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Rodrigues-Silva F, Santos CS, Marrero JA, Montes R, Quintana JB, Rodil R, Nunes OC, Starling MCVM, Amorim CC, Gomes AI, Vilar VJP. Continuous UV-C/H 2O 2 and UV-C/Chlorine applied to municipal secondary effluent and nanofiltration retentate: Removal of contaminants of emerging concern, ecotoxicity, and reuse potential. CHEMOSPHERE 2024; 361:142355. [PMID: 38768787 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.142355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2024] [Revised: 05/14/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
As global effects of water scarcity raise concerns and environmental regulations evolve, contemporary wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) face the challenge of effectively removing a diverse range of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) from municipal effluents. This study focuses on the assessment of advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), specifically UV-C/H2O2 and UV-C/Chlorine, for the removal of 14 target CECs in municipal secondary effluent (MSE, spiked with 10 μg L-1 of each CEC) or in the subsequent MSE nanofiltration retentate (NFR, no spiking). Phototreatments were carried out in continuous mode operation, with a hydraulic retention time of 3.4 min, using a tube-in-tube membrane photoreactor. For both wastewater matrices, UV-C photolysis (3.3 kJ L-1) exhibited high efficacy in removing CECs susceptible to photolysis, although lower treatment performance was observed for NFR. In MSE, adding 10 mg L-1 of H2O2 or Cl2 enhanced treatment efficiency, with UV-C/H2O2 outperforming UV-C/Chlorine. Both UV-C/AOPs eliminated the chronic toxicity of MSE toward Chlorella vulgaris. In the NFR, not only was the degradation of target CECs diminished, but chronic toxicity to C. vulgaris persisted after both UV-C/AOPs, with UV-C/Chlorine increasing toxicity due to potential toxic by-products. Nanofiltration permeate (NFP) exhibited low CECs and microbial content. A single chlorine addition effectively controlled Escherichia coli regrowth for 3 days, proving NFP potential for safe reuse in crop irrigation (<1 CFU/100 mL for E. coli; <1 mg L-1 for free chlorine). These findings provide valuable insights into the applications and limitations of UV-C/H2O2 and UV-C/Chlorine for distinct wastewater treatment scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando Rodrigues-Silva
- Research Group on Environmental Applications of Advanced Oxidation Processes (GruPOA), Department of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering, The Federal University of Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627, 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Carla S Santos
- Laboratory of Separation and Reaction Engineering-Laboratory of Catalysis and Materials (LSRE-LCM), Faculty of Engineering University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal; Associate Laboratory in Chemical Engineering (ALiCE), Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal
| | - Joaquín A Marrero
- Associate Laboratory in Chemical Engineering (ALiCE), Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal; Laboratory for Process and Reaction Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy (LEPABE), Faculdade de Engenharia, Universidade do Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal
| | - Rosa Montes
- Aquatic One Health Research Center (ARCUS) & Department of Analytical Chemistry, Nutrition and Food Chemistry. R. Constantino Candeira S/N, IIAA building. Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - José Benito Quintana
- Aquatic One Health Research Center (ARCUS) & Department of Analytical Chemistry, Nutrition and Food Chemistry. R. Constantino Candeira S/N, IIAA building. Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Rosario Rodil
- Aquatic One Health Research Center (ARCUS) & Department of Analytical Chemistry, Nutrition and Food Chemistry. R. Constantino Candeira S/N, IIAA building. Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Olga C Nunes
- Associate Laboratory in Chemical Engineering (ALiCE), Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal; Laboratory for Process and Reaction Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy (LEPABE), Faculdade de Engenharia, Universidade do Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal
| | - Maria Clara V M Starling
- Research Group on Environmental Applications of Advanced Oxidation Processes (GruPOA), Department of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering, The Federal University of Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627, 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Camila C Amorim
- Research Group on Environmental Applications of Advanced Oxidation Processes (GruPOA), Department of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering, The Federal University of Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627, 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
| | - Ana I Gomes
- Laboratory of Separation and Reaction Engineering-Laboratory of Catalysis and Materials (LSRE-LCM), Faculty of Engineering University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal; Associate Laboratory in Chemical Engineering (ALiCE), Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal.
| | - Vítor J P Vilar
- Laboratory of Separation and Reaction Engineering-Laboratory of Catalysis and Materials (LSRE-LCM), Faculty of Engineering University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal; Associate Laboratory in Chemical Engineering (ALiCE), Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal.
