Ensuring potable water for public consumption is a major Public Health Concern. This presentation sums up all the necessary and prioritized parameters conducted for water analysis.

2. A. Physical Aspects
1. Taste
2. Odor
3. Color
4. Turbidity
5. pH
6. Total Dissolved Solids
B. Chemical Aspects
1. Arsenic
2. Cadmium
3. Lead
4. Benzene
5. Iron
6. Manganese
7. Chloride
8. Sulfate
** Chlorine Residual
C. Radiological
Aspects
1. Gross Alpha Activity
2. Gross Beta Activity
3. Radon
D. Microbiological
Aspects
1. Multiple Tube Fermentation
Technique
2. Membrane Filter Technique
3. Chromogenic Substrate Test
4. Heterotrophic Plate Count

3.  This part deals primarily with the
measurement of the physical properties of
the sample
 Provides first warning of potential hazards in
the environment

4.  Refers to the gustatory sensations
◦ Bitter – caffeine ( Strong coffee)
◦ Salty – sodium chloride (Chlorinated water)
◦ Sour – citric acid (lemon juice)
◦ Sweet – sugar (syrup)
 Flavor – gustatory, olfactory and trigeminal
sensations
 Methods:
◦ Sensory Evaluation Technique
 Only used on samples known to be safe for
ingestion
 Standard: No Objectionable Taste

5.  Affected by organic and inorganic chemicals
present in water
 Provide qualitative descriptions of odor
intensity
 Method:
◦ Sensory Evaluation Technique
 Standard: No Objectionable Odor

7.  Color of surface and groundwater results
primarily from the presence of natural
organic matter, particularly aquatic humic
matter
◦ Humic matter consists of humic and fulvic acids –
yellow-brown color
 Substances that adds color to water:
◦ Suspended particles
 Clays, algae, iron, manganese oxides
 Color usually removed from potable water for
aesthetic purposes

8.  True Color
◦ Color of water from which the turbidity has been
removed
◦ Standard: ≦ 5 Color Units
 Apparent Color
◦ Color due to substances in the solution and
suspended matter
◦ Contributed principally by colloidal or suspended
material
◦ Standard: ≦ 10 Color Units
 Methods: Visual Comparison Colorimetric

9.  Caused by suspended and colloidal material
◦ Clay, silt, finely divided organic and inorganic
matter, plankton and other microbes
 Method: Turbidimetry
 Standard: 5 NTU

10.  Acidity
◦ Attributed to the presence of strong mineral acids and
weak acids and hydrolizing salts such as iron and
aluminum sulfate
◦ Contribute to corrosiveness and influence chemical
rates, chemical speciation and biological processes
 Alkalinity
◦ Refers to the acid-neutralizing capacity of water
◦ Attributed to the carbonate, bicarbonate and hydroxide
content and borates, phosphates and silicates or other
bases
 Method: Electrometric method (pH meter)
 Standard: 6.5 to 8.5

11.  Waters with high dissolved solids generally
are of inferior palatability
 Portions of solids that passes through a filter
of nominal pore size
 Methods: Gravimetric, dried at 180°C
 Standard: ≦ 500

12.  Various forms of chemicals are present in
drinking water that may lead to some health
problems
 Inorganic constituents
◦ Arsenic, lead, chromium and cadmium
 Suspected carcinogens
 Organic constituents
◦ Due to decomposition of organic debris, domestic,
agricultural, industrial, water treatment

13.  Presence of arsenic in water is due to mineral
dissolution, industrial discharges, application of
pesticides
 Health Effects: severe poisoning and carcinogenic
 Methods: Inductively Couple Plasma/Mass
Spectrophotometry; hydride generation Atomic
Absorption Spectrophotometry; Silver
Diethyldithiocarbamate Method, Electrothermal
Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (Graphite
furnace AAS)
 Standard: ≦ 0.05 mg/L

14.  extremely toxic and accumulate in the
kidneys and liver
◦ Causes dysfunction of the kidneys
 Methods: Inductively Couple Plasma/Mass
Spectrophotometry (ICP/MS), Flame Atomic
Absorption Spectrophotometry (FAAS)
 Standard: ≦ 0.003 mg/L

