1.1 Introduction
Production and sale of sachet water, popularly called “pure water” in Nigeria, is presently a lucrative business, therefore many people are involved in the production and marketing of the product. Water is one of the most important as well as one of the most abundant compound on earth, and is vital to the survival of any organism (Tortora et al., 2002).Water in nature is seldom totally pure. Rainfall is contaminated as it falls to earth (Ajewole, 2005). The combustion of fossil fuel put sulphur compounds as being responsible for pollution of rain water by precipitation (Edema et al., 2001).
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.
1.2 Background of Study
The sale of sachet water in Nigeria has been on the increase since 2016 when 28.9 billion litres worth 938.6 billion naira was sold. This increase has been largely fueled by combined forces of a hot weather and an inadequate pipe-borne water supply in Nigeria. Furthermore, poor road infrastructure and traffic management which result in extended hours on the roads in many Nigerian cities have made the availability of on-the-go cold and packaged water a huge relief for thirst. The growth of the sachet water industry in addition, has been consolidated by the fact that this type of water packaged in flexible nylon sachets (although production conditions maybe poor) is cheap and affordable (Euromonitor, 2017). Since water is a veritable source of fluoride in human diet, and considering its importance in dental public health, fluorine levels in drinking water should be known. The regrettable fact is that this information is lacking at the national level in Nigeria (Akpata et al., 2009).
Fluoride is a naturally occurring substance in water (Tiemann, 2013). The World Health Organization (W.H.O) has identified dental caries as a worldwide epidemic and also recommended to add fluoride to drinking water in naturally occurring water which has less than optimal fluorine levels (0.7 to 1.2 mg F/L) (WHO, 2001). The inability of the public water works in Ikole North local government area, Ekiti State to provide adequate and consistent drinking water for the whole populace has driven the people to packaged water as an ever ready source of drinking water (Denloye, 2004).
Sachet water related diseases continue to be one of the major health issue globally. The high revalence of diarrhoea among children and infants can be traced to the use of unsafe water and unhygienic practices (Omalu et al., 2010). The most dangerous form of water pollution occur when fecal contaminants like Escherichia coli enter the water supply and also through the fecal-oral routes of transmission. Microbial contaminants in water supply are the sources of many diseases such as typhoid fever, cholera, bacillary dysentery and so on. The agency has published guidelines for the production of sachet- packaged drinking water. Unfortunately most producers do not adhere to these guidelines (Onemano et al., 2003).
Therefore, in Ikole North where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to analyze the Fluorine in Sachets Water.
1.3 Statement of Problem
Challenges in setting up potable water supplies for communities have been a matter under discussion. Most cited reasons range from poor quality of borehole water, high seepage rates of water pans, and seasonality of streams (Hazra, 2013). Sustainability of existing water projects has also proved difficult owing to poor management systems. Worse enough, prevailing poor sanitation conditions pose the greatest threat to water points. Previous studies in both urban and rural areas have concluded that contamination from on-site sanitation is a principal cause of contamination of water sources (Howard et al., 2013).
1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study
The aim of this study is to analyze the Fluorine in Sachets Water sold in Ikole North local government. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:
- To determine the fluorine levels in commercially available sachet water brands
- To determine the concentration of fluorine in selected sachet water samples sold at Ikole North district.
1.5 Significance of Study
This study will be of immense benefit to academic students and other researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.
1.6 Scope of Study
The scope of the research is focused on the Analysis of Fluorine in Sachets Water using Ikole North local government area in Ekiti as a case study.
1.7 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
- Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet).
1.8 Definition of Terms
E.coli: Is an acronym for Escherichia coli which is a bacterium commonly found in the intestines of humans and other animals, some strains of which can cause severe food poisoning.
Staphylococcal: Staphylococcus (staph) is a group of bacteria. There are more than 30 types. A type called Staphylococcus aureus causes most infections. Staph bacteria can cause many different types of infections, including; skin infections which are the most common types of staph infections.
Isolates: isolate simply means cause (a person or place) to be or remain alone or apart from others.
Phytochemical: This is a substance produced mainly by plants, and these substances have biological activity.
Component: it simply means one part of a whole thing.
Effect: a change which is a result or consequence of an action or other cause.
