Turbidity and the Sample Zeroing Accessory Pack

Turbidity is haze or cloudiness in water caused by suspended matter. Turbid water is commonly described as hazy, milky, cloudy or dirty. High levels of turbidity usually indicate low water quality.

A common field test to check for turbidity is to hold a flashlight up to the water sample. If the light makes the sample look cloudy or the beam highlights particles in the water, your sample is turbid. Turbidity is scientifically measured using an instrument called a turbidimeter or nephelometer and is reported in Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU).

Turbidity interferes with instrumental colorimetric water analysis by causing discoloration and light scattering in the sample. Sample filtration is commonly employed to reduce turbidity, but this is not always appropriate depending on the testing environment or the analyte being measured.

If filtering samples to remove turbidity is not an option when using CHEMetrics Vacu-vials® kits, then the Sample Zeroing Accessory Pack may be your answer. The Sample Zeroing Accessory Pack allows the operator to zero their instrument with a zero blank from the same source as the water sample. This corrects for the turbidity in the sample allowing for a more accurate measurement of the analyte being tested.

For more information, visit us at https://www.chemetrics.com/szap/. Also, watch a brief demonstration HERE