Parameter Viewer

Document ID ca-dtdgcdwq-2022-12-23-4 Title Draft technical document guidelines for Canadian drinking water quality - Antimony: Analytical and treatment considerations URL https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/programs/consultation-draft-technical-document-guidelines-canadian-drinking-water-quality-antimony/analytical-treatment-considerations.html Jurisdiction /ca Subdomain(s) Drinking water, Water treatment, Analytical methods Language en Status completed Analyzed at 2026-03-19 09:18:16.475202+00:00 Relevance Provides draft technical guidance on analytical methods and treatment for antimony.

14 Qualitative 43 Quantitative 42 Definitions

Q Qualitative Requirements (14)

Req ID	Category	Intent	Legal Status	Name	Subdomain(s)	Context	Conditions	Confidence
#Q001	administrative	operational	recommended	Laboratory Sampling Requirements Discussion	drinking water	Drinking water utilities should discuss sampling requirements with the accredited laboratory conducting the analysis to ensure that quality control procedures are met and that MRLs are low enough to ensure accurate monitoring at concentrations below the proposed MAC.	When setting up antimony analysis with accredited laboratories	high
#Q002	monitoring	reporting	mandatory	Total Antimony Analysis Requirement	drinking water	Analysis of total antimony is needed for comparison to the proposed MAC.	When comparing sample results against the maximum acceptable concentration (MAC)	high
#Q003	monitoring	operational	recommended	Dissolved Antimony Field Filtration	drinking water	In order to determine dissolved antimony concentrations, samples should be filtered at the time of collection (not at the laboratory) and the filtrate should be acidified to pH < 2 with concentrated nitric acid.	When determining dissolved antimony concentrations	high
#Q004	design	treatment	recommended	Bench and Pilot-Scale Testing Recommendation	drinking water	Pilot- and bench-scale testing is recommended to ensure the source water can be successfully treated and to optimize operating conditions.	When selecting an appropriate municipal-scale treatment process for antimony	high
#Q005	treatment	operational	mandatory	Reverse Osmosis Post-Treatment pH and Alkalinity Adjustment	drinking water	Therefore, the product water pH must be adjusted and alkalinity may need to be increased to avoid corrosion issues in the distribution system such as the leaching of lead and copper (Schock and Lytle, 2011; U.S. EPA, 2012).	When utilizing reverse osmosis (RO) membrane filtration processes	high
#Q006	design	treatment	mandatory	Combined Treatment Pilot Testing	drinking water	Given that only bench-scale studies are available, it is critical to conduct bench- and pilot-scale studies prior to full-scale implementation to ensure the effectiveness of combined treatment and its optimal operating conditions.	Prior to full-scale implementation of combined treatment processes (coagulation followed by ultrafiltration)	high
#Q007	monitoring	treatment	recommended	Pre-Installation Source Water Testing	drinking water	Before a treatment unit is installed, the water should be tested to determine the general water chemistry and antimony concentration in the source water.	Prior to the installation of a residential drinking water treatment unit	high
#Q008	monitoring	operational	recommended	Periodic Residential Treatment Unit Testing	drinking water	Periodic testing by an accredited laboratory should be conducted on both the water entering the treatment unit and the treated water, to verify that the treatment unit is effective.	After installation of a residential drinking water treatment unit	high
#Q009	operational	operational	recommended	Residential Unit Maintenance Verification	drinking water	Consumers should verify the expected longevity of the components in the treatment unit according to the manufacturer's recommendations and service it when required.	For operation of residential drinking water treatment units	high
#Q010	design	health	recommended	Certified Treatment Unit Use	drinking water	Health Canada does not recommend specific brands of drinking water treatment units, but it strongly recommends that consumers use units that have been certified by an accredited certification body as meeting the appropriate NSF International Standard/American National Standards Institute (NSF/ANSI) for drinking water treatment units.	When selecting residential drinking water treatment units	high
#Q011	design	treatment	mandatory	RO System Selection for Antimony	drinking water	Therefore, an RO system will need to be carefully selected in order to achieve treated water concentrations below the proposed MAC.	When using RO residential treatment units for antimony removal	high
#Q012	design	operational	recommended	Point-of-Use Installation for RO and Distillation	drinking water	Therefore, these devices should be installed only at the point-of-use.	Installation of residential RO and distillation units	high
#Q013	prohibition	operational	guidance	Avoidance of Uncontrolled Water Blending	drinking water	It is also important to avoid the uncontrolled blending of surface water with groundwater and of chlorinated water with chloraminated water.	To maintain water stability for deposited trace inorganic contaminants within the distribution system	high
#Q014	administrative	reporting	recommended	Consultation on Residuals Management	drinking water	The appropriate authorities should be consulted to ensure that the disposal of liquid and solid waste residuals from the treatment of drinking water meet applicable regulations.	When disposing of liquid and solid waste residuals from water treatment	high

