Assessment of physicochemical and biological parameters of Al Ghassani hospital wastewaters, Fez - Morocco

The factors of sanitary risks bound to environment constitute important determinants of population health state, and are a source of daily preoccupation of this population. Indeed, the garbage of activities of cares can have a negative impact for human health, notably by the contamination of surface waters (i.e. stream, lakes etc...) following a dismissal of hospital wastewaters, containing medicines residues, chemical reagents, antiseptics, detergents, etc., with no previous treatment. In Morocco, establishments of health are only mobilized partially on environmental management. Solid garbage is subjected to a flow management and a follow-up until their treatment. These establishments of health act to two levels on aquatic ecosystems, certainly, they have an important demand in drinking water and thereafter they produce liquid sewages, polluted by pathogenic microorganisms and by chemical substances not always biodegradable. The hospital Al Ghassani is an establishment covering a surface of 14 hectares and has a capacity of 400 beds. Its consumption in water is estimated to 458 m3/day, at the rate of 1.14 m3/day/bed. Liquid wastes of this hospital are poured in the purification network that is connected to a network of collection of pluvial waters. Obtained results shows that the COD/BOD5 ratio is 2.83 mg/l whereas for analyzed heavy metals alone mercury displayed a value of 0.75 ^g/l. This last value lets predict that these dismissals constitute a risk on environment. Microbiological study revealed the existence of pathogenic microorganisms in the order of 102 to 106 germs/ml, notably Escherichia Coli, Klebsiella, Salmonella, Shigella and Enterococcus.