The bromide ion is a natural and harmless element found in some bottled water source waters that, when exposed to the disinfection process of ozonation, may form a byproduct called bromate. Not all source waters for bottled and other water contain the bromide ion and, therefore, will not undergo conversion to bromate when ozonated. As important, not all finished waters contain bromate, even if the source water contained the bromide ion.

The level of bromate that may form in water depends on the concentration of bromide in the source water, the amount of ozone contact time, and a variety of water chemistry factors including pH, organic material, hardness and alkalinity.

Ozonation is one aspect of a multi-barrier approach used to help ensure the safety and quality of bottled water products. Ozonation is often preferred over chlorination to disinfect water because it does not leave a residual taste, color or odor in the water. While chlorination is primarily used for disinfection in public water systems in the U.S., a number of U.S. public water systems use ozone. Ozonation has been used extensively for public water utilities in Europe and the USA for many years.

The National Health & Medical Research Council's (NH&MRC) Guidelines for drinking Water recommend a maximum residue for bromate in tap water of 2 parts per billion. It must be noted that these are guidelines only and not regulatory standards that mujst be adhered to. Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) the scientific body with the primary responsibility for all food and beverages has not considered bromate in bottled water as apossible risk for humans.

In fact, there is no actual evidence that exposure to bromate in drinking water presents a health risk to humans. Because of the very conservative way the NH&MRC conducted its risk evaluation for bromate, there may be no actual health risk to humans from bromate in drinking water. There are no studies indicating that ingestion of bromate in water has caused adverse health effects in humans.

ABWI has supported an application currently with Food Standards Australia New Zealand to limit any bromate residue to 2 ppb. That is to the NH&MRC guideline. This has been done to ensure that the public can continue to have complete confidence in the quality and safety of bottled water in spite of the lack of scientific evidence that bromate poses any risk to humans.

Questions and Answers on Bromate in Bottled Water

What are the health effects?

There is no actual evidence that exposure to bromate in drinking water presents a health risk to humans. Because of the very conservative way EPA conducted its risk evaluation for bromate, there may be no actual health risk to humans from bromate in drinking water.

Is it unsafe to drink water containing bromate?

No. Although EPA has estimated a cancer potency value for bromate, the health protective methods used to determine cancer potency mean that the true risk is likely to be lower than predicted and could even be zero (0). There are no studies indicating that bromate in drinking water has caused adverse health effects in humans.

Should I stop drinking water with bromate?

Consumers should not be alarmed about the presence of bromate in water. If the presence of bromate were an imminent health risk, EPA would not have allowed public water systems up to five years to meet the new standards. As well, FDA would have moved much more quickly to adopt a bromate standard for bottled water, had there been any immediate risk of adverse health affects. Further, both EPA and FDA have set bromate standards for public drinking water and bottled water, respectively, and the benefits of water consumption outweigh the minimal - possibly zero - risk of consuming water that adheres to the bromate and other standards.

The Australasian Bottled Water Institute Inc. (ABWI) is the authoritative source of information about all types of bottled waters. Founded in 1963, Media inquiries can be directed to Tony Gentile Ph: +61(0)2 9662 2844 E-mail: gentile@bottledwater.org.au