Fast Determination of Nine Haloacetic Acids, Bromate, and Dalapon at Trace Levels in Drinking Water Samples by Tandem IC-MS/MS

Drinking Water
Poster Presentation

Prepared by C. Shevlin1, X. Zhang2, C. Pfohl2, Y. Liu2, C. Saini2
1 - Thermo Fisher Scientific, 1214 Oakmead Parkway, Sunnyvale, California, 94085, United States
2 - Thermo Fisher Scientific, 1228 Titan Way, Sunnyvale, California, 94086, United States


Contact Information: chris.shevlin@thermofisher.com; 774-402-0647

ABSTRACT

Haloacetic acids (HAAs) are a class of undesirable disinfection by-products (DBPs) formed during the disinfection of drinking water in which routine water disinfectants such as chlorine or chloramine are used to kill pathogenic microorganisms. Because of their suspected carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, as well as developmental, reproductive, and hepatic toxicity [1-4], the World Health Organization (WHO) [5] has established guidelines for these DBPs in drinking water. In the U.S., these guidelines are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a part of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). In 1998, the Stage 1 Disinfectants and DBPs Rule (Stage 1 DBPR) was published, which set the limit for total trihalomethanes (TTHM) at 80 µg/L and, for the first time, set the maximum contamination levels for the sum of the five HAAs (HAA5: MCAA, DCAA, TCAA, MBAA, and DBAA) at 60 µg/L. It also sets a maximum contaminant level goal (MCLG) for dichloroacetic acid (DCAA) to zero and trichloroacetic acid (TCAA) to 30 µg/L. In the Stage 2 DBPR, the MCLG for TCAA was reduced to 20 µg/L and MCAA was set at 70 µg/L [6]. Consequently, efforts have been made to develop fast and accurate analytical methods to monitor concentration, behavior, and distribution of HAAs in water. In this poster we demonstrate the use of a new ion exchange column for the IC-MS/MS determination of nine haloacetic acids, bromate, and dalapon present at low concentrations in drinking water. The new IC-MS/MS method can determine all analytes in water samples in 35 min, a 39% faster analysis time than the original US EPA Method 557.