Summary
Compilation and comparison of publicly available mineral composition data from major Australian city tap water providers and commercial bottled water products (still and sparkling), framed in the clinical context of urinary stone disease (urolithiasis). The study characterizes magnesium variability across Australian tap and bottled water and estimates the percentage of recommended daily intake achievable from drinking water. Magnesium was highly variable across sources.
Key numbers
- Tap water magnesium (major Australian cities): range 1.1 to 11.2 mg/L (p. 1 abstract)
- Tap water calcium (major Australian cities): range 1.3 to 20.33 mg/L (p. 1 abstract)
- Australian calcium, magnesium, and bicarbonate levels were lower than in bottled sparkling water (p. 2)
- Specific comparative example: average tap water levels were 37.8 mg/L Ca, 19 mg/L Mg, and 233 mg/L bicarbonate in one comparison context (p. 2 abstract)
- Consuming 3 L/day of the most magnesium-rich Australian tap water would fulfill 8% of the recommended daily intake (RDI) for magnesium (p. 2 to 3)
- Consuming 3 L/day of the most magnesium-rich sparkling bottled water would fulfill 13.6% of the RDI (p. 2 to 3)
- RDI for magnesium: 255 to 420 mg/day for most adults (p. 3)
Evidence Fitness
Modeled or limited evidence. Data compiled from utility annual reports and commercial product labels rather than independent analytical measurements; concentration ranges may reflect published averages rather than individual sample measurements. Single-country cross-sectional summary; magnesium variability across Australian tap water is real but Australian tap water is generally lower in magnesium than European tap water from hard-water regions.
Methods (brief)
Compilation of publicly reported mineral composition data from major Australian city water providers and published bottled water mineral content. No independent laboratory analysis conducted by the authors. RDI-percentage calculations are modeled from assumed 3 L/day water consumption.
Implications
- Courses: illustrates that Australian tap water provides low magnesium compared to some European tap waters; useful geographic contrast in discussions of dietary magnesium sources by region.
- App: no contamination_profile implication; magnesium is a nutritional analyte here, not a hazard analyte.
- Microbiome: no direct connection.
Provenance notes
Open access (PMC OA subset). Retrieved from PMC Open Access (pmc-oa-opendata S3). SHA256 verified against MANIFEST.csv.
Related evidence
Update history
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