strains representing skin microbiota, namely Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Corynebacterium amycolatum, Candida albicans, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Cutibacterium acnes, were analysed, and their antimicrobial profile was determined using Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute M07-A10, M45-A2, M11-A6 and M27-A3 microdilution methods. Different NMWs presented different antimicrobial profiles against the strains used; the physicochemical composition of NMWs seemed to be correlated with the different susceptibility profiles. Cutibacterium acnes showed a particularly high susceptibility to all NMWs belonging sulphurous/bicarbonated/sodic ionic profile, exhibiting microbial reductions up to 65%. However, due to the complex physicochemical composition of each water an overall conclusion regarding the effect of a specific ion on the growth of different microorganisms is yet to be known.

Nephrological Aspects of Balneotherapy with Uvinskaya Mineral Water in Patients with Type 2 Diаbetes

Aim.The present article studies the effect of balneotherapy with Uvinskaya mineral water on the microbial spectrum of urine in patients with type 2 diabetes.Materials and methods.The study was carried out at the Endocrinology Department of the First Republican Clinical Hospital (Izhevsk). A total of 56 patients with type 2 diabetes participated in the study, which involved collecting medical history and complaint data of patients along with performing general and system-based examination, urinalysis, urine culture prior to and following the course of therapy, as well as kidney ultrasound aimed at excluding the presence of calculi. Urine cultures (morning sample) were plated onto 5% blood agar, as well as Endo’s medium for detecting bacteria from theEnterobacteriaceaefamily using the Gould method. Urine cultures were incubated for 24, 72 and 144 hours at a temperature of 37 °C. The significance of differences was determined using the t-test for independent and paired samples.Results.Changes in urinalysis were observed in all examined patients, which included changes characteristic of urinary tract infections: a large number of bacteria per field of view; a large amount of mucus; the presence of leukocytes in urine; alkaline pH shift; as well as disorders typical of diabetes mellitus (glycosuria, proteinuria).E. colipredominated in urine cultures. Following a 30-day therapy with Uvinskaya mineral water, the number of bacteria and leukocytes, as well as the amount of mucus, detected in the urine reduced significantly, which indicates urinary tract sanation. Positive dynamics among patients who underwent balneotherapy treatment is confirmed by the Student’s t-test (p < 0.05). In addition, no urinary sanation was observed in the group of patients who did not receive balneotherapy.Conclusion.Drawing on the study results, the authors recommend using Uvinskaya natural mineral water in the combined treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes for urinary tract rehabilitation.

Occurrence of total coliforms, Escherichia coli and Cronobacter species in commercially available 20 l bottled drinking water sold in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil.

Cronobacter infections of infants are commonly regarded as due to the ingestion of contaminated feed. The aim of this study was to determine the occurrence of Cronobacter, total coliforms and Escherichia coli in different brands of natural mineral waters as sold in 20l returnable bottles in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The quantification of total coliforms and E. coli was performed by Most Probable Number. The detection of Cronobacter was as according to the ISO 22964:2017 and Bacteriological Analytical Manual/FDA. Molecular characterization of Cronobacter isolates was performed by real-time PCR and by multi-locus sequence typing. The antibiotic susceptibility profile was determined and biofilm production was evaluated in polystyrene microplates. Total coliforms and E. coli were detected in 13 (39·4%) and 2 (6·1%) of the 33 lots analysed respectively, and were considered unsatisfactory for human consumption according to Brazilian law. One (3·0%) lot showed contamination by C. malonaticus ST440 (Cronobacter MLST Databases accession no. ID 2646). The strain was susceptible to all (n=13) antibiotics tested and only formed a weak biofilm. Since there is a high consumption of natural mineral waters by elderly and immunosuppressed persons, epidemiological surveillance agencies should be aware of the risk that these waters may represent for these groups. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Cronobacter malonaticus ST440 was isolated from 20l bottled drinking natural mineral waters sold in markets in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, and can be a potential threat to human health, particularly for neonates. Thirteen lots (39·4%) were unsatisfactory for human consumption due to the presence of total coliforms and/or Escherichia coli.

