This week, Regulation (EC) No 115/2010 of the Commission of 9 February 2010, was published in the Official Journal of the European Union, laying down condition for using active alumina to eliminate fluorides in natural mineral water and spring water, and authorising the treatment, which had already been assessed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in September 2006 ( opinion).

Royal Decree 1074/2002, regulating the production, distribution and sale of bottled drinking water, establishes a maximum limit of 5 mg/l for the concentration of fluoride in natural mineral water (NMW). Therefore, NMW cannot be sold if it does not comply with the requirement, unless it has been treated to eliminate fluoride, according to article 19 of the Royal Decree.

As stipulated by the new regulation, the treatment must be carried out in accordance with the technical requirements described in the annex, and the competent authorities must be notified at least three months previously. Moreover, the operator must check the process to ensure that emission of residues in the water, due to the treatment is a low as possible. Finally, for water treated to eliminate fluorides, the label must state "water subjected to an authorised adsorption technique", near to the analysis of composition.