DETERMINATION OF MICROBIOLOGICAL QUALITY AND HEAVY METAL RESIDUAL LEVELS IN BOTTLED SPRING AND NATURAL MINE L WATERS

Abstract

Water is a vital food material for humans and other living things to survive. Recent developments in various industrial sectors, urbanization and the spread of agriculture based on modern techniques have resulted in increased contamination of water with heavy metals and microbial agents. This study was conducted to investigate the concentrations of selected heavy metals in spring and natural mineral waters and to determine the microbiological qualities of them. For this purpose, 200 spring and 200 natural mineral waters were collected and analyzed microbilogically and chemically for the residual quantities of Pb, As, Hg, Cd, Cu using 1CP-MS technique. Pb, As and Cu concentrations were higher to the limit values of the regulations in 13 (6.5%) of spring and in 72 (36%) of natural mineral waters. Moreover, TVBC was found to be above the limit values in 33 (8.25%) of the analyzed samples, while any conforms, fecal coliforms or E.coli were detected. As a result, it's important to carry out routine microbiological screening of waters on the basis of welding, filling units and filling containers, continuously monitoring of heavy metals in water samples and to take preventive measures to prohibit environmental pollution by heavy metals' contamination in order to protect the public health.