There are very clear guidelines for mineral water. But not every brand manages to stick to it. Pollutants in particular are a problem. What can be in the cool water:
Anyone who reaches for a mineral water has clear prerequisites. It must not only be refreshing, but also "taste" good – if that is even possible with tasteless water. And while some people like the full boom of carbonic acid, others like it without the addition at all. Particularly important, even if most people probably don't really think about it, is the lack of substances of concern. HEIDELBERG24 reports on what could be in the water.
When to speak of mineral water – and what harmful substances it can contain
"Natural mineral water comes from underground water deposits that are protected from contamination. It is extracted from one or more natural or artificially developed sources. It is of pristine purity. The content of minerals, trace elements or other components characterizes a certain mineral water," says the website of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture.
Incidentally, what a mineral water must have in order to be called such can be found in EU Directive 2009/54/EC. It also stipulates that the composition, temperatures and other essential characteristics must remain constant within the framework of natural fluctuations. There are numerous limit values that a mineral water must not exceed:
| Component | Maximum content in milligrams per litre |
| Antimony | 0.0050 mg/l |
| Arsenic | 0.010 mg/l (total) |
| Barium | 1.0 mg/l |
| Lead | 0.010 mg/l |
| Borate | 30 mg/l |
| Chromium | 0.050 mg/l |
| Fluoride | 5.0 mg/l |
| Cadmium | 0.003 mg/l |
| Copper | 1.0 mg/l |
| Manganese | 0.50 mg/l |
| Nickel | 0.020 mg/l |
| Nitrate | 50 mg/l |
| Nitrite | 0.1 mg/l |
| Mercury | 0.0010 mg/l |
| Selenium | 0.010 mg/l |
| Cyanide | 0.070 mg/l |
Source: Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture
Öko-Test has taken a close look at mineral water – and found harmful content
Even the radioactive heavy metal uranium can sometimes be found in mineral water. However, as long as a value of two micrograms per liter is not exceeded, the cool water is drinkable without any problems according to the Mineral and Table Water Ordinance. By the way, many people ask themselves the question of whether mineral water or tap water is healthier.
As Öko-Test has shown in a large-scale mineral water test, most water brands in Germany are free of questionable ingredients. However, there are waters that perform worse because of this. Such as "Genuss Plus Natural Mineral Water Medium", "Teinacher Medium", "Extaler Mineralquelle Medium", "Nassauer Land Medium Emstaler" or "Berg Quellen Medium", which contain increased amounts of the carcinogenic substance chromium.
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Pesticide degradation products, chromium, nitrate and boron in mineral water
However, the test shows that most brands do not contain any harmful substances. A total of 24 of the 50 mineral waters tested achieved the result "very good". Only 9 products contain harmful substances such as chromium, nitrate or boron. In "Alasia Medium", "Globus Natural Mineral Water Medium", "Justus Brunnen Medium" and "Salvus Mineral Water Medium" even pesticide degradation products are found!.
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