Natural mineral water continues to evoke, thanks to marketing, the image of protected and uncontaminated sources, immersed in the quiet of mountain environments and immune from any form of pollution, therefore we drink it with confidence, convinced of its purity. Unfortunately, reality is another, and the idyllic scenario enters the crisis in the light of the most recent scientific investigations and tests conducted by the independent bodies, which are lifting questions about the real healthiness of some bottled waters. Even in these products, considered safe by definition, residues of unwanted substances may be found, such as i Pfas and their derivatives.
This is what emerges clearly from an investigation just published by Altroconsumo, who analyzed 21 brands of natural mineral water in the bottle among the most popular on the Italian market.
The study took into consideration labels from various areas of Italy, with the addition of a French reference from the Alps. The results highlighted that Many of these waters have a level of environmental contamination such as to receive, at best, a sufficient assessment. Only three were without TFA, a chemical compound belonging to the same PFAS family.
The best and worst brands according to Altroconsumo
The test results made it possible to draw up a clear ranking, distinguishing the safer waters from those that arouse greater concern. Among the best five appear:
To the opposite, Six brands have received an insufficient evaluationbeing in fact rejected:
Even with a contamination from TFA widely widespread, As many as 11 of the 21 labels examined have however obtained a positive global judgmentthanks to the balanced composition, the scarce presence of other contaminants and attention to the environment. Following, Altroconsumo made the complete ranking available.
The TFA problem
The test highlighted how The main pollutant found in the bottles is the TFA (trifluoroacetic acid), belonging to the category of PFAS, defined as “eternal pollutants” for their persistence. Almost all the waters analyzed contained traces, With the exception of three: Blues Sant’Antonio of Eurospin, Conad Valpura and San Benedetto Eco Green Benedicta.
The TFA can derive from numerous sources: from industrial to pesticide processes, to fluorinated materials. Once dispersed in the environment, it tends to persist for decades. There are currently no specific limits at European level for the concentration of TFA in mineral waters. Altroconsumo therefore decided to compare the values detected with the maximum threshold established for the total PFAS in the potable waters, equal to 500 nanograms per liter.
With regard to The risks to healththe knowledge available on the TFA still remain limited, even if the experts hypothesize negative effects on liver health and on the reproductive system, in line with what is observed for other PFAS. In this sense, EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) has announced a review of the scientific evaluation, with a new opinion expected for 2026.
Pending official updates, Altroconsumo advanced precise requests To the Italian and European authorities:
The words of Altroconsumo
Federico Cavallo, Public Affairs manager of the organization, commented firmly:
Our test shows that potentially harmful substances are also found in very large consumption products such as bottle mineral water. We have brought these concerns to the attention of parliamentary commissions, asking for Italy that it rigorously incorporates the European directive on water quality.
The intervention also stressed that the problem does not end with the PFAS. The presence of Arsenico, detected in well -known brands such as Levissimo and Fiuggi, highlights a much wider and more articulated pollution.
How the investigation took place
Altroconsumo has been testing 21 different natural mineral water labels, all available in the main Italian supermarkets. The investigation considered several parameters:
The test returns a complex framework, which invites us to reflect on daily choices and the need for a more rigorous regulation to ensure the safety of the water that arrives every day on our tables.
Mineracqua replies
After the exit of our article, we received a communication from the Mineracqua Federation, the body which, in the context of Confindustria, represents the companies active in the natural and source mineral waters sector. Below we publish the intervention of the Director of Delegate and Vice -President Ettore Fortuna:
We are for the umpteenth time surprised in verifying the approximation with which Altroconsumo represented some analytical results relating to unilaterally conducted tests, of which we ignore the methods and which discredit the quality of Italian mineral waters.
First of all, we want to point out that the safety of natural mineral waters on the market is guaranteed by the “clear” control supply chain – from the source to the finished product – to which the ASLs contribute with the analytical support of the ARPA, the HACCP procedures of the companies, the annual analyzes carried out by the universities for the maintenance of the ministerial recognition. The finished product (the bottle) is then subject to frequent samples at the points of sale by the competent bodies (ASL, NAS, etc.) for subsequent analytical checks of conformity.
We now come to examine some “peculiar” interpretations that Altroconsumo offers to their readers in relation to the results of these investigations:
1. Excessive levels of TFA: in rejected products it was found in excessive quantities (according to the parameters used to ensure the quality of drinking water)
Currently, in Italy, no limit for the TFA is applied in potable waters; A draft decree of amendment of Legislative Decree 18/2023 on the potable waters proposes the limit of 10 μg/l, but this draft has not yet found implementation. Therefore, there is no current parameter “used to ensure the safety of drinking water”. The communication of Altroconsumo is therefore misleading, both as it is incorrect in referring to a non -existing regulatory limit and because it is alarmistic when it uses the term “excessive”. Excessive compared to what? To a limit that does not exist or to a personal interpretation of the “Evidence Based Public Health”? A “transparent” information should have compared the results of the TFA in the mineral waters examined with the concentrations present in the potable waters and conclude on the basis of these comparisons that the possible presence of TFA in mineral waters is however at levels well below those found on average in the potable waters.
2. The “presence” and “excessive levels” of heavy metals such as aluminum, arsenic, manganese and nickel
Given that arsenic and aluminum are not heavy metals while they are manganese and nickel, it is good to remember that for these compounds the limits for a water (mineral or drinkable that it is) are always established on safety criteria: the limit for the arsenic is in fact equal to 10 μg/l is for mineral waters and for potable waters. It follows, to give an example that a water containing 9 μg/l of arsenic and one containing 1 μg/L are equivalent from the toxicological point of view, that is, both ofble for sure. We also remind you that the manganese is an essential element, and therefore it is necessary to take it into account in the information to the consumer. Finally, remember that for aluminum there are no safety limits neither for mineral waters (parameter to be analyzed but without limit) nor for potable waters (it is among the indicators with value to 200 μg/l). Also in this case the communication mode is alarmistic and misleading for the consumer.
3. A high content of nitrates in natural mineral water can indicate a human contamination of the source
Nitrates are up of nitric acid and constitute a vegetable nourishing essential absorbed by plants from the ground. They are composed largely present in nature and equipped with very high solubility in water. Nitrates represent the nitrogen form more easily absorbable by the radical system of plants; Once absorbed, they are used for the synthesis of complex substances essential for the structure and function of plants (proteins, nucleic acids). Nitrates are therefore a natural component in fruit, vegetables and cereals. It is for these reasons that nitrates are present in all waters (minerals and tap), and they are not (except for specific cases) pollution indicators. Also in this case the communication of Altroconsumo is alarmistic and misleading for the consumer.
