Presence of bromate in drinking water has come into focus after it was reported in studies that bromate could be responsible for causing cancers. Bromate ions are produced in drinking water during the process of ozonation.
In ozonation, ozone gas is used as a safe antimicrobial agent for reducing the load of bacteria and other microorganisms in drinking water. During the ozonation process, very few by-products are formed but ozone reacts with trace amounts of bromine present in water to form bromate ions. Small amounts of bromate ions can also be formed by a process of photoactivation wherein exposure of water to sunlight causes liquid or gaseous bromine to react with oxygen and form Bromate in water.
The Bureau of Indian Standards has recently published the 8th Amendment to the IS 14543:2004, Indian Standard specifications for packaged drinking water (PWD). This amendment introduces the level of bromate content in drinking water and prescribes the use of ion exchange liquid chromatographic using ISO Method 15061 2001.
The standard says that packaged drinking water should have bromate levels at a maximum of 0.01 mg/L. Though there are a number of other methods for analyzing bromate ions in water, such low levels are only possible using the ion chromatographic method.
The ion chromatographic method prescribed in the ISO 15061 is based on the principle of separating the ions using specialized ion exchange columns which are packed with ion exchange resins. Once the ions are separated then the detection and quantification of individual ions using a conductivity detector are possible.
All companies involved in the production of packaged drinking water are required to get their samples tested for the absence of bromate at defined intervals. This will help you to comply with the requirements of licensing from the Bureau of Indian Standards.
Our laboratory has recently purchased the required chromatographic system and has standardized the method as per the ISO 15061. The method in its form is applicable for testing not only packaged drinking water but can also be extended to untreated water, surface waters and even wastewater.
Please feel free to contact our laboratory using the contact form on the right or call us on +91-8588851888. Our team will be happy to provide you with a proposal for testing your water samples for bromate.
