[beebug]

Hello again. This is the second question I have asked in this forum as a non scientist!

I have an ultrasonic humidifier at home. I keep it in the bedroom and usually have it on at night during winters.

Recently, I switched from using regular tap water to distilled water, as I read that tap water creates a mineral dust and very high amounts of PM2.5 that is very bad for children to breath. I have a 3 year old. But that’s not my main question.

Someone recently told me that ozonated distilled water, which is the only type of distilled water I’ve seen in stores (I don’t even know if there’s such a thing as non ozonated distilled water that one can buy?), has bromate in it as a result of the ozonizing.

If this is true, is my family therefore breathing in bromate (which is carcinogenic and toxic?) as a result of using the distilled water in the humidifier (which aerosolizes the water and anything present in it into the air)?

Doesn’t seem healthy!?

[Borek]

As far as I am aware ozonation is used for disinfection of water - then everything dissolved (including naturally occurring, safe levels of bromine ions) can be oxidized (including bromide to bromate).

Distilled water by definition should not contain any ions, so ozonating it won't be able to produce bromates.

So, it it is really water that was distilled first (or had ions removed by reverse osmosis, RO), you should be OK no matter if they added ozone or not.

That's just an educated guess, no idea what the procedures behind "distilled ozonated water" are. Can be the name is partially a marketing gimmick.

[beebug]

I was able to find this, but most of it goes over my head…. Can anyone explain in layman terms and whether it may in fact mean breathing in bromate from a humidifier? That is my main concern, as I’m not drinking ozonated distilled water, just using it in a humidifier.

https://www.wateronline.com/doc/ozone-in-water-purification-and-bromate-formation-0001

[Borek]

It doesn't say anything that would go against what I wrote - distilled water should not contain bromides that can be oxidized to bromates.

[beebug]

It doesn't say anything that would go against what I wrote - distilled water should not contain bromides that can be oxidized to bromates.

So bromates and bromides are not one in the same? No worries of breathing any of the above in even if the water itself does contain “bromates?”

So lost right now. 🤯

[Borek]

There is an element, bromine. It is present in many compounds, the simplest of them are salts called bromides. They are always present in natural water in minute amounts and are typically quite safe. However, when you add ozone to such water, bromides can get oxidized to bromates - another type of bromine compounds. These are a bit worse.

But - and I repeat if for the third time - distillation is a process which removes dissolved substances from the water. So distilled water should not contain neither bromides, nor bromates.

As it is already devoid of all contamination distilled water should not require ozonation for further purification, no idea why they do it.

[beebug]

I think my confusion is that you’re saying that distilled water should contain nothing, but most websites including government websites are saying that ozonated distilled water is found to contain bromates in it.

And if that’s the case, my concern is how that affect my air quality if I used bromate containing ozonated distilled water in a humidifier? The question isn’t whether there is any or not, it’s IF it does contain bromate, am I breathing that in from the humidifier vapour?

The article above talked about how ozonated distilled water often does have bromate.

[Borek]

The article above talked about how ozonated distilled water often does have bromate.

Can you quote exact phrase/statement where it says anything about distilled water? I see no word "distilled" used at all.

[beebug]

I think maybe I’m confusing regular drinking water that has been ozonated vs distilled ozonated water?

https://www.wateronline.com/doc/ozone-in-water-purification-and-bromate-formation-0001

To go with the topic. If regular tap water is used that has bromate, which I’m assuming most tap water will have to some minor degree, is the bromate being breathed in from a humidifier in that case, or does this particular chemical/gas not work that way?

I do apologize, I did forewarn that I have no clue about this topic and hence I am asking the chemists!

[Borek]

I think maybe I’m confusing regular drinking water that has been ozonated vs distilled ozonated water?

That would be my guess

To go with the topic. If regular tap water is used that has bromate, which I’m assuming most tap water will have to some minor degree, is the bromate being breathed in from a humidifier in that case, or does this particular chemical/gas not work that way?

I would say yes. In general, regular tap water in ultrasonic humidifiers is a bad idea, not only because of the bromates - after the droplets dry out everything that was dissolved stays in the air as small particulates (compare https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Particulates ), they are definitely not something you want to breath in, no matter what their exact composition is.

I do apologize, I did forewarn that I have no clue about this topic and hence I am asking the chemists!

No problem and no need to apologize, you want to learn, we want to help.