London, zam-zam water is known as one of the by-by compulsory for those who visit the holy land of Mecca. But recently the BBC found the zam-zam water contaminated with arsenic sold illegally in Britain.

BBC team to conduct investigations of zam-zam water is sold in Muslim bookshops in Wandsworth (west London), Upton Park (east London) and in Luton, Bedfordshire.

“The water is toxic, mainly because of high levels of arsenic which is one of carcinogenic (causing cancer),” Dr Duncan Campbell, president of the Association of Public Analysts, as quoted by BBC News.

Dr Campbell said there are certain limits that have been defined from the content of these substances in drinking water is safe for consumption. But if the levels are above normal, then it becomes not safe anymore.

To investigate this case the BBC asks pilgrims to take samples from the taps that are connected with zam-zam water sources in Mecca and then compare it with zam-zam water is sold illegally in Britain.

The results obtained show high nitrate levels and harmful bacteria, and the presence of arsenic at levels 3 times higher than the maximum permitted limit as zam-zam water that are sold illegally in Britain.

Dr. Yunes Ramadan Teinaz as environmental health officers said that this problem ‘highly sensitive’, because people see zam-zam water as holy water is so hard to accept if the water is contaminated.

Currently, the Saudi Arabian embassy in London is still refusing to comment on the matter zam-zam water contamination originating in Mecca.

As reported by Guardian.co.uk studies show children younger than 6 months and older people are particularly vulnerable to excessive nitrate content and the continuous consumption of arsenic.

Contamination of both these substances in water partially responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths per year in Southeast Asia. Arsenic contamination in water has been linked with nervous system disorders, loss of sensation in the limbs and hearing loss.