Structure and Sensory Analyses of Tainting Substances in Finnish Freshwater Environments

GC/MS/SNIFF/TASTE methods have been used in Finland to identify the causes of three tainting problems in water and one in fish nets. Structure determination was often verified by comparison with authentic compounds. Algal growth was implicated to be the source of geosmin and MIB in river water in Northern Finland and was associated with the appearance of tainting problems in raw water and reservoir water in Åland county. Terpenoids (e.g. camphor), degradation products of natural lipids (e.g. aldehydes, ketones and unsaturated aliphatic compounds) and volatile organohalogen compounds were frequently found in contaminated water but showed minor tainting effects compared to geosmin and MIB. Di-tert.-butyl-p-cresol and chlorobenzene also produced only minor tainting effects.