Assessment of Physico-Chemical Parameters and Heavy Metal of Drinking Water Samples from Some Iranian Universities and Surveyed the Efficacy of Several Water Purification Methods on Removal of Heavy Metal

Water quality is the most important factor for consumers because it has a significant impact on their health. So, monitoring and controlling water quality is of particular significance in different human communities such as universities. In this study, the physicochemical parameters such as turbidity, electrical conductivity, hardness, alkalinity, calcium and magnesium ions, and heavy metals including lead, cadmium, nickel, arsenic, and chromium in drinking water were determined in nine Iranian universities. Then, the efficacy of several treatment methods was evaluated in the removal of heavy metal, including the boiling process in two stages: 5 minutes boiling and 5 hours boiling and filtration process. The results revealed that the physicochemical quality of drinking water in all universities was appropriate. Hardness levels in drinking water samples of all universities were higher than the WHO standards. However, this parameter was lower than the national standard of Iran (500 mg/l). Nevertheless, cadmium content was not detected in any samples, nickel content was below the permissible limit, and chromium content was below the permissible limit in all samples. However, its value was higher than the allowable limit in the university with a code of 6. Lead content was higher than the limit in samples with codes 3, 5-1, and 5-4, and arsenic content was higher than the limit in samples with codes 6, 1-1, 1-2, and 2. Water purification methods, including boiling and water purifier, were satisfactory and significantly reduced pollutants. According to the present study, it is suggested to check drinking water quality in universities randomly, and the 5-minute boiling method can be recommended as a cost-effective solution for water purification.