The study, “Microbial contamination analysis of drinking water from bulk dispensers and fast-food dining establishments in the Eastern Coachella Valley, California,” was released last month in Water Supply, the International Water Associations peer-reviewed journal.
Thomas Hile, PhD, MSc, an LLU connected researcher, prepares water samples for screening in the laboratory. He is the lead author of a recently published study that found microbial contamination in soda fountains at fast-food dining establishments. Credit: Loma Linda University Health
Research Study Methodology and Findings
Researchers collected 72 water samples from fast-food soda water fountains, water vending makers, and faucet water from outside sources in the Eastern Coachella Valley. They determined physico-chemical criteria on website and brought samples back to the laboratory to perform conventional cultivable methods and molecular analysis.
Analysis of the water samples suggested the existence of biofilms– arranged neighborhoods of organisms widely present in nature that represent major issues in ecological, industrial, and medical settings. In a number of cases, the amounts of germs in soda fountain samples went beyond the optimum acceptable levels set by the Environmental Protection Agency.
” The existence of pathogenic microorganisms in drinking water is a serious public health concern and can not be overstated,” the authors stated in their journal post.
Biofilms and Water Contamination
Based on the results, the research study group contends that biofilm kinds in time in water circulation systems, mainly made from plastic piping, funneling water to fast-food soda fountains and water vending makers. Additionally, they say the soda water fountains filtering systems, when not preserved, do not effectively prevent water contamination.
East Coachella Valley is an ecological justice location and includes the city of Coachella and the unincorporated communities of Thermal, Oasis, Mecca, and North Shore. These neighborhoods are mostly Latino, comprised of agricultural-worker and migrant households that struggle for access to safe drinking water.
” The study collected water samples from an underserved location, where there normally arent routine checks of water quality and lack of upkeep for soda water fountains or water vending devices,” stated Ryan Sinclair, PhD, MPH, the research studys last author and an associate professor at Loma Linda University School of Public Health and School of Medicine.
He states the research study strengthens the value of developing monitoring and guidelines that target fast-food soda water fountains and water dispensers. He and the research study authors recommend that owners frequently clean and flush dispensers and use antimicrobial tubes inside water dispensers to control the development of biofilms.
Future Plans
The authors prepare to carry out a risk evaluation to figure out whether the levels of microorganisms they quantified and determined in their water samples pose a health hazard or are connected to any health conditions.
Recommendation: “Microbial contamination analysis of drinking water from bulk dispensers and fast-food dining establishments in the Eastern Coachella Valley, California” by Thomas Dama Hile, Stephen G. Dunbar and Ryan G. Sinclair, 10 August 2023, Water Supply.DOI: 10.2166/ ws.2023.200.
The research study was funded by Loma Linda University School of Medicine.
Scientists from Loma Linda University found microbial contamination in drinking water sources in the Eastern Coachella Valley, with 41% of soda fountain samples consisting of damaging bacteria. The study highlights the importance of maintenance and stricter guidelines for clean drinking water in underserved areas.
Study authors encourage regular cleaning of water dispensers.
Loma Linda University (LLU) researchers found microbial contamination in common sources of drinking water in the Eastern Coachella Valley, including soda water fountains at snack bar. Their findings exposed that 41% of the water samples scientists gathered from these soda water fountains consisted of total coliforms, a sign of water contamination.
Molecular analysis of the water samples revealed traces of genetic material found in bacteria, including Salmonella spp (Salmonella), Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli (E. coli). Given these findings, research study authors recommend soda water fountain owners to regularly tidy and flush the dispensers as a method to prevent water contamination.
First-of-Its-Kind Study
” To the very best of our knowledge, our study is the very first to examine the water quality from soda fountains, water vending makers, swabs, and faucet water, specifically in the Eastern Coachella Valley,” said Thomas Hile, PhD, MSc, an LLU affiliated researcher and lead author of the research study.
