Objective To understand the hygienic status and water quality of fresh-purified drinking water vending machines (FPDWMs) in Pudong New Area in order to guarantee the customers' safety and health.
Methods The survey in cluded collecting information on hygiene license, environmental hygiene, hardware facilities, management and maintenance, as well as water quality of 1197 FPDWMs in Pudong New Area.
Results Of all 1197 FPDWMs, the absence rates of self-inspection record, maintenance record, and valid hygiene license were 7.60%, 3.17%, and 1.67%, respectively. Pollution sources presented around 10m radius of the machines accounted for 5.85%. The proportion of water outlet of the machines without tight-closed doors was 2.84%. Moreover, 0.33% of the machines didn't register to the local health department. The unqualified rate of water products by the selected machines was 11.61%, and the unqualified rates of total bacteria count, oxygen consumption, and total coliform group were 9.44%, 2.68%, and 0.42%, respectively.
Conclusion The hygienic status and water quality of FPDWMs in Pudong New Area present certain health risks. Moreover, lack of related laws and regulations causes difficulties for health administrative departments supervision. It suggests to strengthen the legislation on hygiene of FPDWMs, and to standardize related business operation activities in order to ensure customer's safety and health.
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