REID-LINE Scientific Services CC

1
5 Flamingo Vlei Village TEL: (021) 557 2774
Stilt Avenue CELL: 083 444 2496
FLAMINGO VLEI MEMBER: G. T. Reid E-Mail: gtr001@telkomsa.net
7441 Reg. No. CK 98/26906/2 FAX: (021) 557 2774

THE ROLE OF TOTAL DISSOLVED SALTS (TDS) IN ASSESSMENT

OF WATER QUALITY
The only information obtained from a TDS meter or measurement is, as the name implies
the following:
• TDS is a measure of the Total Dissolved Salts in the water and is sometimes also
incorrectly stated to measure the Total Dissolved Solids.
• The correct scientific definition of the TDS measurement is in fact the determination
of the total dissolved salts.
• The important information obtained from this analytical measurement is very plain
and simple – how much mineral salt is dissolved in the water under investigation.
• No other information can be obtained or deduced from the simple TDS analytical
test.

Taking this into consideration it is now important to know the following:

• What amount, what concentration or what level of mineral salts normally found in
water, is the correct or safe amount?
• Is there a maximum level of mineral salts in water, which when exceeded, makes
the water unfit for human consumption?
• Is there a minimum level of mineral salts in water which when absent makes the
water unfit for human consumption?

These basic questions were answered by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The World Health Organization has been doing research on what can he considered or
regarded as good quality drinking water since 1946. The study was in fact launched as a
result of problems encountered by the allied forces, stationed in numerous areas during
the second world war, where suitable water for general potable use, was in short supply
or simply not available. The same study is today still in progress and over the years
adapted and refined to include all general data made available from all over Europe
and the USA. The results of this study directly produced what is today commonly known as
the “WHO drinking or potable water standards of 1993” which provides minimum and
maximum limits of mineral salts normally found in water.
This study highlighted three very important points to take into consideration, when
determining the quality of any water source to be used as drinking water:

1. A minimum of 20 analytical parameters or constituents present in the water must be

measured before a safe assessment or a secure deduction can be made about the’
quality of the water source under investigation. (Only the uninformed fool, will make an
assessment about water quality, by examining or looking at the TDS measurement alone
and ignore the rest of the analytical parameters of interest).
2. The WHO stipulated the minimum analytical requirements for secure quality
assessment to be the following:

Table-1: Analytical data required to assess water quality.

Total dissolved salts (TDS) Chloride
@ 105°C
pH Sulphate
Turbidity Nitrate
Colour Nitrite
Total Alkalinity Total suspended solids
Calcium Dissolved organic carbon
Magnesium Total microbial count (colonies
per ml)
Iron Total Total coliforms (colonies per
100 ml)
Total heavy metal Total faecal coliforms
content (coloniews per 100 ml)
Sodium Total micro-biological count
(org per 100 ml)

Please note that TDS is but one of the 20 analytical parameters required to gauge the
quality of a water source.

3. Both minimum and maximum limits stipulated in the “WHO drinking or potable
water standards of 1993” must be considered during interpretation of the information.
Since the analytical TDS test is discussed in this report and used to correlate the quality of
a water source, the World Health Organisation obtained the following conclusive and
relevant data:

Table-2: Potable or Drinking water – TDS limits.

The mineral content of the water
source is too low and should be
If TDS is below 20 mg/l
increased via standard water
treatment procedures.
The mineral; salt content appears to
If TDS is between 20 and 450 be ideal and final water quality will
mg/l depend upon individual mineral
spread
The mineral salt content is high and
If TDS is between 450 and 1000
it is important to examine individual
mg/l
mineral spread in greater detail.
The mineral salt content is too high
If TDS is greater than 1000 mg/l and should be reduced to conform
to the recommended standard.
A more detailed description of how TDS as an analytical parameter, influences the water
quality is given below in Table-3:

Table-3 TDS and related parameters linked to corresponding water quality.

Drinking Food
TDS (mg/l) Bathing Laundry
Health Aesthetic Preparation
Long-term Loss of
Tastes Rinsing Rinsing
<20 slow loss of nutritional
good problems problems
minerals content
No Tastes No No No
20<TDS<450
problems good problems problems problems
Insignificant Insignificant
effect on effect on No No
450<TDS<1000 Reasonable
sensitive sensitive problems problems
groups groups
Salt Salt
Distinctive
overload in overload in Lathering Lathering
1000<TDS<2400 unpleasant
sensitive sensitive problems problems
salty taste
groups groups
Health risk Tastes Health risk Impaired Impaired
2400<TDS<3400 to all extremely to all soap detergent
individuals salty individuals lathering lathering
Tasted
Negates Negates
extremely
TDS>3400 Dehydration Dehydration the use of the use of
salty and
soap detergent
bitter

Note that with TDS data available, no further deductions about water quality can be
made other than those described above.