Monitoring Inorganic Compounds

Surface water and groundwater contain many different contaminants. This chapter focuses on inorganic substances in surface water that must be monitored to ensure that it is suitable for drinking, i.e., it is potable and considers inorganic species that must be removed during the purification process. Some inorganic constituents, such as sulfur dioxide and mercury chloride, enter the air, and eventually the water cycle, during the fossil fuel combustion process. The regulation and monitoring of chemical species in drinking water is essential to protect public health. Furthermore, instruments are used to identify various chemical species in water. The manufacturer may specify a QC/QA protocol for the instrument. These procedures ensure that the instrument functions as intended. The quality of the data is extremely important. A quality assurance (QA) plan contains basic guidelines for data quality. Standard operating procedures (SOPs) are followed for each instrument and each analysis. These readings help the analyst determine when changes are required to achieve the optimal conditions for analyses. During the data review, the analyst checks each chromatogram to verify that all analytes present have been marked for detection and quantified.