Chemical elements, which are present in drinking water, could vary due to water sources, treatment processes or even the plumbing materials. Most of these elements do not represent a threat, while others, such as heavy metals, have been proven to cause harmful effects over human and aquatic wildlife. In this study, the quality of drinking water in three cities in Ecuador, Quito, Ibarra and Guayaquil was assessed through a multielement analysis and the heavy metal pollution index (HPI). A total of 102 drinking water samples and six natural water samples were collected and analyzed. Within the scope of analysis, results show that water quality complies with local and international guidelines. HPI did not show significant differences in the water that is supplied to the different neighborhoods of the three cities studied. However, actions should be taken to protect the sources of water, especially in Guayaquil, due to the presence of lead and chromium. For instance, lead was found in 2.8% of the samples in concentrations above World Health Organization (WHO) recommended values. Thus, we suggest to assessing the quality and age of the plumbing system within the whole country, in order to avoid drinking water contamination with heavy metals.

饮用水中存在的化学元素可能会因水源，处理过程甚至管道材料而异。这些元素大多数都不构成威胁，而其他元素（例如重金属）已被证明会对人类和水生野生生物造成有害影响。在这项研究中，通过多元素分析和重金属污染指数（HPI）对厄瓜多尔，基多，伊瓦拉和瓜亚基尔三个城市的饮用水质量进行了评估。总共收集并分析了102个饮用水样品和6个天然水样品。在分析范围内，结果表明水质符合当地和国际准则。HPI在所研究的三个城市的不同社区的供水方面没有显示出显着差异。然而，由于铅和铬的存在，应采取措施保护水源，特别是在瓜亚基尔。例如，在2.8％的样品中发现铅，其浓度高于世界卫生组织（WHO）的建议值。因此，我们建议评估整个国家的管道系统的质量和使用年限，以避免饮用水被重金属污染。