Quantitative suspension test for the evaluation of disinfectants for swimming pool water: experiences with sodium hypochlorite and sodium dichloroisocyanurate.

To evaluate products intended for disinfection of water in swimming pools a quantitative suspension test was designed based on the principle of the Dutch standard suspension test (SST). As artifical swimming pool water a buffered bovine albumin solution (BBAS) was used. The microbicidal potency of BBAS chlorinated with sodium hypochlorite (NaOC1) for 5 min to free chlorine concentractions of 0.3, 0.5 and 1 mg/1 appeared to meet the tentative standard of 4 decimals reduction (D.R.) within 5 min against the bacterial test strains used, e.g. Staph, aureus, Str. faecalis, P. aeruginosa, E. coli and Prot. mirabilis. Usually an exposure time of 30 s was sufficient to obtain this reduction. The kill C. albicans to that extent approx. 1 mg/1 free chlorine was needed. The redox potential of BBAS chlorinated as described above amounted to approx. 600 mV or higher values. When BBAS was chlorinated for 5 min with sodium dichloroisocyanurate (NaDCC) addition of 8 mg/1 of this substance was required to obtain about the same microbicidal potency as that of BBAS chlorinated with NaOC1 to 0.3 mg/1 free chlorine. The redox potential in the former solution was found to be above 600 mV. The microbicidal potency of BBAS chlorinated for 5 minutes with 2 mg/1 NaDCC was virtually zero and with 4 mg/1 NaDCC suboptimal. These findings correlated well with the redox potentials of 262 mV and 432 mV, respectively, measured in the latter solutions. Addition of cyanuric acid to BBAS before chlorination resulted in lower killing rates, although the free chlorine concentration, determined with the FAS-DPD method, seemed to be increased. It is concluded that in swimming pool water chlorinated with chloroisocyanurates the redox potential might be a better indicator for the microbicidal potency than the free chlorine concentration determined with the FAS-DPD method.