Hydrothermal features in Portugal have been used since ancient times for therapeutic purposes that are mainly distributed in north and central region, being Beira Interior, located in central region, is characterized by eight spas. As for Portuguese thermo-mineral waters there are scarce studies about the characterization of its relation with the beneficial effects on human health. In last deca...

The presence of Aeromonas spp. in water can represent a risk for human health. Therefore, it is important to know the physiological status of these bacteria and their survival in the environment. We studied the behavior of a strain of Aeromonas hydrophila in river water, spring water, brackish water, mineral water, and chlorinated drinking water, which had different physical and chemical charac...

Oxygen is crucial to maintain and save human life. Other than medical purposes it is widely used for manufacture of mineral water, fabrication works and other industrial activities. If adequate precautionary measures are not adopted while handling, storage or transport of oxygen cylinder or container, accidental blast may claim human life and other damage as well. The case involving three victi...

The absorption of iron from Spatone Iron-Plus has been investigated in pregnant women with iron deficiency anaemia. A total of 25 mg Fe was taken and absorption determined from the increase in serum iron concentration during a period of 3 h. Mean absorption was 28%, significantly higher than in nonpregnant, nonanaemic women (14%). These studies demonstrate that Spatone provides an alternative t...

BACKGROUND Exercise in the heat causes important water and electrolytes losses through perspiration. Optimal rehydration is crucial to facilitate the recuperation process after exercise. The aim of our study was to examine whether a moderate beer intake as part of the rehydration has any negative effect protocol after a short but dehydrating bout of exercise in the heat. METHODS Sixteen activ...

Seven-day tests with Ceriodaphnia dubia are commonly used to estimate toxicity of effluents or receiving waters but can sometimes yield no toxicity outcomes even if pollutants are present. We conducted two sets of full life-cycle tests with C. dubia to (1) determine whether tests with longer exposure periods to low concentrations of contaminants in ambient water might reveal evidence of toxicit...

BACKGROUND There has been a consistent rise in bottled water consumption over the last decade. Little is known about the health beliefs held by the general public about bottled water as this issue is not addressed by the existing quantitative literature. The purpose of this study was to improve understanding of the public's health beliefs concerning bottled mineral water, and the extent to whic...

There is a tendency to align higher levels of fluoride in natural mineral water with the existing higher levels in tap water. Treatment of natural mineral waters could harm the preservation of their natural character. In this study fluoride intake through bottled and tap water consumption in the Belgian adult population was assessed, taking into account regional differences. A deterministic app...

Electrochemical deposition from a 0.1 M sodium sulphate solution, containing Cu2+ (adjusted to pH 3 with hydrochloric acid) produced a well defined copper nanoparticle deposit on the surface of a boron doped diamond electrode. Changing conditions such as potential (-0.8, -1.0 and -1.2 V), time (5, 2 and 0.5 s) and concentration of Cu2+ (500, 250 and 100 microM) was found to give copper nanopart...