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Collard M, Camenzuli L, Lyon D, Saunders D, Vallotton N, Curtis-Jackson P. "Persistence and mobility (defined as organic‑carbon partitioning) do not correlate to the detection of substances found in surface and groundwater: Criticism of the regulatory concept of persistent and mobile substances". THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 906:167355. [PMID: 37769732 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Delina Lyon
- Concawe, Brussels, Belgium, , Boulevard du Souverain 165, B-1160 Brussels, Belgium.
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Selak A, Reberski JL, Klobučar G. Assessing the persistence, mobility and toxicity of emerging organic contaminants in Croatian karst springs used for drinking water supply. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 903:166240. [PMID: 37572907 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Revised: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 08/14/2023]
Abstract
Emerging organic contaminants (EOCs) are a vast group of often (very)persistent, (very)mobile and toxic (PMT/vPvM) substances that are continuously released worldwide, posing environmental and human health risks. Research on occurrence and behavior of EOCs in karst is in its infancy, thus policy measures and legislative control of these compounds in groundwater are still lacking. The Dinaric karst aquifers are an essential source of drinking water for almost half of Croatia's territory. Intense karstification, complex heterogeneous characteristics, and high fracture-cavernous porosity result in rapid, far-reaching groundwater flow and large karst springs, but also high intrinsic vulnerability due to low contaminant attenuation. To prioritize future monitoring and establish appropriate thresholds for EOCs detected in Croatian karst drinking water resources, in silico tools based on quantitative structure-activity relationships were used in PBT (persistence, bioaccumulation, and toxicity) and PMT/vPvM analyzes, while toxicological assessment helped identify potential threats to human health. In 33 samples collected during two sampling campaigns in 2019 at 16 karst springs and one lake used for water supply, we detected 65 compounds (EOCs and some legacy chemicals), of which 7 were classified as potentially PBT or vPvB compounds (PFOS, PFHxS, PFHpA, PFOA, PFNA, boscalid, and azoxystrobin), while only 2 compounds were assessed as not PMT/vPvM. This finding underlines that most of detected EOCs potentially endanger karst (ground)water ecosystems and important drinking water sources in Croatia. Comparison of maximum concentrations with existing or derived drinking water guideline values revealed how 2 of 65 detected compounds represent a potential risk to human health at lifelong exposure (sulfadiazine and hydrochlorothiazide), while 5 chemicals warrant additional human health impacts studies and groundwater monitoring. Although most compounds do not individually pose a significant risk to human health at current environmental levels, their potential synergistic and long-term effects remain unknown.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Selak
- HGI-CGS - Croatian Geological Survey, Department of Hydrogeology and Engineering Geology, Sachsova 2, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Jasmina Lukač Reberski
- HGI-CGS - Croatian Geological Survey, Department of Hydrogeology and Engineering Geology, Sachsova 2, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia.
| | - Göran Klobučar
- PMF - Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Division of Zoology, Rooseveltov trg 6, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
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Huang W, Pan XF, Tang S, Sun F, Wu P, Yuan J, Sun W, Pan A, Chen D. Target Exposome for Characterizing Early Gestational Exposure to Contaminants of Emerging Concern and Association with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:13408-13418. [PMID: 37651547 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c04492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
Characterization of gestational exposure to complex contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) is critical to the identification of environmental risk factors for pregnancy complications. However, determination of various CECs with diverse physicochemical properties in biological fluids is technically challenging. In the present study, we developed a target exposome protocol, consisting of simple liquid-liquid extraction-based sample preparation and sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis, to determine 325 CECs covering 11 subclasses, including poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances, organophosphate esters, ultraviolet (UV) stabilizers, synthetic antioxidants, phthalate esters, and several others. The protocol exhibits exceptional advantages over traditional approaches in the coverage of chemicals, sample volume demand, and time and financial cost. The protocol was applied in a prospective nested gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) study including 120 cases and 240 matched healthy controls. Thirty-three CECs were detected in >70% of the samples, with a combined concentration of 17.0-484.7 ng/mL. Bayesian kernel machine regression analysis showed that exposure to the CEC mixture was significantly associated with a higher GDM risk. For example, when increasing all CECs in the mixture from 50th percentile to 75th percentile, the estimated probit of GDM incidence had an increase of 92% (95% CI: 56%, 127%). Meanwhile, perfluorohexanesulfonic acid, 1,3-diphenylguanidine, and dibutyl fumarate were identified as the key CECs driving the joint effect. This work demonstrates great potential of our target exposome protocol for environmental risk factor identification in large-scale epidemiology or biomonitoring studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Huang
- School of Environment, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, Guangdong, China
| | - Xiong-Fei Pan
- Section of Epidemiology and Population Health & Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children & National Medical Products Administration Key Laboratory for Technical Research on Drug Products In Vitro and In Vivo Correlation, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University; Shuangliu Institute of Women's and Children's Health, Shuangliu Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Shuqin Tang
- School of Environment, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, Guangdong, China
| | - Fengjiang Sun
- School of Environment, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, Guangdong, China
