EAS expert comments on EFSA Drinking Water Treatment Guidance

In this article, EAS expert Dr Ralph Kirchmaier comments on the EFSA Guidance document on Drinking Water treatment*

Drinking water is prepared from raw water removed from environmental sources. The raw water often contains plant protection products and biocides from various sources such as agriculture, industry and urban infrastructure. The purpose of various drinking water treatment techniques, including (1) chlorination, (2) chloramination, (3) oxidation, (4) ozonation and (5) UV treatment, is to achieve the desired level of disinfection. However, this may result in the formation of transformation products (TPs) of active substances, which might not be monitored and could potentially possess toxic properties.

The aim of the “Guidance document on the impact of water treatment processes on residues of active substances or their metabolites in water abstracted for the production of drinking water”, published by EFSA (2023), is to provide a comprehensive account of experiments that simulate potential drinking water treatments and assess the resulting TPs. In accordance with the guidance document, the aforementioned drinking water treatments are simulated on a laboratory scale and the resulting TPs are analyzed. This is done by a non-target approach using liquid chromatography coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry. Utilizing this approach enables the detection of novel, potentially environmentally significant TPs arising from diverse drinking water treatments. Furthermore, it facilitates the determination of structural proposals for these TPs, if desired.

Eurofins Agroscience Services has established all the necessary tests, including the associated analytics, to help the industry meet the requirements of this guideline. Should you need support or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

*Visit the EFSA website for more information

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