Висіюваність сапрофітних флуоресціюючих бактерій роду Pseudomonas з природних мінеральних вод деяких областей України

Висіюваність сапрофітних флуоресціюючих бактерій роду Pseudomonas з природних мінеральних вод деяких областей України

Assessment of spa mineral water quality from Vrnjačka Banja, Serbia: geochemical, bacteriological, and health risk aspects.

The goal of this study is to evaluate the quality of seven natural mineral water sources in the Vrnjačka Banja area used in the treatment of various diseases. The 24 macro- and microelements were determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The results show that element content was within allowed limits of concentration, except for B, As, and Se. The evaluated content of these elements can be associated with geological and anthropogenic factors. The sample S6 contains more than twice the concentration of As, meaning that the use of water from this source should be limited due to the negative impact of this element on human health. The calculated values of weekly (EWI) and oral (OI) intakes as well as the acute hazard quotient (HQA) of selected toxic and potentially toxic elements indicate no health risks to the consumers. The highest hazard quotient (HQL) observed for As in sample S6 (2.0·10-1) demonstrated a significant risk of carcinogenic diseases in long-term consumption from this source. The estimated non-carcinogenic (DIA) and carcinogenic (DIL) dermal intakes with acute (HQA) and long-term (HQL) hazard quotient values for sample S3 show that there is no health risk to those who use the water from this thermal source for bathing. The presence of aerobic mesophilic bacteria at 22 °C and 37 °C in samples S3, S6, and S7 as well as sulphite-reducing Clostridia species in sample S5 were detected, potentially indicating some non-faecal or faecal contamination.

МЕДИКО-ЕКОЛОГІЧНА ОЦІНКА ЯКОСТІ БУТИЛЬОВАНОЇ МІНЕРАЛЬНОЇ ПИТНОЇ ВОДИ

The consumption and production of mineral waters in Ukraine is increasing. The only normative document that is intended to regulate the quality of packaged mineral waters is DSTU 878: 2006 Waters mineral packed. Specifications. The quality of used water can vary significantly from the various manufacturers. The quality of bottled drinking water of the most common trademarks of Ukraine from the shops of Cherkassy city research was conducted and provides medical and ecological assessment of the safety of its consumption. The correspondence of the information on the labels when marking the packaged drinking water from different manufacturers to their chemical composition, organoleptic parameters is analyzed. It was determined that not all samples of mineral waters are on the labeling label in accordance with the normative documents. According to the existing national classification of mineral drinking water by the degree of mineralization, all the samples of drinking water with mineral salts in the range from 1 to 8 g / dc3 should be attributed to the waters intended for the treatment of health. However, the marking of bottled mineral water from the brands Morshynska, Mirgorodskaya, Natural spring, Truskavets, Talnevskaya, Bon aqua, Promo marka places this water as a natural dining water, although it may indicate the chemical composition of the salts contained in the water. Foreign samples of mineral water (Vytautas, Borjomi, Altavalle, San Benedetto, Evian) more clearly indicate the purpose of water: waters intended for the treatment of health or natural mineral water with a low content of minerals. These indicators are very important for the consumer, since the increased degree of mineralization of drinking water limits the duration of its consumption. According to the organoleptic properties, samples of packaged drinking water had matched to the normative indicators. Thus, the chemical composition of drinking water declared on the labels does not always comply with national norms and requirements for drinking mineral waters, which may negatively affect on the safety of consumption of such products for the final consumers.