15.  Presence in water supply comes from industrial,
mine and smelts discharges or from the
dissolution of plumbing and plumbing fixtures
 Toxic and cummulative poison
 Method: Inductively Couple Plasma/Mass
Spectrophotometry (ICP/MS), Flame Atomic
Absorption Spectrophotometry (FAAS),
Electrothermal Atomic Absorption
Spectrophotometry (EAAS), Anodic Stripping
Voltammetry; Dithizone
 Standard: ≦ 0.01 mg/L

16.  Results with high contamination from human
or animal waste
 Methods: Cd Reduction Method, Capillary Ion
Electrophoresis Colorimetric (Diazotization);
Flow Injection Analysis
 Standard: ≦ 0.01 mg/L

17.  Presence is due to industrial effluents,
atmospheric pollution due to vehicular
emissions
 Method: Gas Chromatography/Mass
Spectrophotometry
 Standard: ≦ 0.01 mg/L

18.  Elevated iron levels can cause stains in
plumbing, laundry, and cooking utensils
 Imparts objectionable taste and color
 Ferrous state -> oxidized -> ferric state
(reddish precipitate)
 Method: Phenanthroline, Atomic Absorption
Spectrophotometry, Colorimetric Method
 Standard: ≦ 0.01 mg/L

19.  Elevated manganese can cause stains in
plumbing, laundry, cooking utensils
 Mn2+ -> oxidized -> MnO2 black precipitate
 Methods: Perfurate Method, Atomic
Absorption Spectrophotometry, Inductively
Color Plasma/Mass Spectrophotometry
 Standard: ≦ 0.04 mg/L

20.  Major inorganic anions in water
 Produces salty taste if the cation is sodium
 High chloride content may harm metallic
pipes and structures
 Method: Argentometric Method, IC
 Standard: ≦ 250 mg/L

21.  Occurs naturally in water
 Method: Turbidimetric Method, Ion
Chromatography, Gravimetric Method
 Standard: ≦ 250 mg/L

22.  Chlorine if not within limits may produce
adverse effects
 Taste and color of water is intensified
 Potential organic chloroform may be form in
the process of chlorination
 Methods: Iodometric, Amperometric
Titrations, DPD Colorimetric Method
 Standard: 0.3 to 1.5 mg/L

23.  Does not provide a complete water quality
picture
◦ If possible a series of analysis must be conducted
over a protracted period

24.  Coliform group consists of several genera of
bacteria belonging to the family of
Enterobacteriaceae
◦ Facultative anaerobic, gram-negative, non-sporeforming
bacteria that ferments lactose with
gas and acid within 48 hours @ 35°C
 Uses MPN table to estimate coliform density

25.  Presumptive Phase
◦ Lauryl Sulfate Broth (Triple Strength)
 10mL media plus 20mL sample in 5 tubes
 Incubate for 48hours at 35 +/- 0.5°C
 Confirmatory Phase
◦ Brilliant Green Bile Broth
 1 loopful or 1 drop of positive samples in 5 tubes of 10mL
media
 Incubate for 48hours at 35 +/- 0.5°C
◦ EC Broth
 1 loopful or 1 drop of positive samples in 5 tubes of 10mL
media
 Incubate in water bath for 24 hours at 44.5 +/- 0.2°C
 Completed Phase
◦ Lauryl Sulfate Broth (Single Strength)

26.  Presumptive Phase
 Preparation of Lauryl Sulfate Broth
 Dissolve 35.6 grams in one liter distilled water.
 Dispense 10 ml to clean culture tubes.
 Place fermentation/durham tube in an inverted position.
 Put the screw cap on the culture tubes.
 Place all tubes in the autoclavable rack and wrap with brown paper.
 Sterilize for 15 minutes at 121 psi pressure.
 Procedure
 Pipette 20 ml of water sample into five (5) tubes of primary lactose broth.
 Mix by gentle shaking.
 Incubate at 35°C for 24 hours.
 Read at the end of 24 hours and record the presence or absence of gas.
 Incubate for another 24 hours if no gas has developed.
 Examine for gas formation after 48 hours.

