Tea Served to College Not Unlike the Charles

The tea served in the University dining halls has been found to have a bacteria content comparable to "a one to ten dilution of the Charles River," according to a report on sanitation issued in January by sanitary inspector Wilfred B. Krabek.

Furthermore, the data included in the report show the Central Kitchen to be the least sanitary food facility in the University. Dining hall officials replied, however, that the kitchen is well within legal sanitation standards.

Krabek reported that the count of coliforms, which constitute a group of bacteria used as an indicator for pollution by human excreta, have been as high as 2400 per 100 milliliters of tea, "iced or otherwise." In comparison, the coliform count of the Charles River is of the order of 20,000/100 mls., while the maximum coliform count of drinking water allowed by Public Health Service standards is one/100 mls.

During the month in which the inspection was made, the Central Kitchen passed only three of ten bacteriological examinations. The percentage of acceptable results was the lowest for any dining facility in the University and Radcliffe. Of 278 tests made throughout the University, 72 per cent yielded satisfactory results, while Radcliffe passed 82 per cent, or 175, of 213 examinations.

Each month bacterial counts are taken from dining utensils and cooking and serving implements used in the Harvard and Radcliffe dining halls. The maximum acceptable count per item examined is 100 colonies of microorganisms.

Because the tested items are picked at random, Krabek said, the figures may indicate a more alarming situation than that which actually exists. He did not deny, however, that the situation in the Central Kitchen is "particularly bad."

Kirkland Solves Coliform Problem

Although the high coliform count for tea was originally made in August, significant steps toward improving the situation have not been taken throughout the University. The Kirkland Pantry has reportedly solved the coliform problem by making team from an "Instant" preparation, but the experiment has yet to be implemented in most of the other dining halls, Krabek said. No recent coliform counts for tea were submitted in the January report.