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<p>Water is an essential resource for human survival, and its quality must meet safety standards to prevent health risks. This study evaluates bottled water samples' physico-chemical and bacteriological characteristics from the Awka metropolis to determine their suitability for human consumption. Multivariate statistical methods like Pearson's correlation, principal component analysis (PCA), and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) were applied to understand the interrelations between the physicochemical parameters and heavy metal contents. Standard analytical methods were employed to assess key parameters and the findings include pH (6.9–7.7), electrical conductivity (25.5–81.1 µS/cm), total dissolved solids (54–104&#xa0;mg/L), chloride (4–10&#xa0;mg/L), total hardness (10–138&#xa0;mg/L as CaCO₃), and chemical oxygen demand (74.26–91.67&#xa0;mg/L). Heavy metal concentrations were also analyzed, with iron (0.202–0.4101&#xa0;mg/L), copper (0.006–0.095&#xa0;mg/L), calcium (2.677–7.278&#xa0;mg/L), potassium (4.027–6.288&#xa0;mg/L), sodium (3.278–9.3948&#xa0;mg/L), zinc (0.089–0.326&#xa0;mg/L), and manganese (0.017–0.178&#xa0;mg/L) detected in varying amounts. Notably, manganese levels in AW and EW exceeded the permissible limits set by the Nigerian Standard for Drinking Water Quality (NSDWQ) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Additionally, the amount of lead in PW exceeded the WHO and NSDWQ acceptable threshold (0.01&#xa0;mg/L). Bacteriological analysis revealed that some brands, including AW, LW, IW and UW contained detectable bacterial counts, while others, such as ZW, PW and EW, had no bacterial presence. The results of multivariate statistics showed significant inter-site similarities with high data reduction efficiency, where the cumulative percentage of variance explained by the principal components was more than 89%, indicating that the quality of bottled water is mainly controlled by mineralization and organic-redox processes. Therefore, continuous monitoring and stricter quality control measures are recommended to ensure the safety of bottled water available in the Awka metropolis.</p>

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Evaluating Bottled Water Quality in Awka: Physicochemical, Microbial Analysis and Multivariate Statistical Assessment

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月30日

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  • Ifeoma MaryJane Iloamaeke,
  • Edith Chinyere Unoka,
  • Dominic Chukwuemeka Ikenga,
  • Onyeije Ugomma Chibuzo

摘要

Water is an essential resource for human survival, and its quality must meet safety standards to prevent health risks. This study evaluates bottled water samples' physico-chemical and bacteriological characteristics from the Awka metropolis to determine their suitability for human consumption. Multivariate statistical methods like Pearson's correlation, principal component analysis (PCA), and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) were applied to understand the interrelations between the physicochemical parameters and heavy metal contents. Standard analytical methods were employed to assess key parameters and the findings include pH (6.9–7.7), electrical conductivity (25.5–81.1 µS/cm), total dissolved solids (54–104 mg/L), chloride (4–10 mg/L), total hardness (10–138 mg/L as CaCO₃), and chemical oxygen demand (74.26–91.67 mg/L). Heavy metal concentrations were also analyzed, with iron (0.202–0.4101 mg/L), copper (0.006–0.095 mg/L), calcium (2.677–7.278 mg/L), potassium (4.027–6.288 mg/L), sodium (3.278–9.3948 mg/L), zinc (0.089–0.326 mg/L), and manganese (0.017–0.178 mg/L) detected in varying amounts. Notably, manganese levels in AW and EW exceeded the permissible limits set by the Nigerian Standard for Drinking Water Quality (NSDWQ) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Additionally, the amount of lead in PW exceeded the WHO and NSDWQ acceptable threshold (0.01 mg/L). Bacteriological analysis revealed that some brands, including AW, LW, IW and UW contained detectable bacterial counts, while others, such as ZW, PW and EW, had no bacterial presence. The results of multivariate statistics showed significant inter-site similarities with high data reduction efficiency, where the cumulative percentage of variance explained by the principal components was more than 89%, indicating that the quality of bottled water is mainly controlled by mineralization and organic-redox processes. Therefore, continuous monitoring and stricter quality control measures are recommended to ensure the safety of bottled water available in the Awka metropolis.