Interlaboratory trial to determine the analytical state-of-the-art of bromate determination in drinking water

The new European Directive for water intended for human consumption has est ablished a regulatory level for bromate at 10 mu g L-1. This Maximum Admiss ible Concentration requires analytical methods with detection limits of a l east 2.5 mu g L-1. A project funded by the Standards, Measurements and Test ing Programme of the European Commission has enabled the improvement and/or development of methods for the determination of bromate at such concentrat ion levels. This collaborative work was concluded by the organisation of an interlaboratory trial involving 26 European laboratories, which enabled th e testing of both a draft ISO Standard method and alternative methods. This paper presents the results of this interlaboratory trial, along with resul ts of a bromate stability study. The progress made with respect to the anal ytical state-of-the-art for bromate will greatly benefit the quality of mea surements carried out in water quality monitoring.