| | - Ping Wu
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, China
| | - Jiaying Yuan
- Department of Science and Education, Shuangliu Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan 610200, China
| | - Wenwen Sun
- Shanghai AB Sciex Analytical Instrument Trading Co., Ltd, Shanghai 200335, China
| | - An Pan
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, China
| | - Da Chen
- School of Environment, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, Guangdong, China
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Huang Y, You Y, Wu M, Han M, Zhang J, Gao W, Xie D, Chen H, Ou H, Song N, Cheng C, Zhuang W, Li J, Lei Z, Jin B, Zhou Z, Li M. Chemical characterization and source attribution of organic pollutants in industrial wastewaters from a Chinese chemical industrial park. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 229:115980. [PMID: 37098386 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.115980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2023] [Revised: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 04/22/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Accelerated urbanization and industrialization have led to an alarming increase in the generation of wastewater with complex chemical contents. Industrial wastewaters are often a primary source of water contamination. The chemical characterization of different industrial wastewater types is an essential task to interpret the chemical fingerprints of wastewater to identify pollution sources and develop efficient water treatment strategies. In this study, we conduct a non-target chemical analysis for the source characterization of different industrial wastewater samples collected from a chemical industrial park (CIP) located in southeast China. The chemical screening identified volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds that included dibutyl phthalate at a maximum concentration of 13.4 μg/L and phthalic anhydride at 35.9 μg/L. Persistent, mobile, and toxic (PMT) substances among the detected organic compounds were identified and prioritized as high-concern contaminants given their impact on drinking water resources. Moreover, a source analysis of the wastewater collected from the wastewater outlet station indicated that the dye production industry contributed the largest quantities of toxic contaminates (62.6%), and this result was consistent with the ordinary least squares and heatmap results. Thus, our study utilized a combined approach of a non-target chemical analysis, a pollution source identification method, and a PMT assessment of different industrial wastewater samples collected from the CIP. The results of the chemical fingerprints of different industrial wastewater types as well as the results of the PMT assessment benefit risk-based wastewater management and source reduction strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yihua Huang
- Institute of Mass Spectrometry and Atmospheric Environment, Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center for On-line Source Apportionment System of Air Pollution, Jinan University, Guangzhou, PR China; Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Joint Laboratory of Collaborative Innovation for Environmental Quality, Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Yinong You
- Institute of Mass Spectrometry and Atmospheric Environment, Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center for On-line Source Apportionment System of Air Pollution, Jinan University, Guangzhou, PR China; Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Joint Laboratory of Collaborative Innovation for Environmental Quality, Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Manman Wu
- School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Min Han
- State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Deep Earth Science, Guangzhou, 510640, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 10069, China
| | - Jin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, Yangtze Institute for Conservation and Development, Hohai University, Nanjing, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, PR China
| | - Wei Gao
- Institute of Mass Spectrometry and Atmospheric Environment, Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center for On-line Source Apportionment System of Air Pollution, Jinan University, Guangzhou, PR China; Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Joint Laboratory of Collaborative Innovation for Environmental Quality, Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Danping Xie
- South China Institute of Environment Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Hongzhan Chen
- Guangzhou Sub-branch of Guangdong Ecological and Environmental Monitoring Center, Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Hui Ou
- Guangzhou Sub-branch of Guangdong Ecological and Environmental Monitoring Center, Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Ninghui Song
- Nanjing Institute of Environmental Science, MEE, Nanjing, PR China
| | - Chunlei Cheng
- Institute of Mass Spectrometry and Atmospheric Environment, Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center for On-line Source Apportionment System of Air Pollution, Jinan University, Guangzhou, PR China; Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Joint Laboratory of Collaborative Innovation for Environmental Quality, Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Wen Zhuang
- Guangzhou Hexin Instrument Co., Ltd, Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Jiaqi Li
- Guangzhou Hexin Instrument Co., Ltd, Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Zhipeng Lei
- Guangzhou Hexin Instrument Co., Ltd, Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Biao Jin
- State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Deep Earth Science, Guangzhou, 510640, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 10069, China
| | - Zhen Zhou
- Institute of Mass Spectrometry and Atmospheric Environment, Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center for On-line Source Apportionment System of Air Pollution, Jinan University, Guangzhou, PR China; Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Joint Laboratory of Collaborative Innovation for Environmental Quality, Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Mei Li
- Institute of Mass Spectrometry and Atmospheric Environment, Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center for On-line Source Apportionment System of Air Pollution, Jinan University, Guangzhou, PR China; Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Joint Laboratory of Collaborative Innovation for Environmental Quality, Guangzhou, PR China.
