[Viral pollution studies of water environments]

Virus pollution was studied in 734 water samples collected from the Dîmboviţa River (310), lakes inside the town of Bucharest (136) and swimming pools (288). The results showed that the works carried out these last years to regularize the Dîmboviţa led to a reduction of the virus pollution rate from 16.6-26.9% in 1984 to 4.16-5% in 1988. As for the lake and swimming pool waters, the pollution rate is directly proportional to the applied general hygiene measures. In summer, in drained lakes strictly controlled from the domestic and industrial sewage discharge point of view, the pollution rate was no higher than 6%, while in the lakes receiving sewage the frequency of isolations was between 12.5 and 18.75%. The same situation was found for swimming pools. A microepidemics of blepharoconjunctivitis was recorded in 1988 at a sport base: viruses were isolated from 20% of the water samples collected from its swimming pool, while virus pollution was about zero in the swimming pool water of some big hotels in Bucharest.