Water case needs answers

It is a pity that no authoritative voice has been heard in the past week, despite the mounting public safety concerns after Nongfu Spring was accused of having chemical levels in its bottled water that are well above the national standards for drinking water.

Since an official from the Drinking Water Committee at the China National Health Association said on April 11 that Nongfu Spring has been using standards for its bottled water that are lower than the national tap water standards, the Zhejiang-based company has offered several statements and an assessment report defending the high levels of arsenic, cadmium and other substances found in its water.

According to the committee, Nongfu Spring has been using the DB33/383 criteria adopted by the government of Zhejiang province in 2005, rather than the GB5749-2006 national standards for drinking water that were introduced in 2007. Compared with the national standards that allow less than 0.01 milligrams of arsenic per liter of water, Zhejiang's standard allows a maximum of 0.05 mg per liter. Excessive intake of arsenic can result in skin cancer.