Occurrence of bromate in water intended for human consumption

According to the World Health Organization, bromate is considered mutagenic and a probable carcinogenic, and water contamination can occur by the discharge of industrial waste or in the disinfection process. This work describes the levels of bromate in waters intended for human consumption of 89 municipalities in the northeast of the state of São Paulo, Brazil, after the analysis of 2,384 samples of tap water. The concentrations of bromate were determined by ion chromatography (detection limit equal to 0.4 μg L-1). Levels above the detection limit were found in 200 samples (8.4% of the total), ranging between 0.47 and 95.0 μg L-1, and in 46 samples the concentrations were above the maximum value permitted in accordance with current legislation (equal to 10 μg L-1). These levels of bromate are demanding actions in order to elucidating the source of contamination of the tap water.