Determination of halo-acetic acids, chlorite and chlorate in drinking water.

A method was developed to determine halo-acetic acids with a detection limit of 0.1 mug/L. Halo-acetic acids were determined in samples drinking water derived from surface- and bankfiltrated water however, not in drinking water derived from groundwater. Halo-acetic acids were found in chlorinated and non-chlorinated drinking waters. The total acetic-acid concentrations were in the range of 0.1-14.7 mug/L. In chlorinated drinking water the total amount of these acids was always higher than in non-chlorinated drinking water. Brominated acetic-acids accounted for 65% of the total acid concentration showing that brominated compounds form a large part of the halogenated products. In a few samples river water and drinking water chlorite and chlorate were analysed. These compounds were found in river water and in drinking water derived from bank filtrated water. The results of the analyses have to be confirmed. The chlorate in the drinking water samples can be originated in the raw water source and/or as a pollution in sodium-hypochlorite solution used for chlorination. More research has has to be done to examine this phenomenon into more detail.DGM/DWB-