Jugs of Aquaphar bottled water produced by the Tam Dang Company in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 1 were sealed Tuesday after health inspectors found the product was contaminated with dangerous bacteria.

Authorities Tuesday shut down two bottled water plants in Ho Chi Minh City after their products were found contaminated with bacteria that causes several dangerous inflammations and sepsis in humans.

In mid-February, tests on bottled water from several companies found significant contamination with dangerous bacteria. These included the Tam Dang and Thuan Huy companies in District 1 and Tan Tan Duc Company in District 7.

The health inspectors Tuesday suspended production activities of Tam Dang Company and sealed all bottled water at the company’s factory in District 6 as well as its offices in District 1, pending further tests.

They also ordered the company to destroy 60 bottles of 7-liter, 5.5-liter, 10-liter and 21-liter capacities, all of the Aquafar brand.

Inspectors also found Tam Dang Company violating labeling regulations, claiming the water was being sterilized using Ozone technology from the US. In reality, the company used a simple domestic filter system valued at less than VND10 million (US$574), the inspectors said.

The production site of the company also failed to meet safety and hygiene regulations, and employees had not been trained about such requirements, which is mandatory for bottled water producers.

Inspectors said Tam Dang had been supplying bottled water to around 100 customers, which included canteens of many hospitals in HCMC.

More samples were also taken from the Thuan Huy bottled water producer in District 1 after its production was suspended.

Producer of the Aguavida brand, the company had also failed to meet cooking safety and hygiene standards in rinsing its bottles.

Earlier on January 15, tests of 0.5-liter Aguavida bottles found the products were contaminated with the Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria.

Inspectors also found another company that had been suspended weeks ago for the same reason continuing to produce bottled water.

Operations at the Tan Tan Duc Company had been halted on February 17 after earlier tests of their products were found contaminated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Their bottled water, branded Golf, had a high concentration of the bacteria, inspectors said.

The company also failed to meet safety and hygiene criteria in its production.

Inspectors Tuesday suspended the production again and sealed 187 21-liter bottles.

Dao Thi My Thanh, head of the Food Safety and Hygiene Department of HCMC Center for Preventive Health, said Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria are not allowed to be present in foods and beverages at any concentration level.

Truong Huu Khanh of the HCMC Children Hospital No. 1 also said this is an extremely dangerous type of bacteria which usually exists in wastewater released from hospitals.

He also warned the bacteria could cause serious lung inflammation if human beings were infected through blood.

“The bacteria may infect the body through an open cut, if people washed it with contaminated water,” he said.

In an inspection carried out by the HCMC People’s Council yesterday, inspectors reported alarmingly poor hygiene conditions at the Vuon Chuoi Market in District 3.

During the inspection, the market management board found none of the 118 small traders of food having the required Food Safety and Hygiene certificate issued by the city’s Health Department.

Reported by Thanh Tung