Monitoring Drinking Water Quality with High Resolution ICP-OES

Ensuring the safety and quality of drinking water requires precise and sensitive detection of both trace toxic elements and essential minerals. This study evaluates the performance of the newly launched Analytik Jena’s PlasmaQuant 9200 high resolution ICP-OES, a space-saving powerhouse, for the analysis of drinking water, addressing the challenge of detecting trace elements like arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury at sub-μg/L levels, alongside major minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and sodium in the mg/L range. We demonstrate the acquired excellent sensitivity, accuracy, and long-term stability. Validation was performed using certified reference materials and spike recovery tests. The results confirm that PlasmaQuant 9200 Elite is a robust and efficient solution for routine monitoring of drinking water quality in compliance with international regulations such as the EU Drinking Water Directive and US EPA standards.