In Japan, the Water Supply Act is a law enacted in 1957 with the aim of properly developing and managing waterworks to ensure the stable supply of clean, abundant, and affordable tap water. The water quality standards to be monitored were initially set at 50 items under the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Ordinance No. 101 (May 30, 2003) “Ordinance on Water Quality Standards”. On April 1, 2014, nitrite nitrogen was added, bringing the total items to be 51. Additionally, the testing methods are stipulated by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Notification No. 261* (July 22, 2003), “Methods Prescribed by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Based on the Provisions of the Ordinance on Water Quality Standards” and have been revised as needed.
Below is the list of Shodex anion columns suitable for the analysis of anions mentioned in the ordinance.
- (Note)
- As of April 1, 2024, responsibility for water quality measures (such as establishing water quality standards and determining methods for water quality inspections conducted by water utilities) has been transferred from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare to the Ministry of the Environment. Consequently, the name has been changed to “Methods Prescribed by the Minister of the Environment Based on the Provisions of the Ordinance on Water Quality Standards”.
| Analysis method | Analyte | Reference value | Shodex column |
|---|---|---|---|
| (Appended Table No.12) Ion chromatography-post column adsorption photometry |
Cyanide ion and Cyanogens chloride | ≤ 0.01 mg/L (amount of cyan) |
RSpak KC-811 6E |
| (Appended Table No.13) Ion chromatography (anion) Simultaneous analysis method |
Nitrite nitrogen | ≤ 0.04 mg/L | IC SI-52 4E IC SI-35 4D |
| Nitrate nitrogen and Nitrite nitrogen | ≤ 10 mg/L | ||
| Fluoride and its compounds | ≤ 0.8 mg/L (amount of fluoride) |
||
| Chlorate | ≤ 0.6 mg/L | ||
| Chloride ion | ≤ 200 mg/L | ||
| (Appended Table No.18) Ion chromatography-post column adsorption photometry |
Bromate | ≤ 0.01 mg/L | IC SI-50 4E IC SI-52 4E |
| (Appended Table No.18-2) LC-MS method |
Chlorate and Bromate | Chlorate: ≤ 0.6 mg/L Bromate: ≤ 0.01 mg/L |
RSpak JJ-50 2D |
Operation Manual / Certificate of Analysis
Operation Manuals and Certificate of Analysis / Inspection Certificate for the following products can be downloaded here.