Recently we received a request for information on a test kit that we had never considered looking for — until now. So naturally, we just HAD to go and see if we could find the test kit.


Premium Drinking Water Testing Kit
19 Panel Full Water Analysis Test

“Dear Alll, I’m looking for a kit for antimony determination in drinking water to comply with the Italian Standards of 5 microgram/L. Best Regards, Andrea V.”

Wow. Antimony? We told you no one ever asked about a test kit for it before… so as just said, after receiving that inquiry we needed to spend some time doing research before we could answer their question.

The only test kit we located required a person to take a sample and send it off to a laboratory for analysis. See Premium Drinking Water Test Kit on TestCountry.Com for additional information on the only test kit for antimony that we could find… unless you wanted to start your own analytical chemistry lab!

The Premium Drinking Water Test Kit tests for 19 drinking water parameters: Antimony, Arsenic, Beryllium, Copper, Lead, Thallium, Uranium, Barium, Cadmium, Chromium, Mercury, Nickel, Selenium, Aluminum, Iron, Manganese, Zinc, Fluoride, and pH levels.

Where does antimony come from?

From what we read, antimony occurs naturally in the environment as ore deposits in the ground which ground water can erode and pick up as passes over, around or through the deposits.

Industry mines and refines antimony into compounds such as antimony trioxide, a compound commonly used as a flame retardant. Other uses of antimony include batteries, coloring agents (pigments) and in the manufacturing of ceramics and glass.

What harm can antimony cause?

Prolonged exposure to drinking water containing excessive amounts antimony over a number of years may result in elevated blood cholesterol levels and abnormally low blood sugar counts.

Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for antimony in drinking water?

Earlier in this posting Andrea mentioned that the Italian Standard allows for a maximum of 5 micrograms/liter. The United States EPA has set the Maximum Contaminant Level for antimony in drinking water at 6 parts per billion, or 6 micrograms per liter.

Why the stricter guidelines in Europe? Not sure, but we suspect that the US will follow suit in due time. That, and we think the US will place greater restrictions on the use and disposal of antimony by industry, too.

Lead in Water Test Kit
Lead in Water Test Kit

Manganese in Water Test Kit
Manganese in Water Test Kit

Metals in Water Test Kit
Metals in Water Test Kit

How can a person remove antimony if found in their water supply? According to what we read, one method involves coagulating the metal with a sequestering compound and then filtering out the resultant precipitate.

Pentek RO-3500 Reverse Osmosis System
Pentek RO-3500
Reverse Osmosis System

A method that sounds a whole lot simpler involves using a reverse osmosis filtration system such as the Pentek RO-3500 which, conveniently, has also certified to NSF/ANSI Standard 58 for the reduction of Pentavalent Arsenic, Barium, Cadmium, Copper, Hexavalent & Trivalent Chromium, Cyst, Fluoride, Lead, Nitrate/Nitrite, Radium 226/228, Selenium, TDS and Turbidity.

You can find other reverse osmosis water treatment units on the FiltersFast.Com web site.