P Quantitative Requirements (43)

Req ID	Category	Intent	Legal Status	Name	Subdomain(s)	Limit Type	Limit Value	Context	Conditions	Confidence
#P001	chemical	health	mandatory	Antimony	drinking water	requirement	<= 0.0006 mg/L	NSF/ANSI Standards 61 and 60 require that the concentration of antimony not exceed the single product allowable concentration of 0.0006 mg/L in components and treatment chemicals, respectively.	Applicable to materials (components and treatment chemicals) in contact with drinking water.	high
#P002	chemical	health	mandatory	Antimony	drinking water	MAC	0.006 mg/L	U.S. EPA drinking water standard for antimony of 0.006 mg/L.		high
#P003	physical	operational	recommended	pH	drinking water	requirement	< 2 pH	In order to determine dissolved antimony concentrations, samples should be filtered at the time of collection (not at the laboratory) and the filtrate should be acidified to pH < 2 with concentrated nitric acid.	For determination of dissolved antimony concentrations.	high
#P004	physical	operational	guidance	Turbidity	drinking water	requirement	> 1 NTU	EPA methods 200.5, 200.8, 200.9 and SM 3113B do not require hot acid digestion for total recoverable metals, unless turbidity of the sample is greater than 1 nephelometric turbidity unit (NTU).	Condition triggering the requirement for hot acid digestion for total recoverable metals.	high
#P005	chemical	reporting	guideline	Antimony Method Reporting Limit (ICP-MS)	drinking water	requirement	0.5 to 1 μg/L	A number of accredited laboratories in Canada reported MRLs for total antimony analysis using methods based on ICP-MS.	Applicable to total antimony analysis using ICP-MS methods.	high
#P006	chemical	treatment	guidance	Antimony Adsorption Breakthrough Threshold	drinking water	treatment_goal	6 μg/L	Adsorption using titanium-based adsorbents reached breakthrough of 6 μg/L at specified bed volumes and pH.	Applied in pilot-scale testing for groundwater treatment.	high
#P007	chemical	treatment	guidance	Antimony Pilot Breakthrough Threshold	drinking water	treatment_goal	5 μg/L	Pilot-scale tests evaluated the number of bed volumes to reach a specific breakthrough concentration.	Applicable to spring water treatment using iron-based and CeO2·nH2O adsorbents.	high
#P008	design	operational	guideline	Antimony content in lead-free brass	drinking water	requirement	<= 0.25 %	Non-leaded brass and lead-free brass generally contain a specific maximum percentage of antimony.	Material composition of plumbing devices and brass materials.	high
#P009	chemical	health	guideline	Antimony	drinking water	requirement	<= 0.0006 mg/L	NSF/ANSI Standards 61 and 60 require that the concentration of antimony not exceed the single product allowable concentration of 0.0006 mg/L in components and treatment chemicals, respectively.	Applicable to materials (components and treatment chemicals) in contact with drinking water.	high
#P010	design	operational	guideline	Antimony content in brass (high range)	drinking water	requirement	0.5 %	Non-leaded brass and lead-free brass generally contain a maximum of 0.25% antimony and in some cases as high as 0.5%.	Upper range for specific brass material compositions used in plumbing devices.	high
#P011	chemical	reporting	guideline	Antimony Method Detection Limit (EPA 200.5)	drinking water	requirement	0.9 μg/L	Standardized analytical methods available for the analysis of total antimony in drinking water.	Method: Axially viewed inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (wavelength 249.68 nm).	high
#P012	chemical	reporting	guideline	Antimony Method Detection Limit (EPA 200.8 Scanning)	drinking water	requirement	0.4 μg/L	Standardized analytical methods available for the analysis of total antimony in drinking water.	Method: ICP-MS in scanning mode.	high
#P013	chemical	reporting	guideline	Antimony Method Detection Limit (EPA 200.8 SIM)	drinking water	requirement	0.04 μg/L	Standardized analytical methods available for the analysis of total antimony in drinking water.	Method: ICP-MS in selective ion monitoring mode.	high
#P014	chemical	reporting	guideline	Antimony Method Detection Limit (EPA 200.9)	drinking water	requirement	0.8 μg/L	Standardized analytical methods available for the analysis of total antimony in drinking water.	Method: Stabilized temperature graphite furnace atomic absorption.	high
#P015	chemical	reporting	guideline	Antimony Instrument Detection Level (EPA 6020B)	drinking water	requirement	0.1 μg/L	Standardized analytical methods available for the analysis of total antimony in drinking water.	Method: ICP-MS.	high
#P016	chemical	reporting	guideline	Antimony Estimated Detection Level (SM 3113B)	drinking water	requirement	0.8 μg/L	Standardized analytical methods available for the analysis of total antimony in drinking water.	Method: Electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry.	high
#P017	chemical	reporting	guideline	Antimony Instrument Detection Level (SM 3125)	drinking water	requirement	0.07 μg/L	Standardized analytical methods available for the analysis of total antimony in drinking water.	Method: ICP-MS.	high
#P018	chemical	reporting	guideline	Antimony Instrument Detection Level (ASTM D5673-16)	drinking water	requirement	0.08 μg/L	Standardized analytical methods available for the analysis of total antimony in drinking water.	Method: ICP-MS.	high
#P019	chemical	reporting	guidance	Antimony Detection Limits (Provincial)	drinking water	requirement	0.001 to 2 μg/L	The MDLs or MRLs from provincial data are in the range of 0.001 to 2 μg/L.	Based on Canadian provincial water exposure data.	high
#P020	chemical	operational	mandatory	NSF/ANSI 61 Test Water Free Chlorine	drinking water	requirement	2.0 (± 0.05) mg/L	Synthetic test water specifications for leaching tests.	NSF/ANSI 61 Section 9 synthetic test water.	high
