Cyanide

What is Cyanide?
Cyanide is a colorless gas not normally present in drinking water. The most commonly-used form, hydrogen Cyanide, is mainly used to make compounds needed to manufacture synthetic fibers such as nylon. Other forms of Cyanide are used as herbicides or in the mining industry. It is highly toxic and can cause death to humans and animals. In the drinking water regulations, it is defined as a Chemical parameter.
What is an exceedance for Cyanide?
The limit set out in the drinking water directive for Cyanide is 50?g/l. Therefore, any result above this level is an exceedance for Cyanide.
How would a Cyanide exceedance occur?
A Cyanide exceedance in drinking water may be because of an industrial spill or incident, with the source water for the treatment plant becoming contaminated.