A while back the newspapers and television reports filled up with reports that some bottled water contained high levels of bromates and everyone agreed that bottled water ought not contain bromates. But how many of you ever stopped to ask where the bromates came from in the first place?

“Bromate is a chemical that is formed when ozone used to disinfect drinking water reacts with naturally occurring bromide found in source water. EPA has established the Stage 1 Disinfectants/Disinfection Byproducts Rule to regulate bromate at annual average of 10 parts per billion in drinking water. This standard will become effective for large public water systems by December 2001 and for small surface water and all ground public water systems in December 2003.” (source)