Wu et. al. present a new method to analyze nine haloacetic acids (HAAs), bromate, and dalapon plus four potentially more toxic iodinated HAAs in natural waters by coupling ion chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (IC-MS/MS). The new method is 50% faster than the current USEPA method 557 including more compounds and achieving sub-µg/L level detection limits for all 15 target analytes.
HAAs are one of the most commonly detected disinfection by-products in US water utilities. Some of them are regulated by the USEPA and have been classified as potentially carcinogenic. HAAs have traditionally been analyzed by GC methods, which require derivatization and sample extraction, which are laborious, time-consuming, and can have a negative effect on reproducibility.