[Determination of barium in natural curative waters by ICP-OES technique. Part I. Waters taken on the area of health resorts in Poland].

Maximum admissible concentration level (MACL) of barium in natural mineral waters, natural spring waters and potable waters was set at the level of 1 mg/l, while MACL of this element in natural curative waters intended for drinking therapies and inhalations were set at the levels of 1.0 mg/l and 10.0 mg/l, respectively. Those requirements were related to therapies which are applied longer than one month. Above mentioned maximum admissible concentration levels of barium in consumed waters were established after taking into account actual criteria of World Health Organization which determined the guidelines value for this element in water intended for human consumption at the level of 0.7 mg/l. In this work developed and validated method of determination of barium by inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometry technique was applied for determination of this element in 45 natural curative waters sampled from 24 spa districts situated on the area of Poland. Concentrations of barium determined were in the range from 0.0036 mg/l to 24.0 mg/l. Natural curative waters characterized by concentrations of barium in the ranges of 0.0036 - 0.073 mg/l, 0.0036 - 1.31 mg/l and 0.0036 - 24.0 mg/l, were applied to drinking therapy, inhalations and balneotherapy, respectively (some of waters analyzed were simultaneously applied to drinking therapy, inhalations and balneotherapy). In the cases of 11 natural curative waters exceeding limit of 1 mg/l were observed, however they were classified mainly as waters applied to balneotherapy and in two cases to inhalation therapies (concentrations of barium - 1.08 mg/l and 1.31 mg/l). The procedure of classification of curative waters for adequate therapies based among other things on barium concentrations meets requirements of the Decree of Minister of Health from 13 April 2006 on the range of studies indispensable for establishing medicinal properties of natural curative materials and curative properties of climate, criteria of their assessment and a specimen of certificate confirmed those properties.