New CAA study reveals:

Grease and kerosene in plastic water bottles

by Carol Aloysius

There are traces of grease and kerosene in most of the plastic water bottles, the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) has warned.

"These foreign substances were detected from the plastic bottles and not the water," Chairman, CAA, Dr R.U.K. Ratnayaka, said. He said, this discovery was made following an independent study carried out by the CAA on water quality in plastic containers.

The CAA initiated the study following complaints of pollutants - including bacteria and chemicals - being found in locally-manufactured water bottles as well as the rise in the number of persons with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in several regions in the country.

"We recently found kerosene and grease in bottled water. Both are harmful to the human body. We are holding discussions with all plastic bottle manufacturers and filler companies islandwide, together with the Sri Lanka Standards Institute (SLSI) which will monitor the water quality," Ratnayake said. At present, there are some six leading plastic bottle manufacturers and around 15 plastic bottle filler companies.

Ratnayake said specific international guidelines and stipulations existed with regard to the manufacturing of plastic water bottles, which were available to all local manufacturers and filling companies.

"If they don't adhere to the regulations - and we continue to find traces of kerosene and grease in the bottles they produce - the CAA will take punitive action against them," he said.

He urged the public to purchase water bottles from reputed manufacturers and to check for the manufacturer's name and the SLSI label.

Meanwhile, the CAA hopes to set up a fully-equipped laboratory to test water quality as well as food.