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Indian Journal of Medical Microbiology, Vol. 25, No. 1, January-March, 2007, pp. 74-75 Correspondence Efficacy and acceptability of chlorine dioxide water disinfectant Jacob A, Ramani S, Banerjee I, Kang G Department of Gastrointestinal Sciences, Christian Medical College, Vellore - 632 004, Tamil Nadu Date of Submission: 31-May-2006 Code Number: mb07024 Dear Editor, Waterborne infections cause significant morbidity and mortality, particularly in developing countries like India. In such settings, the responsibility of ensuring the quality of drinking water frequently lies with the consumer.[1] Chlorination is used both for bulk disinfection and at the point-of-use, but many people object to its strong taste and smell.[2] In this study we evaluated the efficacy and acceptability of a stabilized chlorine dioxide based water disinfectant (Xinix, a gift from Brent Reider, Xinix DTI, UK) which has the advantage of being an easy-to-use liquid and fast-acting. Water seeded with 10 6 and 10 7 Escherichia coli per mL was treated with 2 and 15 minutes with two formulations of Xinix according to manufacturers′instructions. Efficacy was assessed by coliform counts on serial dilutions of treated water and control untreated seeded water.[3] Both forms of Xinix completely removed up to 10 6 coliforms/mL, but 15 minutes of incubation with Xinix2 was required for removal of 10 7 coliforms/mL. To test the acceptability of Xinix, we conducted a blinded taste test on 10 volunteers (3 male, 7 female, mean age 30.5 years) using mineral water of a popular brand which was treated with i) Xinix1 and ii) Xinix2 as per manufacturers′instructions, iii) liquid chlorine sufficient to achieve a chlorine concentration of 1 ppm and iv) untreated. Volunteers were asked to rank the water based on taste, smell and colour on a 10 point scale [Table - 1]. In summary, Xinix1 had higher acceptability among volunteers although it was slightly less effective than Xinix2. Chlorine dioxide based disinfectants may be acceptable for wider use as disinfectants in specific settings, such as during outdoor adventure activities or emergency situations. References
Copyright 2007 - Indian Journal of Medical Microbiology The following images related to this document are available:Photo images[mb07024t1.jpg] |
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