Scenedesmus obliquus Suşlarının Farklı Besin Ortamlarındaki Büyüme Kinetiği

In this study, the effects of different media and natural mineral waters on thegrowth dynamics of Scenedesmus obliquus (Turpin) Kützing were investigated.S. obliquus strains were isolated from various freshwater wells and pools inAnkara, Turkey. In the production of three S. obliquus strains, both four culturemedium and four natural mineral waters were used. Cell density, dry weight,specific growth rates, duplication time and chlorophyll-a of the cultures werecalculated. The results showed that the different culture media and natural mineralwaters significantly affected the final cell density, biomass and growth rates ofstrains. In three isolates, there was a significant difference in ScnGP strain interms of cell density, biomass weight and specific growth rate compared to others.Cell density (7.4x104±1.3x103cells/mL), biomass amount (0.212±0.032g/mL),specific growth rate (0.024 h-1) and chlorophyll-a (1.71±0.22μg/mL) of ScnGPgrown in Bold Wynne medium were significantly (P<0.05) higher than that ofgrown in all other treatments. It has been determined that the results obtained fromnatural mineral waters were as good as the results obtained from culture media. Itcan be thought that various chemical compounds and reproductive factors can beadded to increase the production within the natural mineral waters.

(Ab)use of Health Claims in Websites: The Case of Italian Bottled Waters.

The massive use of web marketing makes the monitoring of nutrition and health claims used in advertising campaigns much more difficult. The present study aimed at reviewing the website content for bottled waters produced in Italy to assess (i) if nutrition and health claims are reported, (ii) what types of nutrition and health claims are reported most frequently, and (iii) if the nutrition and health claims could be considered appropriate according to the current regulation in the field. A review of the website content of the 253 bottled waters produced in Italy and reported in the annual report of Bevitalia 2016–2017 was conducted. For each brand, indications related to the preventive, curative or therapeutic properties of the water reported were examined. Bottled waters that included potentially misleading information apparently not consistent with the European Directive on the exploitation and marketing of natural mineral waters were identified. Forty bottled waters with uncertain website content were identified. The information reported in the websites referred most often to beneficial effects for urinary tract and cardiovascular systems. Present results highlight, using the bottled water case study, that website content sometimes happens to deliver misleading information to consumers, also thanks to uncertain regulation in this sensitive field.

Comparative study of mineral and surface waters of Araxá spa, Minas Gerais State, Brazil

The natural mineral waters of the springs Dona Beja (DBS) and Andrade Junior (AJS) from Araxa city, in the Brazilian State of Minas Gerais (MG), are well known since the nineteenth century when started the studies of their healing properties for the tuberculosis treatment. In Brazil, the period 1930–1950 corresponded to the construction peak of thermal and non-thermal spas for therapeutic and leisure purposes. In 1944, the President Getulio Vargas inaugurated a large spa at Barreiro area in Araxa city. The DBS waters have low salinity, high radioactivity, discharge sustained by the recharging rainwater, and expected low residence time in the aquifer due to the maximum recharge–discharge distance of 2–3 km. The AJS waters are hypothermal/thermal, alkaline, sulfured, highly saline, exhibiting deep circulation and discharging in a site dominated by slightly weathered rocks. Barreiro area is also characterized by the exploration of phosphate fertilizer (begun in 1947–1948) and niobium (identified in pyrochlore in 1953). Since the 60s and 70s, the demand for these resources increased, favoring the release of contaminants into the environment. As a consequence, several professionals and institutions belonging to different sectors of the society have pointed out potential environmental problems due to possible contamination of the DBS and AJS waters, with implications for reducing the tourism activities in the region that take an important role on the municipality economy. This study compared the major hydrochemical characteristics of the DBS and AJS waters with those of other surface waters and rainwater occurring in that area for identifying possible degradation of their quality due to the anthropogenic inputs taking place there.

