Swimming Pool Water Analysis

Swimming pools include reactive compounds, including the disinfectants, cleaning compounds and several species released by bathers to form disinfection by-products (DBPs). Medical studies, including incidence and distribution of infectious diseases have shown adverse effects on health associated with the exposure to DBPs present in indoor swimming pool atmosphere. DBP analyses require a combination of techniques in order to identify the molecules of interest and the measurement process itself is challenging due to the low stability of several compounds and the lack of specificity of certain methods.

Figure 4: Example MS data showing dissolved compounds in swimming pool water.

MIMS offers a robust method for in-situ analyses of pool water DBPs with high accuracy and precision, without the need to use multiple techniques. The concentration of dissolved THMs (trihalomethanes) and chloramines can be quantified by simultaneously measuring the signals at multiple m/z values. Using a dual probe sampling system enables additional
head space analysis which can be used to monitor chloroform levels as well as THMs and chloramines. Using MIMS, the determination of these by-products is not significantly influenced by the pH or ionic strength of the solution, making it an excellent method for this application.