VietNamNet Bridge - Scientists have rung the alarm bell over the increasingly high proportion of people suffering from acute and chronic diseases, including diarrhea, parasitic worms and cancer, caused by the use of contaminated water.

Using drinks with ice – iced tea, iced sugar cane and iced coffee – is the habit of most HCM City residents. However, the water sources used to make ice to provide to restaurants and street shops have been found unsafe.

The HCM City Food Safety Branch has found that 11 out of 22 tested samples taken from ice making workshops in the city were contaminated with chlorine, E. coli and coliform which cause intestinal and other diseases.

At some workshops, ice was found made of untreated underground water which contained heavy metal residues and chemicals, which can cause cancer.

There are 190 ice making workshops in the city, 49 of which use tap water and 114 use underground water. Of the 49 workshops using tap water, 27 could not prove the water sources in use. 

Of the 114 workshops using underground water, 64 did not show any certificates on water testing.

The agency, after recent inspections, concluded that nearly 40 percent of ice workshops did not announce their product standards, 25 percent did not have certificates on meeting food hygiene requirements, and 43 percent could not meet the requirements on material facilities and equipment.

Nguyen Thi Huynh Mai, deputy head of the HCM City Food Safety Branch, pointed out that machines cannot eliminate suspended substances when making ice, and contamination can then occur with substandard water.

Meanwhile, people in suburban areas, including Thu Duc, Hoc Mon, Nha Be and Cu Chi districts, still have to use underground water from the wells they drill themselves.

In late 2014, the HCM City Preventive Healthcare Center tested 1,400 water samples taken from the wells and found that many of them were infected with alum, and that 7-15 percent were infected with microorganisms and 10 percent with inorganic substances.

The underground water layer in the areas have become contaminated because of the natural geological conditions and uncontrolled exploitation. 

Many wells are located near polluted areas such as cemeteries, sewers and dumping grounds. The unreasonable well drilling technique is also behind the water pollution.

Scientists warned that household-use filtration machines cannot create safe water for use, though manufacturers have advertised that the machines can eliminate toxicity. 

There has been no research published about the filtration equipment available in the market.

DNSG