Overview
ISO/TR 19588:2017 - Background information and guidance on environmental cyanide analysis provides practical guidance on selecting and performing fit‑for‑purpose cyanide analyses for soils, waters, effluents and wastes. The technical report reviews International (ISO), American (ASTM, EPA) and European (CEN) cyanide methods, explains cyanide chemistry and species, and gives recommendations on sample preservation, interference minimization and result interpretation for environmental monitoring and compliance.
Key topics
- Cyanide species and fate
- Definitions and behaviour of free cyanide (HCN/CN−), weakly complexed (liberatable) cyanides, and strongly complexed cyanides.
- Degradation products such as thiocyanate (SCN−), cyanogen halides, organic cyanides and cyanates (CNO−), and environmental fate considerations (pH dependence, solubility).
- Analytical parameters and terminology
- Guidance for measuring free cyanide, easily liberatable cyanide (ELC), weak acid dissociable (WAD) cyanide, total cyanide, and cyanide amenable to chlorination.
- Methods review
- Sample handling and interferences
- Recommended preservation practices (references to ISO 5667‑3 and ISO 17690) and a detailed discussion of interference effects and how to minimize them during collection, transport and analysis.
- Supporting annexes
- Informative annexes summarizing terms, analytical methods, method scopes, performance characteristics and potential interferences.
Practical applications
ISO/TR 19588:2017 is a hands‑on reference for:
- Environmental laboratories choosing appropriate cyanide methods and reporting conventions.
- Regulators and compliance officers interpreting cyanide results and setting monitoring requirements (note: WHO drinking‑water guideline cited in the report).
- Mining and metallurgical operations, wastewater treatment facilities and remediation consultants conducting site assessments, discharge monitoring and post‑remediation verification.
- Researchers and method developers needing a consolidated overview of method scopes, limitations and matrix effects.
Related standards
This technical report is essential for professionals who require a clear, practical synthesis of cyanide analytical approaches, species‑specific interpretation and laboratory best practices for environmental monitoring.