⚗️ Bromate in water and drinking water — ion chromatography with post-column reaction (IC-PCR), PN-EN ISO 11206

Physicochemistry PN-EN ISO 11206

Overview

WHAT THE STANDARD COVERS. The scope from the PKN catalogue card, quoted in full: "This International Standard specifies a method for the determination of dissolved bromate(V) in water (drinking water, mineral water, raw water, surface water, partially treated water or swimming pool water). Appropriate pretreatment of the sample (e.g. its dilution) allows bromate(V) to be determined at concentrations equal to or greater than 0.5 ug/l. The working range is limited by the exchange capacity of the analytical column. Dilution of the sample to the working range for bromate(V) may be necessary." The notation "ug/l" comes from the card and means µg/l.

STATUS (state of the card on 29 September 2026). The card of PN-EN ISO 11206:2013-07 (English version) carries no withdrawal note — the standard is CURRENT. Published 25-07-2013, 26 pages, PKN technical committee KT 121 (Water Quality — Chemical Testing — Inorganic Substances), ICS 13.060.50; "Introduces: EN ISO 11206:2013 [IDT], ISO 11206:2011 [IDT]". The card has no "Supersedes" field; the PKN search shows no Polish version (29 September 2026).

REQUIREMENT OF THE REGULATION FOR DRINKING WATER. Regulation of the Minister of Health of 22 May 2026 on the quality of water intended for human consumption (Journal of Laws 2026 item 748), in force since 24 June 2026: parametric value for bromate — 10 µg/l (Annex 1, Part B, item 11). Annex 4, Part B, point 1: the method must be capable of "at least measuring concentrations equal to the parametric value with a limit of quantification (…) of 30 % or less of the relevant parametric value" (our translation), i.e. 3 µg/l for bromate, and the measurement uncertainty for bromate — 40 % of the parametric value (item 12 of the table "Measurement uncertainty"). The regulation does not name a standard for bromate — it requires performance characteristics of the method.

HOW MANY LABORATORIES AND IN WHAT FORM (copy of the accreditation scope database, data up to 17 September 2026, read on 28 September 2026). All records of number 11206: 14 entries at 13 laboratories. Forms: "PN-EN ISO 11206:2013-07" — 12 entries, "PN-EN ISO 11206:2013-07 M" (AB 1095) and "PN-EN ISO 11206:2013 -07" with a space (AB 486). The "Laboratories" tab searches for records BEGINNING with "PN-EN ISO 11206" and shows all 13 laboratories — checked with the tab query on the labcoda.pl production server on 29 September 2026: 13. Object: water intended for human consumption — 12 laboratories (at nine next to "water", at AB 438, AB 601 and AB 648 drinking water only), "water" alone — AB 418. Current scopes on the PCA website (read on 29 September 2026): all 14 entries stand in the valid issues, every numerical range from the copy appears in the current document and no entry is suspended.

TECHNIQUE RECORDED IN THE SCOPES — THREE ENTRIES DEPART FROM THE TITLE OF THE STANDARD. The title of the standard speaks of ion chromatography with post-column reaction. Ten laboratories record "ion chromatography with spectrophotometric detection (IC-UV/Vis)", AB 562 — explicitly "with post-column reaction (PCR)", AB 486 — "with conductometric and spectrophotometric detection (IC-CD/UV)", and AB 649 — only "with conductometric detection (IC-CD)" (PCA scope issue no. 23 of 23 July 2026). Conductometric detection without a post-column reaction is the technique of PN-EN ISO 15061 (see below); whether AB 649 performs a post-column reaction for this entry the scope does not say, and WE HAVE NOT ESTABLISHED it.

RANGES AGAINST 3 µg/l AND 10 µg/l. Lower limits: from 0.50 µg/l (AB 811 — exactly the lowest concentration from the card; the second entry of this laboratory has 2.0 µg/l) and 1.0 µg/l (AB 418, AB 486, AB 562, AB 814, AB 1095, AB 1448) through 2.0 µg/l (AB 213, AB 601) to 3 µg/l (AB 079, AB 438, AB 648, AB 649) — no laboratory starts above 3 µg/l. Upper limits: from 10.00 µg/l (AB 1448) and 12 µg/l (AB 649) to 100 µg/l (AB 213, AB 811, AB 814). At AB 1448 the range ends exactly at the parametric value — a result higher than 10 µg/l already lies outside the accreditation range of this entry.

ALONGSIDE THIS STANDARD. For bromate in water the scopes also cite PN-EN ISO 15061:2003 (ion chromatography with conductometric detection; a separate entry in this knowledge base) — 20 laboratories, including three that also have this standard (AB 213, AB 418, AB 811) — and in-house procedures of five laboratories (AB 383, AB 396, AB 680, AB 776, AB 1188). The copy has no other documents for bromate in water.

WHAT WE DO NOT GIVE. We did not have the text of the standard — PKN sells it. We do not give the post-column reaction reagents, the columns and eluents, the detection wavelength, the method of sample preservation and preparation, the calibration curve or the precision.

Method principle

According to the title and the card of the standard, dissolved bromate is separated from other anions on the column of an ion chromatograph, and a post-column reaction is carried out after the column; laboratories record spectrophotometric detection (UV/Vis) in their scopes. According to the card the method covers concentrations from 0.5 µg/l, and the working range is limited by the capacity of the column. The result for drinking water is compared with the parametric value of 10 µg/l; the method must have a limit of quantification not higher than 3 µg/l and an uncertainty not greater than 40 % of this value (Journal of Laws 2026 item 748). We DO NOT GIVE the reaction reagents, columns or measurement conditions — we did not have the text of the standard.

Applications

• Bromate in drinking water — assessment against the parametric value of 10 µg/l (Journal of Laws 2026 item 748, Annex 1, Part B, item 11)
• According to the card: drinking water, mineral water, raw water, surface water, partially treated water and swimming pool water
• Water — in the accreditation scopes of 13 laboratories, all with a lower range limit not higher than 3 µg/l

Key parameters

Standard

Standard number

PN-EN ISO 11206:2013-07 (wersja angielska)

Title (PL)

Jakość wody — Oznaczanie rozpuszczonych bromianów(V) — Metoda z zastosowaniem chromatografii jonowej (IC) oraz reakcji pokolumnowej (PCR)

Title (EN)

Water quality — Determination of dissolved bromate — Method using ion chromatography (IC) and post column reaction (PCR)

Step-by-step procedure

1. Status and edition

   PKN card: standard current (state of the card on 29 September 2026). According to the card bromate is determined from 0.5 µg/l; the working range is limited by the capacity of the column — samples with higher concentrations are diluted.

2. Sample preparation

   Bromate is determined in the sample as dissolved; method of preservation and preparation NOT GIVEN.

3. Chromatographic separation

   Ion chromatography on an anion-exchange column.

4. Post-column reaction and measurement

   After the column a post-column reaction and spectrophotometric measurement (title of the standard). In the accreditation scopes two laboratories also record conductometric detection (AB 486 alongside UV, AB 649 as the only one).

5. Result and assessment

   The result in µg/l is compared with 10 µg/l. For a result above the upper limit of the laboratory's range (at AB 1448 — 10.00 µg/l) the result lies outside the accreditation range of this entry.

Required equipment and apparatus

Reagents, media and consumables

Health and safety (OHS)

• In the drinking water regulation bromate is a chemical parameter (Annex 1, Part B) — a result above 10 µg/l means the requirement is not met
• SUBSTANTIVE NOTE: the record of conductometric detection for this standard (AB 649) does not correspond to the title of the standard — before accepting a result it is worth asking the laboratory about the technique

Frequently asked questions