Comparison between the Concentrations of Ammonium Ion and the Results of the Microbiological Examination of Some Drinking Water Samples

Authors

  • Maarouf Al-Khayer Tishreen University
  • Nour Ashesh Tishreen University

Abstract

Water pollution is one of the biggest environmental problems facing humans at this age as a result of the widespread use of water in the disposal of various human and industrial wastes, which exacerbated the problem of pollution of fresh water in rivers, lakes and groundwater, which made water less suitable for drinking due to changing its physical, chemical and biological properties.

This research aims to determine the ammonium ion concentrations in some drinking water sources from the groundwater in the countryside of Hama governorate by applying a color spectrophotometric method using Nessler's reagent and comparing it with the total bacterial count and the presence of fecal coliform and Escherichia coli bacteria in the water. The samples were taken during the winter and summer seasons. It was observed that all the measured concentrations of ammonium ions and the total bacterial count were within the permissible limits corresponding to the Syrian standard specification for drinking water, except for the wells located near the stream of the Assi River, the concentrations of ammonium and the total bacterial count were higher than the permissible limits in the Asharna area wells, with complete absence for the presence of fecal coliform and Escherichia coli in all wells. Also, the ammonium concentrations and the total bacterial counts were higher in the summer and the high ammonium concentrations correspond with an increase in the total bacterial count but without the presence of pathogenic bacteria, which indicates that ammonium is an indicator of increased bacterial growth, but it is not enough to determine ammonium concentrations only to judge the suitability of drinking water.

Author Biographies

Maarouf Al-Khayer, Tishreen University

Professor - Analytical and Food Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy

Nour Ashesh, Tishreen University

Postgraduate Student (MSc) - Analytical and Food Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy

Downloads

Published

2021-03-15

How to Cite

1.
الخير م, عشيش ن. Comparison between the Concentrations of Ammonium Ion and the Results of the Microbiological Examination of Some Drinking Water Samples. Tuj-hlth [Internet]. 2021Mar.15 [cited 2024Apr.25];43(1). Available from: https://journal.tishreen.edu.sy/index.php/hlthscnc/article/view/10459

Issue

Vol. 43 No. 1 (2021): Tishreen University Journal for Research and Scientific Studies - Health Sciences Series

Section

Articles

License

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

The authors retain the copyright and grant the right to publish in the magazine for the first time with the transfer of the commercial right to Tishreen University Journal for Research and Scientific Studies - Health Sciences Series

 Under a CC BY- NC-SA 04 license that allows others to share the work with of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal. Authors can use a copy of their articles in their scientific activity, and on their scientific websites, provided that the place of publication is indicted in  Tishreen University Journal for Research and Scientific Studies - Health Sciences Series   .  The Readers have the right to send, print and subscribe to the initial version of the article, and the title of  Tishreen University Journal for Research and Scientific Studies - Health Sciences Series  Publisher

journal uses a CC BY-NC-SA license which mean

You are free to:

  • Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material
  •  
  • The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.

 

  • Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
  • NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
  • ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original.
  • No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.

Most read articles by the same author(s)