What is the concern over Bromides?
Bromide ion is a naturally-occurring salt present in some spring water sources, which may be influenced by saltwater intrusion or certain formations that may leach out bromide ion. The presence of bromide ion isn’t an issue in purified water since reverse osmosis is used as the filtration step, removing the bromide ion prior to the disinfection step. In spring water plants, where bromate levels may be high, using ozone has raised concerns for bottlers, since ozone can facilitate conversion of bromide ion into bromate, a suspected carcinogen. Because of this, bromate is now limited to a maximum contaminant level (MCL) of less than 10 micrograms per liter by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. While bromide isn’t found in every water source, its presence cannot be overlooked. In situations where it’s present, decisions need to be made. Bottlers first need to determine if the water source is still viable as a spring water source, or if it should be abandoned. This is a difficult dec
