Coin-operated water vending machines (locally known as ATMs) have been an instant and cheap source of drinking water around Cebu City, Philippines. They are mostly located along the sides of roads and streets making them prone to contamination. With the high risk of contamination of these ATMs, this study aimed to determine the bacteriological quality of potable water from coin-operated water vending machines around Cebu Normal University. Bacteriological analysis was done on water samples collected from 5 ATMs around CNU. Various quality parameters were analyzed including total coliform, fecal coliform and heterotrophic plate count (HPC). The results showed that 100% of the samples analyzed has high concentration of total coliform, fecal coliform and heterotrophic bacteria. The level of total and fecal coliforms contamination and heterotrophic plate count have failed to meet the standards of Philippine National Standards for Drinking Water (PNSDW) and Dialysis Water Standard (DWS). By the result of the analysis, it was concluded that ATMs cannot ensure safe water public consumption as bacteriological concentration exceeded the minimum standards set by PNSDW and DWS. It is necessary to maintain cleanliness of the machines, the surrounding environment and help secure reliable water source.

Coin operated water vending machines: Bacterial contamination analysis

ACS Spring 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.