Scientists Advocate use of Quality Water for Research and Analysis
With water being one of the most important reagent in the laboratory, scientists have called on laboratory operators to use quality water in their research and analysis.
The experts, who spoke at a workshop, tagged; Laboratory Water Academy, organised by the National Institute of Science Laboratory Technology (NISLT), Katchey Company Limited and Merck Millipore, in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, said the use of impure water leads to wrong laboratory results.
In his speech, the Director General, Dr Ighodalo Ijagbone, said water was an essential chemical used in the laboratory as it constitutes about 85 per cent of chemical constituents, adding that, the quality of water matters to what scientists do in the laboratory if they must get the right result.
“For example, if bad water is used for investigation that may be of clinical value, such as diagnosing the cause of a disease, there is no way one can get accurate result to treat the patient effectively.
This is why the experts from Merck and Katchey are trying to build our capacity so that we can produce quality water that is fitting for the laboratory,” he added.
He continued: “The water used in the laboratory is quite different from portable drinking water because it is purified through a system, which is higher than that of drinking water.”
Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer of Katchey Company Limited, Mrs Kate Isa, frowned at the cutting of corners by some laboratories who use impure or poor quality water for analysis without thinking of the consequences.
“When an analyst uses air condition water or bottled water for analysis because it is cheaper, he or she will not get the right result. The result may be false, positive or negative, which means that bad products may be released into the market. If the said products are traced back to the company that produced them, such laboratories can be shut.
This means that on the long run, it is costly as it may affect the company’s reputation and also damage its equipment,” she said.
The CEO charged the Federal Government to put in place economic policies that would encourage investors to focus on laboratory sciences, adding that such policies should also target the promotion of laboratory sciences in secondary schools.
Also speaking at the event, the Director of Marketing, Merck Millipore, Dr. Maurice Memme, said the training was significant because water is crucial to everything scientists do in the laboratory.
Memme, who spoke on ‘Water Purification Solution for Laboratories’, said there could not be accurate results from research or application without clean water, adding that if people use impure water, which of course have twice the quantities of metal in it, to grow cells or to do in-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF), they will never get the appropriate result.
Memme, who is in charge of Water Purification in East Europe, Middle East and Africa, said the metals would inhibit all the reactions that were backing the cells’ growth and division.
He spoke of water being categorised according to their level of purity, adding: “Type-one water is the most pure water, which people can have and use for all serious applications in the laboratory.