“Evaluación de la calidad del agua mineral en la comunidad santa teresita para consumo humano”

Abstract

The objective of this work is to evaluate the physical, chemical, and microbiological parameters of mineral water for human consumption in the Santa Teresita Community of the Chimborazo Fauna Production Reserve belonging to the parish of San Juan, province of Chimborazo, for which sampling determines the water source in two rainy (June) and dry (July) seasons under the NTE INEN 2176 sampling techniques standard and the NTE INEN 2169:98 standard Handling and conservation of samples. Physical parameters (temperature, conductivity, total solids, pH), chemical (Antimony, Arsenic, Barium, Borate, Cadmium, Chromium, Copper, Cyanide, Fluoride, Lead, Manganese, Mercury, Nickel, Nitrate, Nitrite, Selenium) and microbiological parameters (Escherichia coli, Total coliform bacteria, Fecal Streptococci, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Sulphite-reducing anaerobic bacteria) were determined under the NTE INEN 2179:2011 "Mineral Waters" standard and standardized methods such as Standard Methods of Examination of Waters, in-situ membrane filtration. Conductivity and dissolved solids meet the requirement, while temperature and pH are below the permitted limit. Chemical elements such as Antimony, Borate, Cadmium, Chromium, and Nickel exceed the permissibility limits. At the same time, Cadmium Barium, Copper, Cyanide, Fluoride, Lead, and Manganese have lower values, and Arsenic presents a permissible value to non-permissible value. Microbiological analyses reveal that in the rainy season, there is the presence of fecal streptococci (750 CFU/ml) that exceed the permissible values, and in the dry season, there is an absence of them; on the other hand, there are anaerobic sulfite-reducing bacteria (1x100 CFU/ml). Finally, the results compared with the Ecuadorian Technical Standard NTE INEN 2179:2011 for human consumption, and it concludes that the mineral water of the Santa Teresita community is not suitable for human consumption, and it recommends reviewing the infrastructure and maintenance of the spring.