Microbiological Effectiveness and Cost of Boiling to Disinfect Drinking Water in Rural Vietnam

Despite certain shortcomings, boiling is still the most common means of treating water in the home and the benchmark against which alternative household-based disinfection and filtration methods must be measured. We assessed the microbiological effectiveness and cost of boiling among a vulnerable po...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental science & technology 2008-06, Vol.42 (12), p.4255-4260
Main Authors: Clasen, Thomas F, Thao, Do Hoang, Boisson, Sophie, Shipin, Oleg
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Costs and Cost Analysis
Data Collection
Demography
Disinfection & disinfectants
Disinfection - economics
Drinking water
Environmental science
Filters
Hot Temperature
Microbiology
Remediation and Control Technologies
Rural areas
Rural Health
Vietnam
Water Microbiology
Water Supply
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Summary:Despite certain shortcomings, boiling is still the most common means of treating water in the home and the benchmark against which alternative household-based disinfection and filtration methods must be measured. We assessed the microbiological effectiveness and cost of boiling among a vulnerable population relying on unimproved water sources and commonly practicing boiling as a means of disinfecting water. In a 12 week study among 50 households from a rural community in Vietnam, boiling was associated with a 97% reduction in geometric mean thermotolerant coliforms (TTCs) (p < 0.001). Despite high levels of faecal contamination in source water, 37% of stored water samples from self-reported boilers met the WHO standard for safe drinking water (0 TTC/100 mL), and 38.3% fell within the low risk category (1–10 TTC/100 mL). Nevertheless, 60.5% of stored drinking water samples were positive for TTC, with 22.2% falling into the medium risk category (11–100 TTC/100 mL). The estimated cost of wood used to boil water was US$ 0.272 per month for wood collectors and US$ 1.68 per month for wood purchasers, representing approximately 0.48% to 1.04%, respectively, of the average monthly income of participating households.
ISSN:0013-936X
1520-5851
DOI:10.1021/es7024802