Is dew water potable? Chemical and biological analyses of dew water in Ajaccio (Corsica Island, France)

To determine to what extent dew water is potable without further treatment, a thorough set of chemical and biological analyses were performed on 10 samples of dew water collected on a large scale radiative collector (29.83 m(2)) in Ajaccio (Corsica Island, France), between 21 May 2002 and 5 Mar. 2003. Samples were collected following four protocols according to the dew volume amount and 48 parameters (ions, minerals, and bacteria) were analyzed and compared to French and European Union legislation and also World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations. Aluminum and Fe were the main pollutants whose concentrations were significantly larger than recommended. Their presence is due to local deposition of aerosols coming from the Sahara (a characteristic of the Mediterranean basin). A large number of biologically cultivable microorganisms were found, together with bacteria typical of fecal contamination. For dew water to be potable with respect to present legislation at the Ajaccio site, it should be disinfected and treated for turbidity.