Brick Thomas, Primrose Beryl, Chandrasekhar R, Roy Sheela, Muliyil Jayaprakash, Kang Gagandeep
Department of Gastrointestinal Sciences, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India.
Int J Hyg Environ Health. 2004 Oct;207(5):473-80. doi: 10.1078/1438-4639-00318.
Water contamination, at source and during household storage, is a major cause of enterically transmitted infections in developing countries. This study assessed contamination of the municipal water in a south Indian town, which obtains its water intermittently from a surface lake and by pumping subsurface water from a dry river bed, and monitored microbial contamination during household storage. All samples of the 'treated' municipal water were contaminated when freshly pumped, and on household storage, 25/37 (67%) showed increased contamination during storage periods from 1 to 9 days. Household storage in brass, but not in containers of other materials significantly decreased contamination of water (p = 0.04). This was confirmed in the laboratory by testing water seeded with 10(3) to 10(5) Escherichia coli per 100 ml stored in containers of different materials (p < 0.01). Despite the requirements for provision of safe drinking water in municipal areas, in practice the water supplied in Vellore is contaminated and current household storage practices increase the level of contamination in at least two-thirds of households. The implementation of locally appropriate point-of-use disinfection and safe household storage practices in developing countries is an urgent need to ensure a safe, reliable year-round supply in areas where clean water is not available.
在发展中国家，水源处及家庭储水过程中的水污染是肠道传染病传播的主要原因。本研究评估了印度南部一个城镇的市政供水污染情况，该城镇间歇性地从地表湖取水，并从干涸的河床抽取地下水，同时监测了家庭储水期间的微生物污染情况。所有新抽取的“处理后”市政供水样本均受到污染，在家庭储水期间，37份样本中有25份（67%）在1至9天的储水期内污染程度增加。用黄铜容器储水，但其他材质容器则不然，能显著降低水的污染程度（p = 0.04）。通过对每100毫升接种10³至10⁵个大肠杆菌的水存放在不同材质容器中的测试，在实验室得到了证实（p < 0.01）。尽管市政区域有提供安全饮用水的要求，但实际上维洛尔供应的水受到污染，当前的家庭储水方式使至少三分之二家庭的水污染程度增加。在发展中国家实施因地制宜的家庭用水点消毒和安全家庭储水做法，对于确保在无法获取清洁水的地区全年安全、可靠供水而言，是一项迫切需求。
