EFFECT OF SMALL-SCALE SOAP MAKING ON PRODUCT QUALITY AND OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH OF PROCESSORS IN KARONGA, MALAWI

Abstract

Many communities in different parts of the world including Kaporo and Karonga boma in Malawi have been involved in small-scale soap making as a means of generating income for their families. Poor quality soaps and occupational health problems have been associated with the small-scale soap making processes in other countries such as Nigeria, United States of America and Gambia (IDRC, 2003; CPSC, 2005; OHN, 2008). The use of the poor quality soaps causes skin irritation amongst the skin of the users while the use and handling of sodium hydroxide exacerbates burns and irritations on the soap makers. Some of the soap makers get burnt with hot soap while others sustain backaches due to using a soap slicing machine. The effect and severity of such soap quality and occupational health problems appeared not to have been identified in Karonga, Malawi. The general objective of the study was to investigate the small-scale soap making process, associating occupational health hazards and product quality in Karonga. The specific objectives were to determine occupational health hazards and protection measures associated with soap making and develop an improved small-scale soap making process. Occupational health hazards were identified through observations, key informant interviews, focus group discussions and questionnaire administration. Statistical Package for Social Scientist (SPSS) was applied to analyse the quantitative data. The small-scale soap making process was improved by changing initial temperatures of reactants and initial content of excess fat. Soap quality parameters such as free alkali, lather volume, rate of wear and grittiness were used in order to analyse the quality of the soaps collected from the study sites, large scale industries and the laboratory experiments. An independent samples t-test was used to compare the soap qualities while a paired samples t-test was employed to compare the water hardness of the water that was used in soap making for dry and wet seasons. A two-way Analysis of variance was conducted to test the effects and possible interactions of temperatures of palm oil and lye solution on the soap quality. The results of the study showed that the occupational health of the processors was affected by the small-scale soap making process. Serious occupational hazards included burns which were obtained during boiling of the palm oil. The soap makers also got choked with the fumes produced during the boiling of palm oil. The quality of the soaps available from the markets was generally better than that from the study sites. Thus, the quality of the soaps from the study sites was lower. It is evident from the study that better quality soaps could be produced at the study sites when the temperatures of palm oil and lye solution temperatures are at 32 ᵒC and 43 ᵒC respectively, and the initial excess fat content kept at 4% and the lye dissolved in soft water (hardness < 50 ppm).