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Abdou M, Monteiro CE, Brito P, Neuparth T, Pinheiro M, Santos M, Caetano M. Platinum Group Element distribution in water and marine biota from two impacted estuarine environments (Douro and Ave estuaries, Portugal). MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2023; 192:114990. [PMID: 37167661 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.114990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Revised: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/22/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Platinum Group Elements (PGEs) are contaminants of emerging environmental concern considering their continuous increasing use and subsequent release in the environment. While recent field studies provided PGE levels in seawater, scarce knowledge still exists regarding PGE contamination in marine organisms, especially for rhodium (Rh). Water, macroalgae and mussels were sampled along two representative urbanized estuarine systems and adjacent coastal areas (Douro and Ave estuaries, Portugal). Rhodium and platinum (Pt) concentrations were quantified through both stripping voltammetry and mass spectrometry in collected samples. Spatial mapping of PGE contamination was, to a certain extent, correlated with proxies of urban effluents. The use of Pt/Rh ratios reflected the dominant influence of PGE traffic emissions along the Douro and inputs from various sources (including industries) on the Ave Estuary. Macroalgae and mussels PGE concentrations reflected urban pressure, amplifying environmental signals, and supporting their relevant use as bioindicators of PGE contamination in estuarine/coastal systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melina Abdou
- Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), University of Porto (U.Porto), Av. General Norton de Matos s/n, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal.
| | - Carlos Eduardo Monteiro
- Environmental Biogeochemistry, Centro de Química Estrutural, Institute of Molecular Sciences, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais 1, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Pedro Brito
- IPMA-Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera, Rua Dr. Alfredo Magalhães Ramalho, 6, 1495-006 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Teresa Neuparth
- Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), University of Porto (U.Porto), Av. General Norton de Matos s/n, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal
| | - Marlene Pinheiro
- Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), University of Porto (U.Porto), Av. General Norton de Matos s/n, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal; FCUP - Biology Department, Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto (U.Porto), Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Miguel Santos
- Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), University of Porto (U.Porto), Av. General Norton de Matos s/n, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal; FCUP - Biology Department, Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto (U.Porto), Rua do Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Miguel Caetano
- Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), University of Porto (U.Porto), Av. General Norton de Matos s/n, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal; IPMA-Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera, Rua Dr. Alfredo Magalhães Ramalho, 6, 1495-006 Lisboa, Portugal
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Collard M, Camenzuli L, Lyon D, Saunders D, Vallotton N, Curtis-Jackson P. Persistence and Mobility (defined as organic‑carbon partitioning) do not correlate to the detection of substances found in surface and groundwater: Criticism of the regulatory concept of Persistent and mobile substances. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 865:161228. [PMID: 36586701 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.161228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Revised: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The Chemical Strategy for Sustainability (CSS) includes actions to ensure the protection of drinking water resources from chemical pollution. To proactively identify potential pollutants, the German Environment Agency (UBA) proposed the Persistent and Mobile (PM) concept according to which Persistence (criteria of REACH Annex XIII) and Mobility (log Koc < 4) would be proxies for a substance's degradation potential and transport velocity, two processes believed to drive the potential for contamination of surface and groundwater as drinking water sources. Two studies identified hundreds of PM substances while three subsequent studies have selected some of these substances for monitoring in surface, ground- and/or drinking water to support the concept. In the present work, the Persistence of the aforementioned substances was reassessed based on all experimental data publicly available. Depending on the exact study examined, it was found that 15 % to 40 % of the substances were erroneously concluded as P. The reinterpretation of the data indicates that a PM substance does not have a higher likelihood to be detected in surface or groundwater than a non-PM substance. In addition, the PM properties do not have any influence on the level of contamination. Twenty-six to 75 % of the substances selected because they were identified as PM were not found in surface or ground water despite being selected for their high emission pattern. Regulations based primarily on the PM concept, like the CLP and possibly REACH and UN-GHS, are unlikely to appropriately identify substances of concern for drinking water sources. It is more likely that chemical presence in surface and groundwater is driven by emission patterns or local factors. The development of specific exposure models would better contribute to the protection of drinking water resources and consumers.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Delina Lyon
- Concawe, Boulevard du Souverain 165, B-1160 Brussels, Belgium.
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