The Effect of Carbonated Natural Mineral Water on Oxidative Stress in Experimental Myocardial Ischemia

Natural therapeutic factors are widely used as an important adjuvant therapy in various cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disorders. The aim of this study was to assess the role of balneal therapy on oxidative stress parameters in experimental myocardial ischemia induced in rats. 5 groups of 8 rats were used as follow: group 1- control group; group 2 - group swimming in distilled water (DW); group 3- group with myocardial ischemia (MI); group 4 - group with MI swimming in DW; group 5 - group with MI and swimming in carbonated mineral water (CMW). Myocardial ischemia was induced with Isoproterenol. The following oxidative stress/antioxidant blood parameters were assessed for each animal: nitric oxide (NOx), malondialdechyde (MDA), total oxidative stress (TOS), catalase (CAT) and total ant oxidative capacity of plasma (TAC). In group 5 all parameters assessed were significantly improved compared with group 3 and 4. Carbonated mineral water can be used as an adjuvant therapy for improving oxidative stress/antioxidant status in patients with cardiac ischemia, in order to reduce the amplitude of ischemic lesions and to contribute as a prophylactic therapy to a better quality of life for these patients. Continuing this research in humans through clinical studies would be warranted.

Head-out immersion in natural thermal mineral water for the management of hypertension: a review of randomized controlled trials.

Hypertension is a major public health problem in the world, and the management of hypertension has always been a research of interest. Balneotherapy, with its recreational aspect, is more acceptable than medication intake and lifestyle change for the management of hypertension. The aim of this review was to summarize the current available data on the clinical effects of head-out immersion in natural thermal mineral water (HINTMW) as the most common method of balneotherapy used in the management of hypertension. We screened the PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, China Science and Technology Journal, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, WANFANG, and China Biology Medicine disc databases and selected 12 randomized controlled trials involving a total of 1122 participants. Among 12 trials, HINTMW was taken as the only intervention in only one study, HINTMW was taken in addition to basic antihypertensive drugs in three studies, and HINTMW was taken in combination with advice to follow nonpharmacological methods in one study involving participants who partly used antihypertensive drugs, while HINTMW combined with other interventions, such as natural convalescent factor therapy, psychotherapy, exercises, nutrition therapy, and integrated care, was taken in addition to basic antihypertensive drugs in the other 7 studies. Our results showed that natural thermal mineral water immersion alone or natural thermal mineral water immersion as an adjuvant therapy to medication or natural thermal mineral water immersion combined with other interventions had no adverse effects on hypertensive patients, and most even had positive effects. However, more high-quality evidences on therapeutic effectiveness of natural thermal mineral water immersion on hypertension are needed from additional randomized controlled trials with high methodological quality.

Survey of trace elements in bottled natural mineral waters using ICP-MS.

This study monitors the elemental composition of different brands of bottled natural mineral waters marketed in Turkey and discusses compositional parameters. Natural mineral water samples were analyzed for cesium (Cs), rubidium (Rb), thallium (Tl), cobalt (Co), arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), gallium (Ga), vanadium (V), silver (Ag), cadmium (Cd), uranium (U), thorium (Th), and molybdenum (Mo) by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Method trueness was confirmed by using 1640A natural water certified reference materials purchased from Laboratory of the Government Chemist (LGC). The linearity, limit of detection, limit of quantification, repeatability, and recovery (%) were assessed. Method validation data and results obtained from the certified reference material suggested that the method could be applied to determine elemental contaminants of the samples. Cd, Tl, Ag, and Th could not be determined (< LOD) in the samples. Pb, Cs, Co, Rb, Ga, V, U, As, Cr, and Mo were determined in samples. The results were compared with elemental standards for natural mineral waters set according to the World Health Organization and United States Environmental Protection Agency, and the concentrations of all metals did not exceed these values.

