ALS Environmental are pleased to inform our customers, that following a submission of data and a justification meeting with UKAS, we are now able to offer UKAS ISO 17025:2005 accredited results for analysis on Process (High Purity & De-ionised Waters) & Bottled Waters for a broad number of chemical tests. This includes, to mention but a few, turbidity, conductivity, fluoride, total & free cyanide and an extensive range of total and dissolved metals.

For more information about the accreditation at our Centre of Excellence laboratory in Wakefield, please click here.

Bottled waters are water of sufficiently high quality (wholesome) that it can be consumed or used without risk of immediate or long term harm. Water that is free from disease-producing organisms, poisonous substances, chemical, biological and radioactive contaminants which would make it unfit for human consumption. 

There are three different types of commercially available bottled waters that are sold for the purpose of drinking.

• Natural Mineral Water - this must be from an identified and protected source. It is guaranteed to be consistent in composition and naturally wholesome without any treatment - except in some cases the addition of carbon dioxide to make the water sparkle. Natural Mineral Water status is only granted to waters that are demonstrated to be free from pollution and have a characteristic stable composition.
• Spring Water - like Natural Mineral Water, Spring Water in the UK, must originate from an underground source, be bottled at source and be microbiologically safe without treatment. However, unlike Natural Mineral Waters, certain other treatments are permitted for Spring Waters. Treatments may include the removal of certain minerals as defined by the European Union Scientific Committee for Food, which has yet to issue its guidelines. These allow the removal of certain undesirable substances. the rules regarding Spring water in the UK are currently being reviewed by DEFRA. 
• Table Water - usually bottled filtered water (so called by the industy but referred to, in the Regulations, as 'other bottled waters') which is sourced as tap water.

Click here for more on drinking water analysis.

'High Purity' and 'De-ionised' Process Waters are a specific type of 'process' waters limited to those that have been through an industrial or manufacturing process of polishing to remove all the dissolved metals and salts. These can be used for a variety of purposes once they have been 'polished' i.e. dialysis and endoscopy waters these are by their nature 'Ultra-pure' waters. 

To view our Water Matrix Classification Summary, please click here.

If you would like to find out more about the extensive range of analysis we can offer for your drinking water or process water samples, please contact us or call your Customer Services Co-Ordinator on 02476 421 213.