BOTTLED mineral water has had a bad week. Scientists claim that it contains bacteria and fungi, while campaigners say that it harms the ecology.

A Dutch researcher, Dr Rocus R. Klont, says that a study of 68 commercial mineral waters found that 40 per cent had bacterial contamination and were at least no safer than tapwater. Eight samples contained coagulase-negative Staphylococci, which may be responsible for one in ten hospital infections.

Six samples showed traces of legionella and 4 per cent contained fungi, says Dr Klont, of Nijmegen University. “The findings indicate that the general perception that bottled water is safe and clean is not true,” he says. He adds, however, that the levels of contamination are low enough to mean only “limited” risks for healthy people. But hospital patients with low immune systems may be at higher risk, he told the American Society for Microbiology.

Jo Jacobius, the director of the Natural Mineral Water Information Service, argues: “The waters that are sold in this country are regularly tested. I can’t believe that they are failing to comply with the regulations.”

Shoppers are also urged to ditch bottled water for green reasons. Fossil fuels burned when bottles are moved over long distances harm the Earth, the Food Commission claims. One brand, Fiji mineral water, has celebrity fans — Vin Diesel and Whoopi Goldberg — but it travels 10,000 “food miles” from Fiji. “It’s ludicrous,” says a commission spokeswoman.

Bionic leap

BIONIC kidneys that could put an end to the need for dialysis are a step nearer to reality.

Michigan University doctors report hopeful results from the first test of their bionic artificial kidney in humans. The “bio-artificial” organ — created by growing living kidney cells from adult stem cells inside synthetic tubes — filters the blood of people with acute renal failure.

The kidney cells reclaim electrolytes, salt, glucose and water, and control production of molecules called cytokines, which help to fight infection. Kidney dialysis machines remove these vital elements and cannot regulate cytokines.

In the tests, six out of ten patients with an 86 per cent likelihood of dying in hospital survived more than 30 days using the bionic kidney. A commercial bionic implant is, however, still many years off.

Deadly silence

SILENT, tough men really should start talking, according to new research on suicides.

Psychiatrists at Bristol University have found that women are more prone to suicidal thoughts than men, but are less likely to act on them. The study of 8,580 adults, in the British Journal of Psychiatry, found that about one woman in 38 and one man in 50 develop suicidal thoughts each year. But men are about three times more likely to kill themselves as they won’t seek help when depressed, the study says.

Stodge on the brain

JUNK-FOOD fans might have trouble weaning themselves off fatty, high-carb meals because they forget that they are bad for them.

Scientists at America’s National Institute on Ageing have found that high levels of dietary fat and empty calories can impair memory and exacerbate the effects of stress and ageing on your brain. After four months on junk diets, the test subjects were not only fatter, they were thicker.

Scientists at the VA Medical Centre, St Louis, say that learning and memory are particularly affected, with the junk-food eaters less able to navigate their way through a maze, or to remember a week later how to solve the puzzle.

High-fat, high-sugar diets seem to damage nerve cells in the hippocampus, a brain region involved in learning and memory, the study says.

The good news is that the effects seem to be reversible. Which is even more reason to try out our healthy fast-food joints on pages 12 and 13.

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