Water Testing
Your Industry, Our Focus
Why Test Your Water?
Access to clean drinking water is essential for health and well-being, yet ensuring its quality requires rigorous monitoring, testing, and regulation. Water testing is crucial, as it helps detect and mitigate potential contaminants, safeguarding public health and preserving ecosystems. This process is vital for maintaining regulatory compliance and ensuring that our water remains safe from harmful pollutants.
Testing your water is crucial for several reasons:
- Health Concerns: Contaminants such as bacteria, heavy metals, and chemicals can pose serious health risks.
- Taste and Odor Issues: Even if contaminants are not hazardous, they can make water unpleasant to drink.
- Environmental Impact: Regular testing can help track the health of a water source, indicating potential pollution problems.
- Regulatory Compliance: For businesses and public water supplies, testing ensures compliance with safety standards.
What Contaminants Should You Look For?
The type of contaminants you test for will depend on your specific concerns and the water’s source, but here are some common ones:
- Biological Contaminants: Bacteria, viruses, and parasites like E. coli or Giardia.
- Chemical Contaminants: Pesticides, herbicides, and industrial chemicals such as VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds).
- Heavy Metals: Lead, mercury, arsenic, and cadmium, which can be toxic even at low concentrations.
- Physical Contaminants: Sediment or organic material that affects water clarity and quality.
How to Test Your Water
Collecting a Sample: Proper sample collection is essential for accurate results. Use clean, sterilized containers and adhere to specific guidelines to prevent contamination.
Choosing a Testing Method
- Laboratory Testing: For a thorough analysis, send your sample to a certified laboratory. This is crucial if you suspect serious contamination or need to comply with legal standards. For example, laboratories like Eurofins offer a wide range of testing services that can detect various contaminants with high accuracy.
- Interpreting Results: Interpreting your test results can be complex. Regulatory parameters, such as the 'Maximum Contaminant Level' (MCL), are used to assess whether your water is safe for consumption.
Water testing and analysis
Understanding the purpose of water usage is crucial before conducting water quality testing. Whether it is intended for drinking or discharge into open sources dictates the standards and parameters for analysis.
Standards from organizations like APHA, IS, CPCB, and WHO are commonly referenced for water quality analysis, depending on the intended purpose.
Water quality testing typically falls into three main categories:
- Physical Tests: These assess properties detectable by the senses such as color, turbidity, odor, and taste.
- Chemical Tests: These determine the quantity of mineral and organic substances impacting water quality. Parameters like pH, BOD, DO, calcium, magnesium, and chloride fall under this category.
- Bacteriological Tests: These detect the presence of bacteria, particularly as indicators of fecal contamination.
Regulations and standards
INDIAN STANDARD SPECIFICATIONS FOR DRINKING WATER
IS:10500
|
S.NO. |
Parameter |
Requirement desirable Limit |
Remarks |
|
1. |
Color |
5 |
May be extended up to 50 if toxic substances are suspected |
|
2. |
Turbidity |
10 |
May be relaxed up to 25 in the absence of alternate |
|
3. |
pH |
6.5 to 8.5 |
May be relaxed up to 9.2 in the absence |
|
4. |
Total Hardness |
300 |
May be extended up to 600 |
|
5. |
Calcium as Ca |
75 |
May be extended up to 200 |
|
6. |
Magnesium as Mg |
30 |
May be extended up to 100 |
|
7. |
Copper as Cu |
0.05 |
May be relaxed up to 1.5 |
|
8. |
Iron |
0.3 |
May be extended up to 1 |
|
9. |
Manganese |
0.1 |
May be extended up to 0.5 |
|
10. |
Chlorides |
250 |
May be extended up to 1000 |
|
11. |
Sulphates |
150 |
May be extended up to 400 |
|
12. |
Nitrates |
45 |
No relaxation |
|
13. |
Fluoride |
0.6 to 1.2 |
If the limit is below 0.6 water should be rejected, Max. Limit is extended to 1.5 |
|
14. |
Phenols |
0.001 |
May be relaxed up to 0.002 |
|
15. |
Mercury |
0.001 |
No relaxation |
|
16. |
Cadmium |
0.01 |
No relaxation |
|
17. |
Selenium |
0.01 |
No relaxation |
|
18. |
Arsenic |
0.05 |
No relaxation |
|
19. |
Cyanide |
0.05 |
No relaxation |
|
20. |
Lead |
0.1 |
No relaxation |
|
21. |
Zinc |
5.0 |
May be extended up to 10.0 |
|
22. |
Anionic detergents (MBAS) |
0.2 |
May be relaxed up to 1 |
|
23. |
Chromium as Cr+6 |
0.05 |
No relaxation |
|
24. |
Poly nuclear aromatic Hydrocarbons |
-- |
-- |
|
25. |
Mineral Oil |
0.01 |
May be relaxed up to 0.03 |
|
26. |
Residual free Chlorine |
0.2 |
Applicable only when water is chlorinated |
|
27. |
Pesticides |
Absent |
-- |
Bacteriological Quality of Drinking Water
|
S.NO. |
Organism |
Requirement |
|
1 |
All water intended for drinking: a) E. coli or thermotolerant coliform bacteria |
Shall not be detectable in any 100 ml sample |
|
2 |
Treated water entering the distribution system: a) E. coli or thermotolerant coliform bacteria
b) Total coliform bacteria |
Shall not be detectable in any 100 ml sample.
