Sulphates in drinking water

Summary: although there are permissible amounts of sulphates allowed in drinking water, yet, when present in excess the sulphate is usually regarded as an impurity in the water. The easiest way of understanding excess sulphate levels in drinking water is that of finding the smell of rotten eggs in the water. Otherwise too, it is suggested that you consult a professional service regarding determining the extent of sulphates in drinking water.

Although sulphates are present naturally in drinking water supplies, yet it is mandatory that the sulphate level is within the permissible levels of the salt in drinking water. According to the guidelines set upon quality of drinking water by the World Health Organization (WHO), the permissible extent of sulphates in drinking water should be within 500mg/l. These were the guidelines set in 1993. More recent guidelines from the European Union, EU, in 1998 are more stringent and it allows a maximum permissible limit of 250mg/l of sulphate in water to be fit for human consumption. The sulphates dissolve in groundwater (which is still the major source of water supply across the world), when groundwater moves through rocks and minerals that consist of high levels of sulphate dissolved in it. Common minerals that increase sulphate concentration in water are sodium sulphate or Glauber's salt, Magnesium sulphate or Epsom salt, and Calcium sulphate or gypsum.

The health effects of excess sulphate in water can cause dehydration and diarrhea. In order to remove the excess extent of sulphates in drinking water, proper water treatment systems should be installed and connected to the water supply node of a community. These machines should be observing ideal parameters of operation like they should not have any waste water release from them; neither should they have water treated through the addition of chemicals. There are other methods of water treatment than adding chemicals to the water, which should essentially be employed for treating water. In addition, the machines utilized for minimizing sulphates levels in water should definitely have easy installation procedure, should be compact and easy to operate. The machine should also have low ownership costs and high return on investment. Such machines for purifying the water from excess sulphates in drinking water are already available if you are putting in the right kind of efforts to find them.