Inorganic Disinfection By-Products (DBPs)

Chlorite, chlorate, and bromate are three typical inorganic disinfection by-products (DBPs), exhibiting risks to animals and humans. Once generated, these inorganic DBPs are very stable in treated waters. To date, a large amount of work has been carried out to examine their occurrence and formation mechanisms. Regulations exist in many jurisdictions to restrict their levels in drinking water. To decrease the exposure of these inorganic DBPs, extensive research has focused on controlling them. This chapter introduces the properties, toxicity, and regulatory standards for chlorite, chlorate, and bromate, summarizes their reported occurrence, formation mechanisms, and control strategies, and proposes measures that can be applied to control their formation.