27. Confirmatory Test
 Brilliant Green Bile Broth
 Preparation
 Dissolve 40 grams in one liter distilled water.
 Dispense 10 ml to clean culture tubes.
 Place fermentation/durham tube in an inverted position.
 Put the screw cap on the culture tubes.
 Place all tubes in the autoclavable rack and wrap with brown paper.
 Sterilize for 15 minutes at 121 psi pressure.
 Procedure
 Pipette 0.3 ml of broth from positive presumptive tubes to five (5) to ten
(10) ml portions of BGB tubes.
 Mix by gentle shaking.
 Incubate the inoculated tubes for 24-48 hours, at 35°C.

28. Confirmatory Test
 EC Media
 Preparation
 Dissolve 37 grams in one liter distilled water.
 Dispense 10 ml broth to culture tubes.
 Place fermentation tube in an inverted position.
 Put the screw cap on the culture tubes.
 Place all tubes in the autoclavable rack and wrap with brown
paper.
 Sterilize for 15 minutes at 121 psi pressure.
 Procedure
 Transfer 0.3 ml water sample from positive presumptive tubes.
 Incubate at 44.5 ± 2 °C for 24 hours in water bath.

29.  Used to test large sample volumes
 Released numerical results more rapidly than
MTFT
 Greatly affected by:
◦ high levels of turbidity
 Clogs the membrane filter
◦ High heterotrophic bacteria count
 Interferes with the growth of coliforms on the filter

30.  Procedure

31.  Also called Enzyme Substrate Coliform Test
 Qualitative test
 Principle:
◦ Total Coliform Bacteria
 Chromogenic Substrate
1. ONPG – ortho-nitrophenyl-β-D-galactopyranoside
2. CPRG – chlorophenol red- β-D-galactopyranoside
3. X-GAL – 5-chromo-4-chloro-3-indoyl- β-D-galactopyranoside
 Detects enzyme β-D-galactosidase which is produced
by total coliform bacteria

32.  Principle:
◦ Escherichia coli
 Fluorogenic Substrate
1. MUG – 4-methylumbellferyl-β-D-glucoronide
o Detects enzyme β-D-glucoronidase which is
produced by E. coli

33.  FLUOROCULT Modified LMX Broth
◦ Increased sensitivity
◦ Detection time is shorten
 Contains IPTG: 1-Isopropyl-β-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside
 Increase activity of β-D-galactosidase
◦ Chromogenic Substrate: X-GAL
◦ Fluorogenic Substrate: MUG
◦ Contains tryptophan
 Indole test – Kovac’s reagent added

34.  Useful in checking water treatments’
effectiveness
◦ Indirect indicator of pathogen removal
 High HPC – false negative coliform results
a) Pour Plate – R2A, NWRI agar
b) Spread Plate – R2A, NWRI agar
c) Membrane Filter – mHPC, R2A, NWRI agar

35.  Procedure

36.  Gross alpha activity
◦ Alpha-emitting radionuclides
 Radium
 Uranium
 Thorium
 Gross beta activity
 Radon

38. If it’s only an idea!

39. “The analytical laboratory provides qualitative and
quantitative data for use in decision-making. To be
valuable, the data must accurately describe the
characteristics and concentrations of constituents in
the samples submitted to the laboratory. In many
cases, because they lead to faulty interpretations,
approximate or incorrect results are worse than no
result at all.”

40.  set of operating principles that, if strictly followed
during sample collection and analysis, will produce
data of known and defensible quality

41.  Everyone involved with the lab:
◦ Person sampling
◦ Person running the test
◦ Person washing the glassware
◦ Person doing maintenance on the instruments
◦ Person interpreting the results

42.  Staff Organization and Responsibilities
 Sample Control and Documentation
 SOP for Analytical Methods & Procedures
 Analyst Training Requirements
 Equipment Preventative Maintenance
 Calibration Procedures
 Corrective Actions
 Internal Quality Control Activities
 Performance Audits
 Data Assessment for Bias and Precision
 Data Validation and Reporting

43.  Documentation
 Communication
 Training
 Cross-Training
 Updating

44.  part of quality management focused on fulfilling
quality requirements
 examining “control” materials of known
substances along with patient samples to monitor
the accuracy and precision of the complete
examination (analytic) process
 GOAL: to detect errors and correct them
before results are reported

45.  Certification of Analyst Competence
 Recovery of Known Additions
 Analysis of Standards
 Analysis of Reagent Blanks
 Calibration with Standards
 Analysis of Duplicates
 Maintenance of Control Charts