ISO 8245-1999 PDF

Full title and description

St ISO 8245-1999 — Water quality — Guidelines for the determination of total organic carbon (TOC) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). This International Standard provides guidance on definitions, interferences, reagents and sample pretreatment for measuring total carbon (TC), total inorganic carbon (TIC), total organic carbon (TOC) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in a wide range of water matrices.

Abstract

ISO 8245:1999 gives laboratory guidance for the determination of TC, TIC, TOC and DOC in drinking water, ground water, surface water, sea water and waste water. It defines terms, identifies common interferences, specifies typical reagents and outlines sample pretreatment (including removal or accounting for inorganic carbon). The document is instrument‑neutral and covers samples with organic carbon roughly in the range 0.3 mg/l to 1000 mg/l (lower end for special, highly sensitive measurements; higher concentrations by dilution).

General information

• Status: Published (International Standard; subject to periodic systematic review)
• Publication date: March 1999
• Publisher: International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
• ICS / categories: 13.060.50 (Examination of water for chemical substances / Water quality)
• Edition / version: Edition 2 (1999)
• Number of pages: 11

Scope

The standard applies to the determination of organic carbon in various water types (drinking, ground, surface, marine and waste waters). It addresses necessary preparatory steps (for example removal of inorganic carbon by purging or by separate determination of TC and TIC and calculation of TOC = TC − TIC), identifies substances that may be lost or measured incorrectly during pretreatment (volatile/purgeable organics) and notes interferences (for example cyanide/cyanate and particulate elemental carbon). Instrument‑dependent specifications and detailed analytical hardware configurations are outside the scope; the document provides procedural guidance and good laboratory practice rather than prescriptive instrument settings.

Key topics and requirements

• Definitions and terms for TC, TIC, TOC and DOC and related concepts.
• Recommended sample pretreatment: removal or accounting for inorganic carbon (acidification and purging, or separate TC and TIC determinations).
• Identification and discussion of common interferences (volatile organics, chloride-related issues for some oxidations, cyanide/cyanate, elemental carbon/soot).
• Recommended reagents and general handling precautions to avoid contamination and loss of analyte.
• Applicable concentration range guidance (approx. 0.3 mg/l to 1000 mg/l organic carbon) and advice on dilution and measurement limits.
• Guidance on when to use differential calculation (TC − TIC) and when separate determination of purgeable organics may be necessary.

Typical use and users

Laboratories performing routine and regulatory water quality analyses, environmental monitoring agencies, water and wastewater utilities, research laboratories and consultants use this standard as procedural guidance for reporting TOC/DOC results, establishing sample‑handling protocols and understanding common interferences. It is used where instrument‑neutral standard practices are required or where national/regional methods reference ISO guidance.

Related standards

Standards and methods commonly used alongside or in comparison with ISO 8245 include EN 1484 (European guidance on TOC/DOC), ISO 6060 (chemical oxygen demand methods) and ISO 15705 (small‑scale sealed‑tube COD). National and regulatory methods for TOC/DOC (for example US EPA TOC/C DOC methods and SW‑846 / method 9060A or EPA 415.3 for drinking water/source water) are frequently referenced for instrument‑specific procedures and regulatory compliance.

Keywords

total organic carbon; TOC; dissolved organic carbon; DOC; total carbon; TC; total inorganic carbon; TIC; water quality; sample pretreatment; interferences; purgeable organics; laboratory guidance

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: ISO 8245:1999 is an International Standard that provides guidelines for the determination of total organic carbon (TOC) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in various types of water.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers definitions, common interferences, recommended reagents and sample pretreatment strategies (including removal or accounting for inorganic carbon), and gives practical guidance on measuring TC, TIC, TOC and DOC across a broad concentration range. It does not specify instrument hardware settings.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Environmental and public‑health laboratories, water and wastewater utilities, regulatory bodies, consultants and researchers use it for method guidance, quality assurance and to align laboratory practice with international recommendations.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: ISO 8245 was published in March 1999 (Edition 2). It is a published International Standard and has been subject to periodic review; users should check with their national standards body or ISO for any more recent revisions or replacements before assuming it is the operative method for a regulated program.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: It sits within the family of ISO water‑quality standards developed by ISO/TC 147 (water quality) and its subcommittees. Laboratories commonly use it together with related ISO and regional standards addressing chemical oxygen demand, specific TOC instrument methods and national regulatory methods.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: TOC, DOC, TC, TIC, total organic carbon, dissolved organic carbon, water quality, sample pretreatment, interferences, purgeable organics.