title: Inactivation of fecal bacteria in drinking water by solar heating.
abstract: We report simulations of the thermal effect of strong equatorial sunshine on water samples contaminated with high populations of fecal coliforms. Water samples, heavily contaminated with a wild-type strain of Escherichia coli (starting population = 20 x 10(5) CFU/ml), are heated to those temperatures recorded for 2-liter samples stored in transparent plastic bottles and exposed to full Kenyan sunshine (maximum water temperature, 55 degrees C). The samples are completely disinfected within 7 h, and no viable E. coli organisms are detected at either the end of the experiment or a further 12 h later, showing that no bacterial recovery has occurred. The feasibility of employing solar disinfection for highly turbid, fecally contaminated water is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of International Health and Tropical Medicine, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Joyce
authors.forename: K G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: McGuigan
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Elmore-Meegan
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Conroy
mesh_terms: D003889:Desert Climate; D003906:Developing Countries; D004203:Disinfection / Q000379:methods*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology*; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007630:Kenya; D013472:Sunlight; D013997:Time Factors; D014871:Water Microbiology; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods; D014881:Water Supply