Halogenated phenols in water at forty Canadian potable water treatment facilities

Samples of raw and treated water were collected once in each of 3 seasons at 40 potable water treatment plants across Canada and were analyzed for phenol and 33 halogenated phenolic compounds including chlorophenols, bromophenols, bromochlorophenols, and chloroguaiacols. Eighteen of the compounds were not found at any treatment plant; phenol and each of the remaining halogenated phenols were found in at least 1 sample. Pentachlorophenol was the only halogenated phenolic compound found in more than 20% of the raw water samples in the fall and winter samples at levels up to 53 ng/L with mean values of 1.9 and 2.8 ng/L, respectively. No halogenated phenols were detected in raw water summer samples. The halogenated phenols found most frequently in treated water samples were 4-chloro-, 2,4-dichloro-, 2,4,6-trichloro-, and bromodichlorophenols. Mean values were less than 15 ng/L and maximum values seldom exceeded 100 ng/L. Most of the positive values for the treated water samples were found at 8 of the 40 treatment plants but no correlations could be found between halogenated phenol levels and raw water type, treatment process, or chemical dosages.