The Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) said in a statement on Friday that locally produced bottled water were found to exceed official bacterial standards.
According to the statement, the bureau has implemented corrective measures against the manufacturer.
According to the statement, the affected samples were collected from the local Ou Seon brand’s 18.9 litre water containers supplied by Miriam, a local bottled water company, with the production dates of May 7 and May 21. Laboratory tests confirmed excessive levels of coliform bacteria and Pseudomonas aeruginosa*, exceeding the statutory limit, the statement said.
The statement pointed out that the problematic water containers were primarily supplied to government and commercial entities, with no distribution to schools or hospitals.
According to the statement, the bureau has ordered the immediate removal and recall of all the affected products, while the company was told that its production line must undergo deep cleaning, disinfection, and sampling for reinspection. Operations may only resume upon passing the reinspection, the statement said.
According to the statement, earlier inspections of Ou Seon (“Pure Macau”) bottled water samples collected from retail markets revealed no abnormalities. The bureau promised to monitor the situation and intensify market surveillance of potable water products to safeguard consumer safety.
Meanwhile, according to a statement from the Health Bureau (SSM) on Friday, after verification, it confirmed that the affected batch was not supplied to the bureau. However, as a precautionary measure, the delivery of potable water products from the affected brand have been suspended and replaced by other certified bottled water brands to ensure uninterrupted supply, the statement said.
*Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram-negative, opportunistic pathogen commonly found in soil, water, and moist environments, causing infections in immunocompromised individuals. – DeepSeek
This undated file photo shows an electron micrographscan of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. - Photo courtesy of Janice Haney Carr/Wikimedia Commons
