ABSTRACT
The public water supply is a constant subject of concern since its quality depends on many different factors. The intention of this paper was to evaluate the quality of the public water supply in 38 cities from the midwest region of the State of São Paulo, Brazil, during the year of 2016. The parameters investigated included free residual chlorine, pH, apparent color, turbidity, fluoride, nitrate, and the presence of total coliforms and Escherichia coli. In total, from the 2,897 samples of water under analysis, 545 (18.81%) samples conflicted with the country's current legislation. The highest rates of noncompliance were related to fluoride contents and the presence of total coliforms. In addition, high nitrate concentrations (>10 mg/L NO3 -N) were observed in one of the cities' water sample. Our data display the major critical points of the water offered to the population and expose the potential risks for human health, indicating the need of a regular surveillance of the water and the adoption of corrective and preventive measures, in order to avoid the waterborne diseases occurrence, thus contributing to the population's health improvement. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Approximately 20% of the unsatisfactory water samples. High nitrate concentrations in public supply water. Potential risks for human health.
Subject(s)
Water Microbiology , Water Pollutants/analysis , Water Quality , Water Supply/statistics & numerical data , Brazil , Cities/statistics & numerical dataABSTRACT
Objetivo: avaliar a adequação da concentração de fluoreto na água fornecida pelos sistemas de abastecimento dos municípios pertencentes ao Grupo de Vigilância Sanitária da Regional XV-Bauru, conforme a legislação vigente. Métodos: estudo descritivo, sobre dados da medição de fluoretos obtidos durante a execução do Programa de Vigilância da Qualidade da Água para Consumo Humano (Proágua), entre janeiro de 2002 e junho de 2011. Resultados: das 8.558 amostras analisadas, 5.320 foram aprovadas, 2.519 estavam abaixo e 719 acima dos limites estabelecidos; dos 36 municípios avaliados; 9 apresentaram perfil satisfatório e 6, insatisfatório, 12, perfil variável, e 9 melhoraram o processo de fluoretação ao longo do estudo (perfil: melhoria do desempenho). Conclusão: na maioria dos locais estudados, a fluoretação da água de abastecimento público não estava adequada para garantir a efetividade da política pública de prevenção de cárie dentária, evidenciando a necessidade de melhorias no controle operacional dos sistemas.
Objective: to evaluate the compliance of the public water supply fluoridation process with current legislation in municipalities comprising Region 15 Health Surveillance Group, Bauru, São Paulo State, Brazil. Methods: this is a retrospective study of fluoride measurement data obtained during the execution of the PROÁGUA Program between January 2002 and June 2011. Results: 5,320 of the 8,558 samples analyzed were classified as approved, 2,519 were below and 719 were above the established fluoridation limits. 9 of the 36 cities evaluated complied with the legislation, 6 did not, 12 showed variable performance and 9 started complying during the course of the study. Conclusion: in most of the places studied public water supply fluoridation was not adequate to ensure the effectiveness of public policies on dental caries prevention, showing the need for improvements in the operational control of these systems.