Shall not be detectable in any 100 ml sample |
|
3 |
Treated water in the distribution system: a) E. coli or thermotolerant coliform bacteria
b) Total coliform bacteria |
Shall not be detectable in any 100 ml sample.
Shall not be detectable in any 100 ml sample |
Directive (EU) 2020/2184, enacted by the European Parliament and Council on 16 December 2020, specifies the minimum parametric values for assessing water quality intended for human consumption. This regulation sets stringent microbiological, chemical, and indicator standards to ensure the safety and suitability of drinking water, upholding high public health protection measures.
Part A: Microbiological Parameters
|
Parameter |
Parametric Value |
Unit |
Notes |
|
Intestinal enterococci |
0 |
number/100 ml |
For water in bottles or containers, count per 250 ml. |
|
Escherichia coli (E. coli) |
0 |
number/100 ml |
For water in bottles or containers, count per 250 ml. |
Part B: Chemical Parameters
|
Parameter |
Parametric Value |
Unit |
Notes |
|
Acrylamide |
0.1 |
μg/l |
Refers to residual monomer in water. |
|
Antimony |
10 |
μg/l |
|
|
Arsenic |
10 |
μg/l |
|
|
Benzene |
1 |
μg/l |
|
|
Benzo(a)pyrene |
0.01 |
μg/l |
|
|
Bisphenol A |
2.5 |
μg/l |
|
|
Boron |
1.5 |
mg/l |
2.4 mg/l when desalinated water predominates. |
|
Bromate |
10 |
μg/l |
|
|
Cadmium |
5 |
μg/l |
|
|
Chlorate |
0.25 |
mg/l |
0.70 mg/l where chlorine dioxide is used. |
|
Chlorite |
0.25 |
mg/l |
0.70 mg/l where chlorine dioxide is used. |
|
Chromium |
25 |
μg/l |
50 μg/l until 2036. |
|
Copper |
2 |
mg/l |
|
|
Cyanide |
50 |
μg/l |
|
|
1,2-dichloroethane |
3 |
μg/l |
|
|
Epichlorohydrin |
0.1 |
μg/l |
Refers to residual monomer in water. |
|
Fluoride |
1.5 |
mg/l |
|
|
Haloacetic acids (HAAs) |
60 |
μg/l |
Measure only when relevant disinfection methods are used. |
|
Lead |
5 |
μg/l |
10 μg/l until 2036; then 5 μg/l at point of supply. |
|
Mercury |
1 |
μg/l |
|
|
Microcystin-LR |
1 |
μg/l |
Measure in event of potential blooms. |
|
Nickel |
20 |
μg/l |
|
|
Nitrate |
50 |
mg/l |
Ensure [nitrate]/50 + [nitrite]/3 ≤ 1. |
|
Nitrite |
0.5 |
mg/l |
Ensure [nitrate]/50 + [nitrite]/3 ≤ 1. |
|
Pesticides |
0.1 |
μg/l |
For each pesticide, 0.030 μg/l for certain substances. |
|
Pesticides Total |
0.5 |
μg/l |
Sum of all detected pesticides. |
|
PFAS Total |
0.5 |
μg/l |
Applies once monitoring guidelines are developed. |
|
Sum of PFAS |
0.1 |
μg/l |
Sum of specified PFAS substances. |
|
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons |
0.1 |
μg/l |
Sum of specified compounds. |
|
Selenium |
20 |
μg/l |
30 μg/l in regions with high selenium. |
|
Tetrachloroethene and Trichloroethene |
10 |
μg/l |
Sum of concentrations. |
|
Trihalomethanes Total |
100 |
μg/l |
Strive for a lower value where possible. |
|
Uranium |
30 |
μg/l |
|
|
Vinyl chloride |
0.5 |
μg/l |
Refers to residual monomer in water. |
Part C: Indicator Parameters
|
Parameter |
Parametric Value |
Unit |
Notes |
|
Aluminium |
200 |
μg/l |
|
|
Ammonium |
0.5 |
mg/l |
|
|
Chloride |
250 |
mg/l |
Water should not be corrosive. |
|
Clostridium perfringens |
0 |
number/100 ml |
Measure if risk assessment indicates. |
|
Colour |
Acceptable to consumers and no abnormal change |
|
|
|
Conductivity |
2,500 |
μS cm-1 at 20 °C |
Water should not be aggressive. |
|
Hydrogen ion concentration |
