The Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) urged the public yesterday to cease consumption of a bottled natural mineral water found to contain excessive levels of mercury, underlining that the retailers involved have been ordered to stop selling the problematic product.
According an IAM statement, the natural mineral water, branded as “溫泉水99”, has a capacity of 2.0 litres and is sourced from Japan. The problematic product belongs to batch number 26.10.07+SF, which has been found to contain 0.00165 milligrams of heavy metal mercury per litre. The statement noted that the maximum limit for heavy mercury in natural mineral water in Macau is set at 0.001 milligrams per litre.
In the statement, the bureau pointed out that mercury is a heavy metal pollutant that can harm the nervous system if ingested in excessive amounts. However, it added, the mercury levels found in the problematic product are low and pose minimal risk of adverse health effects with regular. i.e., not excessive consumption.
The bureau reaffirmed its commitment to actively monitor the situation in order to ensure consumers’ food safety.
This undated handout photo provided by the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) yesterday shows the Japanese-made bottled water which has been found to contain excessive levels of mercury.
