[Water perception and utilization in a sample of students in the province of Viterbo]

Nowadays water quality is certainly one of the issues of major concern. Control on waterway considerably involves public hygiene services and represents a prevention activity and a measure of public health safety, which often is unknown to the population. For this reason the Public Hygiene Service of Viterbo L.H.U. (Local Health Unit) in collaboration with the Institute of Hygiene of the Catholic University of Rome carried out a survey to evaluate perception towards tap water quality in a sample of students. During the last decade tap and mineral water consumption habits turned out to be constant. The great majority of students reported to use widely mineral water at home; mineral water consumption was high regardless of social class. Since our investigation found a large use of mineral water in this town, the L.H.U. could intervene to modify these attitudes, starting up with an education campaign of the population: tap water is indeed subject to quality controls with a higher frequency compared to mineral water.