Effect of Boiling on the Composition of Organic Substances in Tap Water

Abstract

Introduction: Anthropogenic activities cause the emergence of new organic compounds with poorly studied physicochemical and toxic properties in the environment. Due to the shortcomings of water treatment technologies, the presence of these compounds in drinking water sources poses a threat to human health. Even extremely low concentrations of some of the organic components can have adverse biological effects. Data on changes in the composition of water during household boiling are scarce, which makes studies of organic substances in different types of water particularly relevant. Objective: To analyze changes in the composition of organic substances following tap water boiling using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) techniques. Materials and methods: We used GC-MS to identify organic substances in tap water samples collected at a water supply treatment plant of a large industrial city in the Sverdlovsk Region in different seasons of the year before and after boiling and to compile the list of substances having adverse human health effects. Results: Of 65 organic substances identified in tap water over the study period, 23 (35.4 %) had toxic, irritating, organ-specific and/or carcinogenic effects on humans. Of 53 compounds found in boiled tap water, 14 (26.4 %) had a proven negative effect on the organism. About 10 % of organic substances originally identified in tap water retained after boiling. Conclusion: We identified organic compounds in tap water before and after boiling, revealed a seasonal pattern of changes in the composition of organic substances, found substances with toxic and carcinogenic properties, and established changes in the composition of identified organic substances after boiling.