There are many microorganisms in natural water bodies. If one wants to determine whether the microbial indicators in water quality exceed the standard, it is necessary to test the situation of microorganisms in the water. However, if monitoring points are set up for each type, it will be very difficult to operate. At this point, I thought of coliform bacteria. So, what is the purpose of testing for coliform bacteria in water?

First of all, what we need to know is that coliform bacteria come from the intestines of humans and warm-blooded animals. When drinking water is contaminated by feces, it is easy to detect coliform bacteria in the water body. Moreover, because the resistance of coliform bacteria disinfectants is basically similar to that of other intestinal bacteria, that is to say, eliminating coliform bacteria is equivalent to eliminating other pathogenic intestinal bacteria as well. In addition, in view of the common characteristics of pathogenic microorganisms, coliform bacteria are used to replace the indicator bacteria of other pathogenic microorganisms. In other words, the amount of coliform bacteria in water can to some extent reflect the degree of contamination of water quality by pathogenic microorganisms. To ensure the hygiene and safety of drinking water, China’s standards have explicit regulations on some aspects, among which coliform bacteria are one of the important indicators. The coliform bacteria in water are monitored in real time through the WECT 900 coliform bacteria online analyzer to determine whether the coliform bacteria in the water are qualified.

What consequences would there be if the discharge was carried out after the treatment and testing met the standards?

Coliform bacteria are proposed by fecal contamination index bacteria. If coliform bacteria are detected in water, it indicates that the water quality has been contaminated by feces. Although coliform bacteria themselves exist in the human intestinal tract, if they are pathogenic coliform bacteria or have been displaced, they can cause diseases. For instance, if it enters outside the intestinal tract, it will cause infections in various parts of the body. The most common one is urinary tract infection. If it is pathogenic Escherichia coli, it will cause infection in the intestinal tract, resulting in symptoms such as diarrhea and fever. In severe cases, it can even be life-threatening. Just like in this complex hospital where various diseases exist, the detection of coliform bacteria is definitely indispensable. It is particularly important to do a good job in online monitoring of medical wastewater to ensure that the wastewater is discharged after meeting the standards!