A taste and odor episode caused by 2, 4, 6-tribromoanisole
Abstract
This case study details the deterioration of drinking water organoleptic quality in a distribution system by the apparition of a musty taste soon after a storage tank was recoated. Because this case could not be elucidated by the closed-loop stripping analysis followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses, the newer and more sensitive large-volume gas chromatography-mass spectrometry technique was used. Chemical, sensory, and microbiological analyses were carried out to identify the compounds involved, their mechanism of formation, and their origin in the distribution system. The musty taste in drinking water was attributed to the presence of 2,4,6-tribromoanisole (2,4,6-TBA). This compound originated from 2,4,6-tribromophenol (2,4,6-TBP), which might have been metabolized to 2,4,6-TBA by fungi living in the mass of the coating. Although the authors were unable to conclusively trace the origin of 2,4,6-TBP, the study clearly showed that the odor in the drinking water was caused by leaching from the coating.