Most of school water purifiers found to be unsanitary

Tap water has been found in some cases to be cleaner than filtered water.

The findings came as the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education was preparing to supply water purifiers to 1,194 schools in the capital city by 2003 and to conducted tests of water purity using the machines.

Last year 19 samples of filtrated water from 12 elementary and secondary schools and colleges were presented to the Seoul Municipal Technical Institute of Waterworks. Of them, 15 were found to be unfit for drinking due to bacteria and inadequate acidic content. One sample of unclean filtered water contained between three times (300 CFU) and 36 times (3,600 CFU) the maximum permissible number of common germs (100 CFU/ ml). Samples from three elementary and middle schools showed acid content of Ph 4.8-5.4, lower than the standard number of 5.8-8.5. Water taken from a high school was found to have 1,01l mg of zinc per liter, or over 1,000 times the maximum permissible level of 1 mg per liter. Water samples collected from regular city waterworks at 12 other schools were judged to be reasonably potable.

Jung Yeon-Wook jyw11@donga.com