Rapid catalytic degradation of refractory textile dyes in Fe(II)/chlorine system at near neutral pH: Radical mechanism involving chlorine radical anion (Cl2[rad]−)-mediated transformation pathways and impact of environmental matrices

Owing to the marked stability and resistance to biodegradation of synthetic dyes, their removal from industrial wastewater is a very difficult process. Herein, we investigated the feasibility of Fe(II)/chlorine system to remove synthetic dyes from water. It was found that the presence of chlorine in solution containing 25 µM of Fe(II) at pH 5 accelerated the removal of dyes by more than 60% within 30 s of treatment. Radical scavengers studies using nitrobenzene, benzoic acid, t-butanol and sodium azide as specific probes revealed that Cl2− plays the dominant role in the oxidative process involving Fe(II)/chlorine system, although other reactive radicals such as OH, Cl and ClO may also be formed in the process. The best performance was achieved at pH 5 and 6, although higher degradation degrees were also obtained at pH 3 and 4. At pH 5 and 6, hydroxyl radicals contributed to about 11–22% in the overall removal process, whereas negligible contribution was noticed at pH 3. The degradation efficiency increased with the increase in Fe(II) and chlorine dosages up to an optimal level and detrimental effects were recorded at high dosages. Chloride addition enhanced the process efficiency whereas sulfate and bromide ions reduced the degradation rate. Besides, drastic inhibition was observed with nitrite and sulfite even at low concentrations. Organic competitors such as humic acids and surfactants didn’t affect the process efficiency. The one exception is that of Adogen 464 surfactant, which showed potential scavenging of Cl2− radicals. More interestingly, the process efficiency was not affected greatly in real matrices. A reduction of only 2% was remarked in a natural mineral water, 13% in seawater and ~20% in river water. Therefore, the Fe(II)/chlorine process is highly efficient in removing dyes from real matrices in very short time (i.e., 30 s).

Biological Effects of Thermal Water-Associated Hydrogen Sulfide on Human Airways and Associated Immune Cells: Implications for Respiratory Diseases.

Natural mineral (thermal) waters have been used for centuries as treatment for various diseases. However, the scientific background of such therapeutic action is mostly empiric and based on knowledge acquired over time. Among the various types of natural mineral waters, sulfurous thermal waters (STWs) are the most common type in the center of Portugal. STWs are characterized by high pH, poor mineralization, and the presence of several ions and salts, such as bicarbonate, sodium, fluoride, silica, and carbonate. Furthermore, these waters are indicated as a good option for the treatment of various illnesses, namely respiratory diseases (e.g., allergic rhinitis, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). From the sulfide species present in these waters, hydrogen sulfide (H2S) stands out due to its abundance. In healthy conditions, H2S-related enzymes (e.g., cystathionine β-synthase and cystathionine γ-lyase) are expressed in human lungs, where they have mucolytic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial roles, thus contributing to airway epithelium homeostasis. These roles occur mainly through S-sulfhydration, a post-translational modification through which H2S is able to change the activity of several targets, such as ion channels, second messengers, proteins, among others. However, in respiratory diseases the metabolism of H2S is altered, which seems to contribute somehow to the respiratory deterioration. Moreover, H2S has been regarded as a good biomarker of airway dysfunction and severity, and can be measured in serum, sputum, and exhaled air. Hence, in this review we will recapitulate the effects of STWs on lung epithelial-immune crosstalk through the action of its main component, H2S.

Comparative geochemical study between the tap waters and the bottled mineral waters in Calabria (Southern Italy) by compositional data analysis (CoDA) developments

