Physico-Chemical Quality Assessment of Various Bottled Commercial Water Brands in Okada Town, Edo State, Nigeria

Abstract

In this study, Physico-chemical assessment of some commercial drinking water sold in bottles in Okada Town was evaluated to ascertain their compliance with World Health Organization (WHO) and Nigerian Industrial Standard (NIS): Nigerian Standard for Drinking Water Quality threshold limits using standard analytical methods. Seven different bottled water samples obtained from different manufacturers labelled BWA to BWG were analyzed physically and chemically. Physical examination of the samples showed that they were odourless, colourless, and tasteless. Chemical quality parameters examined were pH, Chloride (Cl-), total hardness (TS), Phosphate (PHO3-), Nitrate (NO3-), Sulphate (SO42-), Iron (Fe), Potassium (K), Sodium (Na), Manganese (Mn), Zinc (Zn), total dissolved solids (TDS), conductivity, turbidity, and total suspended solids (TSS). The pH values of 57.1% of the water samples (BWA, BWB, BWC, BWE & BWF) were within the standards. The remaining chemical quality parameters (Cl-, TS, PHO3-, NO3-, Sulphate SO42-, Iron Fe, K, NA, Mn, Zn, TDS, Conductivity, turbidity, and TSS) of the branded bottled water samples were within the standards for clean and safe drinking. Therefore, they were considered safe and fit for human consumption.