Safety of Bottled Water for Infants

Spring waterGoing on holidays with a young family can be a little worrying, particularly if the food and water supply are known to be somewhat questionable!

We know that our drinking water can be contaminated by chemicals, microbes and physical hazards, which could potentially pose a risk to health, particularly that of our children.

Therefore, parents often wonder about the use of local or bottled water for making up infant formula when they go abroad.

What are the various sources of water available?

  1. Tap water - contains only chloride and fluoride, with all other minerals being removed during the treatment process.
  2. Bottled water - expected to conform to the same standards as tap water.
  3. Natural mineral/spring water - the composition of which remains unchanged, since they are covered by less stringent regulations. Extra minerals are neither added, nor removed, which may mean a higher concentration of solutes including nitrate, sodium, fluoride and sulphate. Therefore, the possibility of a higher mineral content makes natural mineral water unsuitable for infants and young children.

Unfortunately, in Britain there is no legal definition for spring water. This means, you could potentially fill a bottle with tap water and call it “Spring Water,” and this wouldn’t be breaking the law - crazy! Also, you should be aware that there are no health benefits to be gained from drinking spring water, which are not already available from your tap.

The UK Department of Health, the Foods Standards Agency, and the British Dietetic Association have set out guidelines for the mineral content of bottled water. These are:

  • Sodium 200mg/litre
  • Nitrate 100mg/litre
  • Nitrite 3mg/litre
  • Sulphate 500mg/litre

Water safety precautions while abroad:

  1. Try to use ready made formula milk (available in cartons), if possible.
  2. Use tap water which has been boiled once and allowed to cool until between 70 C and 80 C, before adding infant formula. In countries where tap water quality cannot be guaranteed, bottled water can be used as an alternative.
  3. Use bottled water which conforms to the guidelines set out above for mineral content, this should still be boiled and cooled first.
  4. Avoid using all water labeled as “Natural Mineral Water,” or “Spring Water.”

Reference: Dietetics Today (2007), Vol 43 (10), page 6

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