The Bacteriological Quality of Drinking Water of Water Coolers Located in Some hospitals in Rasht

Objectives: Research background and objective: Having access tosafe drinking water has an essential role in ensuring public health.Ignoring damages caused by failures in water distribution systemleads to water contamination. This study intended to investigatethe bacteriological quality of drinking water of water coolers infour hospitals of Razi, Heshmat, Al-Zahra and Aria in RashtTownship.Methods:In order to meet the objective of the study, 13 watercoolers located in these hospitals were randomly selected. Thevalues of total coliforms, heterotrophic bacteria, residual chlorine,pH, and turbidity were measured. The data were analyzed usingExcel and SPSS.Results: The findings showed a strong relationship existedbetween pH values of input and output water (R=0.55), but thatfor turbidity was insignificant (R=0.13) (p=0.42). In two cases,coliform bacteria were observed, too. The value of HPC in testedsamples was less than 15 cfu/ml before entering and after leavingwater coolers.Conclusion The results indicated absence of coliform bacteria.The reduction of residual chlorine after the water filtration systemin water coolers indicated low-level of contamination in watercoolers. Therefore, regular servicing and monitoring water coolersand their connections would ensure health of staff members,patients and all who enter hospitals.

Keywords:

Heterotrophic bacteria , Water cooler , Pollution , Drinking water