Technical Bulletin No. 0487: An Evaluation of Certain Limitations of the Chromotropic Acid Method for Measurement of Formaldehyde in Wastewaters

This technical bulletin is the report on a joint staff effort at the West Coast Regional Center to evaluate certain potential limitations of the procedure when used for effluent analysis. The data generated indicated several limitations in application of the NIOSH chromotropic acid procedure for the analysis of wastewater, particularly when lignin or lignin derived compounds are present. Neither predistillation nor other means investigated were successful in reducing the interferences to an acceptable level.