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.
