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abstract 940

Quality control of drinking water sold in plastic bags in Abidjan (COTE D’IVOIRE)

Author(s): Jean Stéphane Claon, Cho Christophe Amin N’, Julie Sackou Kouakou, Sylvie Kore Lekadou, Luc Kouadio
UFR Sciences Pharmaceutiques-Université de Cocody-Abidjan Institut National d'Hygiène Publique - Abidjan

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Poster:

Session: Poster session 4

AbstractIntroduction and objectives
Sales of plastic-bag-packaged water have

been on the rise in West African countries. The success is mainly due to its convenience, affordable cost and

apparent hygiene. The product was first introduced in fully hand-made bags, and in 2003 the process was improved

by using small packaging process units. As the result, the water comes in 250 ml bags with trade name, expiration

dates and various quality claims. The consumer excitement surrounding the new packaging resulted in a proliferation

of small companies. Our study aims to assess the quality of this packaged water and its production

sites.
Methods
Production sites were inspected and the water quality was studied from 2005 to 2007. The

method of Ichikawa was used for the inspection. Production sites with successful inspection had their water samples

submitted for physical, chemical and bacteriological analyses using WHO recommended parameters. All analyses

were conducted at the Institut Nationale d’Hygiene Publique (National Institute of Public Hygiene).

Results
161 production sites were inspected. Almost half (45%) failed the quality control inspection with

adverse implications on water potability. Among noted reasons for this failure rate were the lack of employee training

(12%), substandard sanitation programs (10%) and production sites (9%). In addition, 6% of production sites had

their plastic bags handfilled; increasing thereby the contamination risks. Among the production sites with a successful

inspection, 88% had water samples meeting all the WHO potability criteria. The remaining 14% had water samples

exceeding the recommended levels of coliforms, pH and nitrites.
Conclusion
The introduction of new water

plastic-bags was a progress. However, the product quality and packaging processes needs to be improved to live up

to the WHO recommended criteria. Our data illustrated the health risks associated with this popular product.

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Quality control of drinking water sold in plastic bags in Abidjan (COTE D’IVOIRE)