Sachet water is always available and handy. It is one of the most consumed drinking water in different areas of Nigeria.
It has helped many quench thirst in traffic jam while makers smiled to the bank.
Nigeria’s water system had failed long ago. People’s reliance waned when dirty water started flowing out of taps with iron pipes laid beneath earth surface.
Flashback to the 80s, where you could find a tap by the road side, open it and get to drink fairly ‘cold’ and refreshing water.
Back then, all you needed to do was allow the tap water run for few seconds and then the cold water will flow out.
Sadly, there are no taps on the streets anymore. And even when Nigerians find one, they will not drink the water.
Do you trust such taps to give you a clean water?
Now, everyone has a borehole in the compound.
Why Sachet Water?
Despite this proliferation of boreholes, there is still lack of trust for the water from it. This development has forced families to rely on sachet water or bottle water for their daily water needs.
However, our attention has been drawn to something everyone should give a thought to.
We have entered that time where attention should be given to the sachet water you drink.
Unfortunately, a lot happens to the water after it leaves production factory to the street and then to the hands of the retailer.
This process could make a clean water no longer healthy for anyone to drink.
Kindly note that we do not intend to create fear in your mind.
But we want to point out something you should know about sachet water.
Several research works have been done on sachet water. Focus was on how healthy they remain after they leave the factory. So much have been found by these researchers that we will cite in this article.
Presence Of PBA
Bisphenol A (BPA) is an industrial chemical that has been used to make certain plastics and resins since the 1960s.
BPA is one of the substances used in making sachet water and there is a health issue with it.
Before we identify the issue with this substance, we will want to allay some fears.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said that BPA is safe at the very low levels that occur in some foods.
Although the amount of BPA in sachet water may be low, most of the sachets available to Nigerians have been exposed to heat (the sun). This makes it possible for BPA to leach into the water.
A 2016 study conducted in Nigeria showed that Bisphenol A (BPA) was discovered to leach at detectable levels from the plastic containers as storage (period) increased.
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“The result of the Bisphenol A analysis revealed that BPA congeners ranged from 0.023mg/l within days of collection to 0.251ml/l at the fourth week of storage.”
Mayo Clinic highlighted that “exposure to BPA is a concern because of possible health effects of BPA on the brain and prostate gland of foetuses, infants and children. It can also affect children’s behavior.
Additional research suggests a possible link between BPA and increased blood pressure.
Sadly, most retailers of this packaged water drop them in places they are directly exposed to the sun.
Also vehicles used in moving these sachets around are often left open without protective gear from heat. They all move about in the sun.
No Expiry Date
Water contains living organisms and they are prone to dying once the water is packed or capped.
This makes it necessary for sachets to contain dates of expiry, considering how long these organisms could survive when capped.
This possible occurrence was highlighted by Miner CA, *Tagurum YO and others in a research on sachet water contamination.
Your organs find it hard to process the BPA and so it becomes toxin or cancerous to the body.
For this reason, we recommend that individuals or families should find a way to get their sachet water directly from factories.
Keep them in room temperature to ensure that they are not exposed to heat.
Detoxify as often as possible using natural grains – Red kidney beans, Red Rice, greens, beetroot, lemon and some other fruits.
Kindly share this article with your friends and loved ones to help them know the health risk of taking sachet water that may have been exposed to heat.
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