Survey of Haloacetic Acids in Household Drinking Water Produced from Thermal Desalination in Kuwait

The main objectives of this study were to survey and document the existence of haloacetic acids (HAAs) in Kuwait drinking water. Levels of HAAs were determined in 516 samples collected from residential and government buildings and 51 brands of bottled water from December 2003 to May 2005. In household water, the levels of HAA5 were found to be between 85% and 99% (average of 95%) of the levels of total HAAs. HAA5 levels exceeded the MCL of US-EPA in 8% of the samples. The average percent increase of these levels was 106% of the MCL value. The use of charcoal filters showed significant efficiency in decreasing HAAs levels. The percent dominance frequencies of HAA5 components were in the order TCAA, MCAA, MBAA, DBAA, and DCAA with values 43%, 23%, 22%, 9% and 4%, respectively. Strong correlations between residual chlorine and HAA5 levels were observed. Seasonal variations indicated that HAA5 levels were much higher in the summer than in the winter.