This work focuses on comparing the inorganic content of tap and bottled mineral waters in the Calabria region (Southern Italy) performed by using robust Compositional Data Analysis (CoDA) methods and related new developments associated with a classical graphical-numerical approach.Thirty-one samples of tap waters scattered throughout the Calabrian territory and twenty-one bottled natural mineral waters of various Calabrian brands were analyzed for major and trace inorganic components. In addition, a very sensitive method based on cold vapour atomic fluorescence spectrometry (CV-AFS) has been employed to determine total mercury (HgT) concentrations.Compositional data analysis was used to identify the main interrelationships among physico-chemical parameters, highlighting the differences between the tap waters and the bottled mineral waters. Some elements, such as Al, Mn, Fe, Zn, and Pb resulted particularly enriched in the tap waters. This group of enriched elements was probably controlled by corrosion processes from metal pipes, asking for more monitoring on the state of the public distribution water network. Li, Ca, Cr, Ni, and Cd, on the other hand, appear to be mostly contributed by natural sources affecting the overall variability of the bottled mineral waters. In this context, Cr, Cu, Hg, and Pb are mainly enriched in the sparkling bottled mineral waters.Innovative compositional indices did not highlight great differences from the Maximum Allowed Concentrations (MAC) in the two types of water, so that for the health of the consumer it is indifferent to drink tap or bottled mineral water. The results represent a fundamental base to develop monitoring plans in time to check for the maintenance of quality standards.

Study on the Natural Mineral Water Resource Bearing Capacity and its Driving Factors in Fusong County, Changbai Mountain Area, Jilin Province of China

In order to maintain the sustainable exploitation of the natural mineral water resources in Changbai Mountain Area with the continuously increasing exploitation intensity, information that is relevant to the exploitation of the mineral water resources from various aspects such as natural, social, ecological and environmental was collected based on the formation condition and mechanism of the regional mineral water resources. Meanwhile, the concept of the mineral water resources bearing capacity was brought up and the index evaluation system which contains the coupling of the information entropy and the grey correlation of the mineral water resources bearing capacity was set up. In this paper, the entropy and multi-objective decision making model were used for the evaluation of the mineral water bearing capacity, and the limited maximum exploitation quantity of the mineral water resources in the study area was determined according to the principle of the maximum entropy under the current and future condition in the region. The results shows that, the system entropy values of the mineral water resources in the study area in 2013, 2015 and 2020 are 7.6346, 7.5664 and 7.4289, respectively, showing a decreasing trend. At the same time, the composite indices of the mineral water resources bearing capacity in 2013, 2015 and 2020 are 0.6277, 0.5295 and 0.4068. The data indicate that with the exploitation of the mineral water resources in recent years, the mineral water resources bearing capacity is decreasing. However, the exploitation quantity of the mineral water resources in the study area can be increased for the time being in order to stimulate the circulation system of the groundwater and the recharge of the mineral water resources. The mineral water resources bearing capacity in each village and town of the study area is within the bearable state and has good exploitation prospects. It is necessary to point out that the exploitation threshold value in the study area is 35 million tons per year in order to realize the sustainable exploitation of the mineral water resources in the study area.

Method validation for direct determination of some trace and toxic elements in soft drinks by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

ABSTRACT The consumption of soft drink beverages has increased in the last few years around the world and it is related to the diversity of brands and flavours available, increasing also the risk of ingestion of compounds considered non-beneficial to the health of consumers. In this study, fast, easy and simple method of analysis for direct determination of As, Pb, Cd, Sb, Hg, Cu, Zn, Fe, Al, Cr, Sn, Co, Mn and Ni in soft drink samples using quadrupole inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (Q-ICP–MS) was validated. The estimated detection limits, practical quantification limits, linearity (linear dynamic ranges and method linearity), accuracy (trueness and precision) and measurement uncertainty parameters were studied under optimised (Q-ICP–MS) conditions. The method showed that the estimated detection limits were varied between 0.02 and 2.403 µg/L, and the quantification limits were varied between 0.5 and 20 µg/L. The mean recoveries ± standard deviations at different spiking levels were varied between 75.03 ± 0.62% and 117.07 ± 2.83% and the coefficients of variation were varied between 0.49% and 9.79%. The method trueness was confirmed by using four different certified reference materials (soft drinks and treated water) purchased from FAPAS (Food Analysis Performance Assessment Scheme) and all obtained results were within satisfactory ranges and had acceptable recovery and Z-score values. The method precision, in terms of relative standard deviation, was below 4.88%. The method uncertainty expressed as expanded uncertainty of all validated elements was found to be ≤22.52%. The results obtained make the method suitable for accurate determination of validated elements in different kinds of soft drink samples at these low concentration values. Validated method was used for the determination of metallic contaminants in 40 commercial soft drink samples and the results were compared with the provisional guideline of the elements stated by Egyptian, WHO and European standards in drinking and potable bottled natural mineral water.

