Assessment of Bacterial Load in Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Bottled Water Marketed in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

Table 1

Association between physical parameters (as per DFTQC guideline), bottle type.

Sn	Physical parameter	Unscratched and undented		Scratched and/or dented		Permissible value as per DFTQC guidelines	Overall ()	Overall (%)
			(%)		(%)
1	pH		49		47 (47%)	6.5–8.0		96
2	EC (μS/cm)		—		—	NA		—
3	TDS (mg/L)		0		0 (0%)	250		0

NA=value not available in guideline. SD: standard deviation; U: unacceptable as per DFTQC guidelines; NA: not available.