Investigating the microbial quality of cooler drinking water of hospitals, clinics and health centres of Behbahan in 2014

Background and aims: The main cause of many problems in developing countries is related to the provision of safe drinking water. Since the health of drinking water is important in the busy centers such as hospitals, clinics and health centers, this study was done to investigate the role of water coolers connected to the municipal system in microbial quality of drinking water in Behbahan city. Methods: In this study, the samples were provided from all influent and effluent 30 water coolers located in hospitals, clinics and health centers in the Behbahan. They were carried out and transferred to the laboratory. Then, the amounts of total coliforms and fecal coliforms, residual chlorine, pH and temperature were measured. Collected data were analyzed using SPSS and Excel software. Results: The results showed that the average residual chlorine in input and output of the mentioned water coolers is significantly more than the standard values. Total and fecal coliforms in the input and output of water coolers are also more than the standard values. At the same time, both indicators in the output of water cooler were increased rather than the input one. By using paired t-test, a significant relationship was found between the amount of total coliform, fecal coliform and residual chlorine before and after of water cooler. Conclusions: The results showed negative effects of water coolers on microbial quality of water. If constant control, monitoring and inspections proceedings were done, these contaminations would be reduced significantly.