Introduction:
Nitrosamines are genotoxic impurities, recently reported in Sartan drugs, Metformin and Ranitidine etc. Several Drug products were recalled, and later FDA asked to submit the status on Nitrosamines in several Drug products. Maximum intake limits have also been circulated for safety.
These notorious impurities are also present in water because of environmental contaminations and chloramination process adopted by several agencies to keep water safe from Bacteria and bugs.
Chlorine has been used since long as disinfectant in water, but it gives odor and off taste, so ammonia is added just after it, this process is called “chloramination”. This water has no odor of chlorine and well & widely accepted taste by consumers. The nitrosamine N=N=O and related N-nitro sated amides and nitro sated ureas are formed from the reaction of oxynitrogen species and organic nitrogen compounds. The organic nitrogen: secondary amines e.g., dimethylamine, amide or protein react with HNO2, NO, NO2, N2O3 and N2O4.
Detection of Nitrosamines impurities in Water Sources
Nitroso dimethylamine and several other nitrosamines have been detected in several samples of water collected from industrial discharges, byproducts of drinking water treatment plants and water reservoirs for supply of water after treatment.
N-nitroso di-methylamine (NDMA), N-nitroso methyl-ethylamine (NMEA), N-nitroso di-ethylamine (NDEA), N-nitroso di-n-propylamine (NDPA), N-nitroso di-n-butylamine (NDBA), N-nitroso-pyrrolidine (NPYR), N-nitroso-piperidine (NPIP), N-nitroso-morpholine (NMOR).
ITC Labs, Panchkula
Method 521, which involves the determination of Nitrosamines in Drinking Water by Solid Phase Extraction and Capillary Column Gas Chromatography with Large Volume Injection and Chemical Ionization Tandem Mass Spectrometry (MS/MS), has been executed in Interstellar Testing Centre, Panchkula Branch. This analysis was carried out to examine the water samples for aforementioned Nitrosamine impurities, meeting the requirement of ppt (parts per trillion) level detection, which is required for ensuring human safety. Large quantity of water is consumed by human for good health so it needs highly sensitive detection techniques to ensure safe water free from these highly toxic impurities.
Water bottling plant, municipal water supply units, Colonisers, Housing Societies and other agencies supplying drinking water to consumer must ensure that water supplied by them is free from these toxic impurities.
For more information please write to us:
Dr. Roopak Kumar, [email protected], Interstellar Testing Centre Pvt. Ltd
Also read: Nitrosamines Impurities