The document discusses the critical importance of public health chemistry in water analysis, highlighting the need for clean and safe drinking water as a fundamental human right. It details the sources of water contamination, methods for water testing, and the impacts of water quality on human health, emphasizing the necessity for regular monitoring and research in water purification technologies. The presentation also outlines research areas that should be prioritized in the next 10-15 years to enhance water use efficiency and ensure sustainable water quality management.

3. PUBLIC HEALTH CHEMISTRY
WATER ANALYSIS –
THE NEED OF THE HOUR
Dr. R. VALLIAPPAN,
Professor
Department of Chemistry,
Annamalai University,
Annamalai nagar 608 002.
Email: rmvs1962@yahoo.com. Cell: 98420 87465

4. Objectives of the presentation
• Definition for public health Chemistry
• Introduction
• Need of the hour
• Area of research with “Water”
• - Physical Chemistry – kinetics of reaction
• - inorganic Chemistry – Quality & Quantity
• - organic Chemistry – pollution and contamination

5. Water … Water … Water …
Everywhere.. Which one is
suitable for drinking?
Potable water
Mineral water
Distilled water
Sterilized water
Deionised water
Wholesome water

6. Introduction
Water is a priceless, worthless commodity, a
blessing or curse depending on circumstances.
But without water there is no life. All life on earth
depends on water. Nothing can take the place of
water.
It is the duty of the Government to ensure the
continuous supply of clean and safe drinking water
for the public health protection at a free of cost.

7. • “Water is life’s mater and matrix, mother
and medium. There is no life without
water.” -Albert Szent-Gyorgyi
• Water is life, however not all water is safe
for human standards.
• Water samples can provide a lot of
information on a water source such as
nutrient content, pollution detection and
bacterial counts.

8. Water
• Home owners take samples of their drinking
water for health concerns.
• Ranchers and farmers may sample their
wells for livestock and pasture management
issues.
• State officials may test for water recreation
and fishing reasons.
• No matter what the water is being used for, if
it will impact humans in some way it needs to
be tested

9. Water is never pure in the true chemical
sense. It is aways found to contain unwanted
impurities in it.
The impurities may be dissolved and
suspended. Another more important and
serious impurity is brought into the water
source by human activity namely
urbanization and industrialization. Because of
these pollution and contamination of water
happens.

10. Introduction
• Water plays a significant role in maintaining the human health and
welfare. Clean drinking water is now recognised as a fundamental
right of human beings. Around 780 million people do not have
access to clean and safe water and around 2.5 billion people do
not have proper sanitation. As a result, around 6–8 million people
die each year due to water related diseases and disasters
• Therefore, water quality control is a top-priority policy agenda in
many parts of the world.
• In the today world, the water use in household supplies is
commonly defined as domestic water. This water is processed to
be safely consumed as drinking water and other purposes. Water
quality and suitability for use are determined by its taste, odor,
colour, and concentration of organic and inorganic matters.
• Contaminants in the water can affect the water quality and
consequently the human health. The potential sources of water
contamination are geological conditions, industrial and agricultural
activities, and water treatment plants. These contaminants are
further categorized as microorganisms, inorganics, organics,
radionuclides, and disinfectants.

11. • Till the 19th century pollution of water
assessed from the results of physical and
chemical analysis.
• The discovery of bacteria and the viruses as
the causative agents of many enteric
disorders, a delegate indication of pollution
has evolved.
• Assessments have to be made of
physicochemical and bacteriological
characteristics to establish pollution and
suitability of water for use either in industries
or potable purposes.

12. Hazards of pollution and contaminations
• Man’s health may be affected either directly
or indirectly by the polluted and contaminated
water.
• The hazards may be chemical or biological
• Chemical - indirect way of affecting both
human and environment – Nitrites/Nitrates
• Biological – direct – water borne diseases

13. Water may be free from
• Physical qualities – Turbidity, colour, odour
and Taste
• Chemical qualities – Chlorides, hardness,
Free from Saline ammonia, Albuminoid
ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, pH, oxygen
absorbed and free from hazardous chemicals,
• Biological qualities – Free from coliform
organisms, microscopic organisms - Plankton

14. Water and Sanitation-related
Diseases

15. Pollution Act - 1974
• In India water Prevention and Control
pollution Act of 1974 was passed.
• This act provides for the prevention and
control of water pollution and maintaining
and restoring of wholesomeness of water,
• For the establishment with a view to carrying
out the purposes aforesaid of boards for the
prevention and control of water pollution.

