Suitability of the H2S test for detection of fecal contamination in drinking water

Abstract

The suitability of H2S field test to detect fecal contamination in drinking water was assessed by analysing 635 water samples from various sources at room temperature and at 37°C after 18, 24, and 48 h of incubation. The H2S test showed 216, 85, 96 and 85% correlation with Eijkman test, membrane filter
technique, most probable number (MPN) test for coliform and membrane filter technique (MFT),respectively. Hence the test can be used for detection of fecal contamination in drinking water in the field where laboratory facilities are limited