Carbon-14 content as a support for Moura mineral water aquifer conceptual model

Moura–Ficalho aquifer system consists of a mixed karst-fissured system, in the driest region of SE of Portugal, with c. 187 km2 of total area, of which 85 km2 correspond to outcrops of carbonated rocks. This aquifer system is responsible for water supply to several villages in the Municipalities of Moura and Serpa, also supplying the bottling industry of the natural mineral water Pisoes-Moura, and the thermal spas of “Termas de Moura”, as well as the agro-livestock needs mainly through private boreholes. To characterize this aquifer system from the chemical, isotopic and hydrodynamic point of view, several fieldwork campaigns were carried out in the region being groundwater samples were collected in springs and boreholes for physicochemical and isotopic determinations. Results allowed the identification of paleowaters in the farthermost accessible point of the system based on radiocarbon measurements. 14C content was determined in the TDIC of the mineral water samples; it varies from 6.0 ± 0.3 to 79.3 ± 0.3 pmC. Furthermore, the presence of paleowaters is enhanced by the isotopic depletion of about 0.3‰ in oxygen-18 and about 3‰ in deuterium, corroborating the hypothesis of recharge under different climatic scenarios.

The VII International Conference for Young Scientists “High Technology: Research and Applications”

PrefaceThe VIIth International Conference for young scientists “High Technology: Research and Applications 2018” (HTRA-2018) was held at Tomsk Polytechnic University, Tomsk. Russia on November 26-30, 2018.The goal of the conference was the development of cooperation between young researchers in the field of engineering sciences and high technology application. Conference focuses on modern technology and the advances in science and technology based on an interdisciplinary approach to problem solving. The famous scientists and the heads of leading scientific schools shared their experience in industrial implementation of their research results, as well as the creation of small innovative enterprises.The mains topics of the conference were as follows:• Chemical technology and biotechnology• Rational use of natural and technogeneous mineral raw materials and water resources• Photonic technologies and photo engineering• Reliability of mechanical engineering and mechanic technologiesOn behalf of Organizing Committee of HTRA-2018, we would like to thank the sponsors of the conference - RFBR, as well as all delegates, guests and keynote speakers for their contribution to the success of the conference.Organizing Committee ChairmanDr. A.N. Yakovlev

Standards Compliance and Health Implications of Bottled Water in Malawi.

Many people around the globe prefer bottled water especially in developing countries, where tap water is not drinkable. This study investigated the quality of bottled drinking water sold in Lilongwe city, Malawi. Compliance with Malawi Standards (MS) 560 (2004) for natural mineral water, MS 699 (2004) for bottled water and the World Health Organisation guidelines for drinking water were examined. Bottled water from different 12 brands was purchased from local stores and analysed for its pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), EC, turbidity, Ca, Mg, Na, K, Fe, NO3−, Cl−, F−, SO42−, hardness, alkalinity, and Escherichia coli. A Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) resulted in two clusters in which most of the brands (92%, n = 12) belonged to one group. The two clusters and significant differences (ANOVA p < 0.05) in chemical compositions among the brands were attributed to the variations in the water source and the treatment processes. The results showed that 10 brands did not comply with the MS 699 (2004) turbidity standard (1 NTU) and the pH of one of the brands was below the minimum MS 699 (2004) standard of 6.50. This research showed that 12 brands had bottle labelling errors and discrepancies in chemical composition. The article highlighted the need for a strict inspection from the responsible governmental ministry to improve water quality and to adjust water bottles’ labels according to water characteristics.