16. Potable or wholesome water
• Water intended for human consumption
should not only safe but also wholesome.
Wholesome water is defined as that
• Free from pathogenic agents
• Free from harmful chemical substances
• Pleasant to taste
• Usable for domestic purpose

17. Why Water Analysis?
• Contaminants that may be in untreated water
include microorganisms such as viruses and
bacteria;
• inorganic contaminants such as salts and metals;
organic chemical contaminants from industrial
processes and petroleum use;
• pesticides and herbicides; and radioactive
contaminants. Water quality depends on the local
geology and ecosystem,
• as well as human uses such as sewage
dispersion, industrial pollution, use of water bodies
as a heat sink, and overuse

18. For routine test the following may be
done
• The measurement of the BOD
• Bacteriological test for human intestinal
bacteria known as “Coliform count”
• A biological check known as the algal plant
count which measures the microscopical
plants, animal life, as distinct from bacteria
and viruses present in water

19. Purification of water
• Filtration
• Chlorination
• Reverse Osmosis (RO) – cost effect
• UV radiation
• Ultrafiltration
• Demineralization
• Mineralization

20. CHLORINATION
• Chlorination is one of the important advances
in water purification.
• It is a “Supplement” and not a substitute to
sand filtration
• Capable of killing bacteria and taste and
odour producing constituents
• Horrock’s Test is used for this purpose

21. WHO standard of distribution system
• Throughout any year 95% of samples should
not contain any coliform organisms in 100 ml
of water.
• No sample should contain E. coli in 100 ml
• No sample should contain more than 3
coliform organisms in 100 ml and
• Coliform organisms should not be detectable
in 100 ml of any consecutive samples

22. Most Probable Number (MPN) is a method used to estimate
the concentration of viable microorganisms in a sample by
means of replicate liquid broth growth in ten-fold dilutions. It is
commonly used in estimating microbial populations in soils,
waters, agricultural products and is particularly useful with
samples that contain particulate material that interferes
with plate count enumeration methods.
MPN is most commonly applied for quality testing of water
i.e to ensure whether the water is safe or not in terms of
bacteria present in it. A group of bacteria commonly referred as
fecal coliforms act as an indicator for fecal contamination of
water. The presence of very few fecal coliform bacteria would
indicate that a water probably contains no disease-causing
organisms, while the presence of large numbers of fecal
coliform bacteria would indicate a very high probability that the
water could contain disease-producing organisms making the
water unsafe for consumption.

27. Gram negative bacteria

28. Who is authorized?
• Usually the water testing must be done only in
the District Water Testing laboratory only for
the authorized results. But for research
purposes the results may be published.
• The Department of Sanitary Engineering and
Health authorities are responsible for any
outbreak of water borne diseases and their
quality.

29. Area of Water Research
• Usually anybody can do the water analysis
which may be superficial regarding the
physical and chemical qualities of water.
• Potable water research is relevant and its
purification are recommended by various
ways like Alum treatment, chlorination, plant
materials used as adsorbent
• Adsorption studies are high level in the
environmental studies
• Colour removal, Turbidity, odour, Taste are
preliminary method of research

30. TABLE : Water Resources Research Areas that Should Be Emphasized in the Next 10–15 Years

32. Water Use
1.Understand determinants of water use in the
agricultural, domestic, commercial, public, and industrial
sectors
2.Understand relationships between agricultural water use
and climate, crop type, and water application rates
3.In all sectors, develop more efficient water use and
optimize the economic return for the water used
4.Develop improved crop varieties for use in dryland
agriculture
5.Understand water-related aspects of the sustainability of
irrigated agriculture
6.Understand behavior of aquatic ecosystems in a broad,
systematic context, including their water requirements
7.Enhance and restore of species diversity in aquatic
ecosystems
8.Improve manipulation of water quality and quantity
parameters to maintain and enhance aquatic habitats
9.Understand interrelationship between aquatic and
terrestrial ecosystems to support watershed management

33. • When monitoring a water body or system, it is
important to sample every quarter or seasonally to
achieve an annual prospective of changes.
• The more samples gathered, the more data can be
given about a particular site.
• Drinking water should also be tested in the same
manner to monitor contamination levels and health
risks.
• Water samples should be given to a laboratory
within four days and kept cold to limit microbial
influence on the sample.

35. Thankful to the Authorities
Professor and Head, Department of
Chemistry,
Dean, Faculty of Science
Authorities of Annamalai University
To all those who watch this webinar,
Students, Researchers, Faculties