Analysis of unknown contamination in drinking water

Outdoor water tap

Sometimes water treatment plants experience situations in which they may suspect that a sample has been biologically or chemically contaminated. It is not always obvious what has ended up in the water. This is why non-target analytical methods (in which we look for ‘everything’) are needed, instead of targeted analytical methods aimed solely at the classic pollutants.

Through a collaboration between the Swedish Food Agency, the National Veterinary Institute, Swedish Agricultural University, Stockholm University and the Swedish Defence Research Agency, open-ended analytical methods are being developed for both biological and chemical contamination. These include the evaluation of high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) and whole-genome sequencing.

Stakeholders such as water treatment plants, county administrative boards and municipalities should then, in the event of an unknown contamination of drinking water, be able to access the enhanced national capacity for these advanced analyses, which are intended to be shared by all government agencies.

Please contact us for more information.

Joakim Engman
Head of Unit Natural Toxins and Metals
Email: firstname.sirname@slv.se

Projects

Reviewed 2023-08-29