DETERMINATION OF CONCENTRATION OF SOME INORGANIC CONSTITUENTS FROM SACHET WATER COMMONLY CONSUMED IN MUBI METROPOLIS, ADAMAWA STATE - NIGERIA

Abstract

Twelve (12) sachet water producing factories resident in Mubi metropolis were randomly sampled and stored in clean sterile 250 cm³ plastic sample bottles before 1cm³ conc. HNO₃ was added to each sample to avoid antimicrobial activities as described by WHO International standards for drinking water (1997). They were stored in the laboratory for 24 hours at room temperature without further purification before they were analyzed for some physicochemical properties (color, taste, total hardness, conductivity, pH, Na, Mg, Ca, Cr, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, Pb, Cl^- and CO₃^2-) respectively. The samples were colorless, odorless, tasteless with turbidity <1 at temperature range of 28.0 - 29.10 °C. The low value for turbidity indicate the clarity of the samples. The pH values for the samples ranged between 6.70 - 7.80. This could be taken as a transition between slightly, feebly acidic to very weakly alkaline properties for the liquids. Their conductivity values from analysis was found to be in the range 162 – 283 S/cm respectively. This could be taken as a measure of the ability of the water samples to pass electrical currents which directly depends on the concentration of conductive ions in the samples and may originate due to some inorganic constituents such as Na⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, Cl^-, CO₃^2-, sulphide compounds and dissolved salts in the samples. The values are however within the standard limits of WHO (1997). The hardness values for the samples were found to be in the range, 51 - 52 mg/L respectively. It could be deduced from the analysis that samples X_1, X_3, X₆ and X₈ are within the WHO limits of 60 mg/L while samples X₂, X₄, X₅, X₇, X₈, X₉, X_10, X₁₁ and X₁₂ are in excess. CO₃^2-, Cl and Zn were found to be within the specified limits. For the analysis, Ca, Na, Mg and Fe, sample X₁ was found safe for consumption (Table 4.2). While sample X₂ was safe for Ca and Na, sample X₃ was only suitable in Fe concentrations and unsuitable due to the high values of Ca, Na and Mg. Sample X₄ was in excess for the metal ions Ca, Na, Mg and Fe. However, Co, Cr and Pb could not be detected.