#P021	physical	operational	mandatory	NSF/ANSI 61 Test Water Alkalinity	drinking water	requirement	500 (± 25) mg/L as CaCO3	Synthetic test water specifications for leaching tests.	NSF/ANSI 61 Section 9 synthetic test water.	high
#P022	physical	operational	guidance	Calcium/Magnesium Matrix Interference Threshold	drinking water	requirement	> 125 mg/L	Matrix interferences for EPA Method 200.5	Applicable when using Axially viewed ICP-AES	high
#P023	physical	operational	guidance	Silicon Matrix Interference Threshold	drinking water	requirement	> 250 mg/L	Matrix interferences for EPA Method 200.5	Applicable when using Axially viewed ICP-AES	high
#P024	physical	operational	guidance	TDS Matrix Interference Threshold	drinking water	requirement	> 0.2 % (w/v)	Matrix interferences for EPA Method 200.8 and 6020B	Applicable when using ICP-MS	high
#P025	chemical	operational	guidance	Hydrochloric Acid Stabilization Concentration	drinking water	requirement	1 % (v/v)	Sb concentrations of 50–500μg/L require 1% (v/v) HCl for stability	EPA Method 6020B (ICP-MS)	high
#P026	design	treatment	guidance	Empty Bed Contact Time (Adsorption)	drinking water	treatment_goal	2.5 min	Antimony was removed by all media at an empty bed contact time of 2.5 minutes	Pilot-scale study using TiO2, ferric oxide and ferric hydroxide	high
#P027	physical	operational	guideline	Aggressive Leaching Solution Alkalinity	drinking water	requirement	10 mg/L as CaCO3	Specifications for aggressive leaching solution used in brass leaching tests	Synthetic water used for experimental protocol	high
#P028	physical	operational	guideline	Aggressive Leaching Solution pH	drinking water	requirement	7.4 pH	Specifications for aggressive leaching solution used in brass leaching tests	Synthetic water used for experimental protocol	high
#P029	chemical	operational	guideline	Aggressive Leaching Solution Chloramines	drinking water	requirement	4.0 mg/L Cl2	Specifications for aggressive leaching solution used in brass leaching tests	Synthetic water used for experimental protocol	high
#P030	physical	operational	mandatory	NSF/ANSI 61 Section 9 Synthetic Test Water pH	drinking water	requirement	8.0 (± 0.5) pH	Synthetic test water specification for leaching tests from end point devices	NSF/ANSI 61 Section 9	high
#P031	design	treatment	guidance	Hydraulic Retention Time (Combined Technology)	drinking water	treatment_goal	2.2 hour	Process description for coagulation and flocculation followed by ultrafiltration	Bench-scale study for Sb(V) removal	high
#P032	design	treatment	guidance	Membrane Flux (Combined Technology)	drinking water	treatment_goal	30 L/m2·h	Process description for coagulation and flocculation followed by ultrafiltration	Bench-scale study for Sb(III) removal	high
#P033	physical	operational	guidance	Sodium Matrix Interference Threshold	drinking water	requirement	> 125 mg/L	Matrix interference for standardized analytical methods.	Applicable to EPA Method 200.5 using axially viewed ICP-AES.	high
#P034	design	treatment	guidance	Antimony Removal (Ferric-based Coagulation)	drinking water	treatment_goal	95 %	Bench-scale performance of conventional coagulation for antimony removal.	Achieved at low pH (pH 5.1) using ferric-based coagulants.	high
#P035	design	treatment	guidance	Media Life (Titanium-based Adsorbent - Alta Pilot)	drinking water	treatment_goal	100,000 bed volumes	Treatment capacity of titanium-based media in pilot testing.	To reach breakthrough concentration of 6 μg/L at pH 6.5.	high
#P036	design	treatment	guidance	Media Life (TiO2 Adsorbent - Park City Pilot)	drinking water	treatment_goal	170,000 bed volumes	Expected media change interval for titanium dioxide media.	Operated at pH 6.5 for removal of antimony and co-occurring contaminants.	high
#P037	design	treatment	guidance	Media Life (Ferric Oxide Adsorbent)	drinking water	treatment_goal	12,000 to 18,000 bed volumes	Estimated change frequency for ferric oxide media at Park City pilot site.	Required change frequency based on pH 6.5 operating conditions.	high
#P038	design	treatment	guidance	Media Life (Ferric Hydroxide Adsorbent)	drinking water	treatment_goal	29,000 to 50,000 bed volumes	Estimated change frequency for ferric hydroxide media at Park City pilot site.	Required change frequency based on pH 6.5 operating conditions.	high
#P039	chemical	health	mandatory	Antimony Single Product Allowable Concentration	drinking water	requirement	<= 0.0006 mg/L	NSF/ANSI Standards 61 and 60 require that the concentration of antimony not exceed the single product allowable concentration of 0.0006 mg/L in components and treatment chemicals, respectively.	Applicable to materials (components and treatment chemicals) in contact with drinking water.	high
#P040	chemical	health	mandatory	Antimony (US EPA Standard)	drinking water	MAC	0.006 mg/L	Theoretically, 60% to 85% of the scale deposit would need to be released to exceed the U.S. EPA drinking water standard for antimony of 0.006 mg/L.	Benchmark used for calculating potential distribution system release risk.	high
#P041	physical	operational	guideline	Dissolved Solids Limit (SM 3125)	drinking water	requirement	<= 0.5 %	Analytical method SM 3125 (ICP-MS) specifies a concentration limit for dissolved solids to ensure measurement accuracy.	Applicable during the analysis of total antimony using Standard Method 3125.	high
#P042	chemical	treatment	guidance	Antimony Removal (Reverse Osmosis)	drinking water	treatment_goal	46 to 99 %	Anticipated removals of antimony using reverse osmosis based on municipal-scale data.	Efficiency is dependent on membrane type and water pH.	high
#P043	chemical	reporting	guideline	Antimony Solder Leaching Detection Limit	drinking water	requirement	1.2 μg/L	Studies evaluating the leaching of metals from copper pipes with non-lead-based solders used this detection limit.	Referenced in Subramanian et al. (1991, 1994) long-term leaching studies.	high

