[Surveillance of Chromium (VI) Concentrations in Mineral Water Products in 2018]

We used ion chromatography with post column derivatization to measure chromium (VI) concentrations in 155 mineral water (MW) products purchased from markets in Japan in 2018. Chromium (VI) recovery in spiked samples of the 155 MW products ranged from 95 to 106%, suggesting that this method is well suited for ensuring that MW products meet the requisite health and food safety standards. Chromium (VI) levels were above detection limits in 54 of the MW products, giving a total detection rate of 35%. The minimum and maximum chromium (VI) concentrations in all of the MW products were 0.0001 mg/L and 0.045 mg/L, respectively. The median chromium (VI) concentration was 0.0003 mg/L, with most MW products having chromium (VI) concentrations in the range of 0.0001 to 0.0002 mg/L. None of the MW products had chromium (VI) concentrations that exceeded the current standard value (0.05 mg/L) for MW in Japan.