≥ 6.5 and ≤ 9.5 |
pH units |
Lower values acceptable for certain bottled waters. |
|
Iron |
200 |
μg/l |
|
|
Manganese |
50 |
μg/l |
|
|
Odour |
Acceptable to consumers and no abnormal change |
|
|
|
Oxidisability |
5 |
mg/l O2 |
Not needed if TOC is analyzed. |
|
Sulphate |
250 |
mg/l |
Water should not be corrosive. |
|
Sodium |
200 |
mg/l |
|
|
Taste |
Acceptable to consumers and no abnormal change |
|
|
|
Colony count 22°C |
No abnormal change |
|
|
|
Coliform bacteria |
0 |
number/100 ml |
For bottled water, count per 250 ml. |
|
Total organic carbon (TOC) |
No abnormal change |
Not required for supplies under 10,000 m³/day. |
|
|
Turbidity |
Acceptable to consumers and no abnormal change |
|
|
Water Quality Testing Parameters
Below are various parameters used to assess the quality of water, along with corresponding testing methods:
|
Sr No |
Water Testing & Analysis Parameter |
Water Testing and Analysis Method |
|
1 |
Colour |
Visual comparison, Spectrophotmetric method |
|
2 |
pH |
pH paper, Universal indicator, or pH meter |
|
3 |
Turbidity |
Nephelometric method |
|
4 |
Dissolved Oxygen (DO) |
Winkler method |
|
5 |
Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) |
Winkler method |
|
6 |
Chloride (Cl) |
Argentometric method |
|
7 |
Hardness – Ca and Mg |
EDTA method |
|
8 |
Total Dissolved solids |
Gravimetric method |
|
9 |
Sulphate as SO4 |
Turbidimetric method |
|
10 |
Nitrate as NO3 |
Colorimetric method |
|
11 |
Iron (Fe) |
AAS |
|
12 |
Sodium (Na) |
AAS |
|
13 |
E. Coli |
MPN – completed test for E. coli |
|
14 |
Total Coliform Bacteria |
MPN |
|
15 |
Total Bacteria |
Enumeration method |
Eurofins role in testing water analysis
Eurofins plays a significant role in testing water analysis by offering a comprehensive suite of services. Here's a breakdown of their involvement:
Extensive Testing Capabilities: Eurofins can analyse a wide range of parameters in your drinking water, including:
- Physical parameters of water quality: Physical parameters are those determined by the senses of sight, smell, taste, and touch. Temperature, colour, taste and odour, turbidity, and dissolved solids content are examples of physical parameters.
- Chemical parameters of water quality: These chemical parameters can assess pH, hardness, dissolved oxygen levels, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and levels of radioactive substances, toxic organic and inorganic substances, sulphate, nitrogen, fluoride, iron, manganese, copper, and zinc.
- Biological parameters of water quality: Biological parameters of water quality are measurements of the number of bacteria, algae, viruses, and protozoa found in water.
Expertise Across Water Types: Their testing covers various drinking water sources, including:
- Municipal tap water
- Packaged drinking water
- Groundwater
- Well water
Supporting Regulations: Eurofins helps ensure compliance with drinking water regulations by offering accredited testing methods that meet national and international standards.
Additional Services: Beyond testing, Eurofins can also provide services like:
- Sampling of water
Overall, Eurofins acts as a partner in ensuring the safety and quality of your drinking water through comprehensive analysis and adherence to regulations.
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