Design and application of a GC-SNIFF/MS system for solving taste and odour episodes in drinking water

This paper describes the implementation of a GC-Sniff/MS system that allows the simultaneous determination of the odorous properties of compounds eluting from a GC column and their identification by MS. The technique was first tested with standard compounds then applied to real cases of taste and odour episodes. This approach allowed the identification of geosmin at low levels and suggested the possible implication of methylnaphthalene in the development of chemical odours. It provided the first clue of the presence of a halophenol with a very low odour threshold involved in a chlorophenolic odour episode. The chemical was finally identified as 2,6-dibromophenol. The method was also applied to the characterization of a complex mixture of additives leaching from a flexible rubber pipe. In the latter case, Time-of-Flight MS was also used to confirm the identity of the additives.