title: Screening method for the gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric determination of microgram/litre levels of bromate in bottled water.
abstract: Bromate can be formed as a by-product of ozone treatment that is sometimes used for the disinfection of municipal water supplies and bottled waters. The US Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 10 micrograms/l for bromate in public drinking water. Should the proposed MCL for bromate become final, it may then be considered for adoption as a bottled water quality standard by the US Food and Drug Administration. This paper reports the development of a gas chromatographic/ mass spectrometric (GC/MS) method for the determination of parts-per-billion (microgram/l) levels of bromate (BrO3-) in bottled water. The GC/MS method was validated by using distilled and deionized Milli-Q water; detection limits, quantitation limits, and recoveries were determined and identities were confirmed by MS on the basis of analyses of test portions fortified with BrO3- at 0.8, 3.8, 7.7, 15, and 46 micrograms/l. The method also was evaluated on the basis of recoveries determined for two commercial brands of bottled water fortified with BrO3- at 3.8 and 7.7 micrograms/l and two commercial brands fortified at 0.8, 3.8, and 7.7 micrograms/l. For the Milli-Q water, recoveries ranged from 100 to 121%; for the fortified commercial products, recoveries ranged from 87 to 115%. The limits of detection and quantitation were determined to be 0.4 and 0.7 microgram/l, respectively. Several commercial brands of bottled water were analysed, and BrO3- was found in these products at levels ranging from none to 38 micrograms/l.
authors.affiliation: Division of Product Manufacture and Use, US Food and Drug Administration, Washington, DC 20204, USA.
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Nyman
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Canas
authors.forename: F L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Joe
authors.forename: G W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Diachenko
mesh_terms: D001959:Bromates / Q000032:analysis*; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*; D014867:Water / Q000032:analysis*; D018508:Water Purification
chemical_list: D001959:Bromates; D014867:Water