D Definitions (42)

Req ID	Name	Context	Confidence
#D001	MDLs	method detection limits	high
#D002	MRLs	method reporting limits	high
#D003	ICP-MS	inductively coupled plasma – Mass Spectrometry	high
#D004	NTU	nephelometric turbidity unit	high
#D005	RO	reverse osmosis	high
#D006	Sb(III)	antimonite	high
#D007	Sb(V)	antimonate	high
#D008	FC	ferric chloride	high
#D009	HCO3-	bicarbonate	high
#D010	SO42-	sulfate	high
#D011	PO43-	phosphate	high
#D012	HA	humic acid	high
#D013	NOM	natural organic matter	high
#D014	BVs	bed volumes	high
#D015	TiO2	titanium dioxide	high
#D016	U.S. EPA	United States Environmental Protection Agency	high
#D017	TMP	transmembrane pressure	high
#D018	NSF/ANSI	NSF International Standard/American National Standards Institute	high
#D019	SCC	Standards Council of Canada	high
#D020	Total antimony	includes both the dissolved and particulate (suspended) fractions of antimony in a water sample	high
#D021	FeCl3H2O	hydrated ferric chloride	high
#D022	Sb(III)	antimonite in the form of Sb(OH)3	high
#D023	Sb(V)	antimonate an anion in the form of Sb(OH)6-	high
#D024	Section 8 devices	in-line devices (for example, water meters, building valves)	high
#D025	Section 9 devices	end point devices (for example, drinking water fountains, faucets)	high
#D026	opportunity samples	samples that became available including those from water meters, pipes and filters	high
#D027	IDL	instrument detection level	high
#D028	TDS	total dissolved solids	high
#D029	DOC	dissolved organic carbon	high
#D030	In-situ FeOxHy	freshly prepared ferric hydroxide	high
#D031	EBCT	empty bed contact time	high
#D032	HRT	hydraulic retention time	high
#D033	inj	injection	high
#D034	TOC	total organic carbon	high
#D035	DL	detection limit	high
#D036	N	sample size	high
#D037	SM	APHA standard methods	high
#D038	N/A	not available	high
#D039	BV	bed volumes	high
#D040	ANSI	American National Standards Institute	high
#D041	NSF	NSF International	high
#D042	MDL	method detection limit	high