Quality comparison between water distributed by the Hera Group and bottled mineral water
| Mineral waters (concentrations stated on bottle labels: min-max) | Hera and USL analysis (relevant average levels in 2020 in the 9 provinces served: min-max) | |
|---|---|---|
| Alkalinity of bicarbonates (mg/L) | 11 – 1,010 | 172 – 288 |
| Calcium (mg/L) | 3 – 323 | 54 – 109 |
| Chloride (mg/L) | 0 – 74 | 8 – 89 |
| Hydrogen ion concentration (pH) | 5.8 – 8.1 | 7.3 – 7.8 |
| Total hardness (°F) | 1 – 88 | 19 – 34 |
| Fluoride (mg/L) | 0.1 – 1 | <0.10 – 0.2 |
| Magnesium (mg/L) | 0.5 – 34 | 12 – 23 |
| Nitrate (mg/L) | 1 – 9 | 4 – 16 |
| Nitrite (mg/L) | <0.002 | <0.001 |
| Potassium (mg/L) | 0.3 – 7.2 | <1 – 4 |
| Fixed residue at 180°C | 22 – 987 | 236 – 535 |
| Sodium (mg/L) | 0.3 – 64 | 4 – 42 |
| Sulphate (mg/L) | 1.5 – 92 | 10 – 126 |
Comparison with the data on 16 natural mineral water labels in Emilia-Romagna supermarkets.
A comparison of the average results of analyses performed on Hera-supplied water with major bottled mineral water brand labels highlights the excellent quality of the tap water Hera supplies to some 3.6 million people.
Nitrate, chloride and sulphate (the last two are indicator parameters) have values higher than those on the mineral water labels. However, for these parameters, the values measured through the analyses carried out by Hera and the local health authorities are 65% (chloride), 68% (nitrate) and 50% (sulphate) lower than legal limits; for all three parameters, 100% of the samples analysed are in compliance with the law.
