A “plastic” or “chemical” taint, has recently emerged as a problem in drinking water in Perth, Western Australia. The taste occurs intermittently in zones receiving blends of treated groundwaters from several sources, generally only in boiled water. The compound primarily responsible is 2,6-dibromophenol (taste threshold concentration 0.5 ng/L). It was established that the relative ratios of phenol, bromide and chlorine, and pH are important determinants in whether the taste would or would not form and that the primary sources of phenol are plastic appliances, especially kettles and refrigerators (Heitz et al., 2001). However, bromophenol formation varied widely between waters from different sources, even though reaction conditions were ostensibly identical, and it was concluded that another, as yet unknown, factor must influence the reaction rate. This could account for observations that plastic taste only occurred in some groundwaters, but not in others. In the present study the effects of organic and inorganic nitrogen-containing compounds on phenol bromination rates were examined, with the view that this might give some insights into the nature of the unknown factor discussed above. These compounds slowed the rate of bromophenol formation, and results suggested that disinfection using chloramine, rather than chlorine, could prevent plastic taste problems.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
Research Article|
December 01 2002
Plastic tastes in drinking water: factors affecting the chemistry of bromophenol formation Available to Purchase
A. Heitz;
1Centre for Petroleum And Environmental Organic Geochemistry, Department Of Applied Chemistry, Curtin University Of Technology, GPO Box U1987, Perth, 6001, Western Australia (E-mail:
E-mail: [email protected])
Search for other works by this author on:
J. Blythe;
J. Blythe
1Centre for Petroleum And Environmental Organic Geochemistry, Department Of Applied Chemistry, Curtin University Of Technology, GPO Box U1987, Perth, 6001, Western Australia (E-mail:
Search for other works by this author on:
B. Allpike;
B. Allpike
1Centre for Petroleum And Environmental Organic Geochemistry, Department Of Applied Chemistry, Curtin University Of Technology, GPO Box U1987, Perth, 6001, Western Australia (E-mail:
Search for other works by this author on:
C.A. Joll;
C.A. Joll
1Centre for Petroleum And Environmental Organic Geochemistry, Department Of Applied Chemistry, Curtin University Of Technology, GPO Box U1987, Perth, 6001, Western Australia (E-mail:
Search for other works by this author on:
R. Kagi
R. Kagi
1Centre for Petroleum And Environmental Organic Geochemistry, Department Of Applied Chemistry, Curtin University Of Technology, GPO Box U1987, Perth, 6001, Western Australia (E-mail:
Search for other works by this author on:
Water Supply (2002) 2 (5-6): 179–184.
Citation
A. Heitz, J. Blythe, B. Allpike, C.A. Joll, R. Kagi; Plastic tastes in drinking water: factors affecting the chemistry of bromophenol formation. Water Supply 1 December 2002; 2 (5-6): 179–184. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/ws.2002.0167
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Client Account
You could not be signed in. Please check your email address / username and password and try again.
Could not validate captcha. Please try again.
eBook
Pay-Per-View Access
$38.00