Nationwide reconnaissance of contaminants of emerging concern in source and treated drinking waters of the United States

Abstract

When chemical or microbial contaminants are assessed for potential effect or possible regulation in ambient and drinking waters, a critical first step is determining if the contaminants occur and if they are at concentrations that may cause human or ecological health concerns. To this end, source and treated drinking water samples from 29 drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) were analyzed as part of a two-phase study to determine whether chemical and microbial constituents, many of which are considered contaminants of emerging concern, were detectable in the waters. Of the 84 chemicals monitored in the 9 Phase I DWTPs, 27 were detected at least once in the source water, and 21 were detected at least once in treated drinking water. In Phase II, which was a broader and more comprehensive assessment, 247 chemical and microbial analytes were measured in 25 DWTPs, with 148 detected at least once in the source water, and 121 detected at least once in the treated drinking water. The frequency of detection was often related to the analyte's contaminant class, as pharmaceuticals and anthropogenic waste indicators tended to be infrequently detected and more easily removed during treatment, while per and polyfluoroalkyl substances and inorganic constituents were both more frequently detected and, overall, more resistant to treatment. The data collected as part of this project will be used to help inform evaluation of unregulated contaminants in surface water, groundwater, and drinking water.

Modeled De Facto Reuse and Contaminants of Emerging Concern in Drinking Water Source Waters

“…CEC occurrence information for source water and treated waters at DWTPs were previously reported by Glassmeyer et al (). This study uses the data from Phase II of Glassmeyer et al () for the 192 organic CECs from the 22 surface water DWTPs.…”

Pharmaceutical Dispensing and Wasting In Health Care Facilities, Amounts, Costs and Evaluation of Potential Ecologic Effects

“…In the present study, all but two of the wasted, discarded or dispensed drugs were excreted in whole or in part as active drug [18] or drug conjugates [3]. Kummerer [76] found that nearly 70% of drugs evaluated were excreted unchanged.…”

“…Low levels of antibiotics, antiinflammatory, endocrine disruptors, psychotropics and mood altering drugs and X-ray contrast media have been detected in surface waters, soils, wastewaters and in drinking water sources of major cities, both within the USA and worldwide [1][2][3][4]. Recent reviews have described the occurrence and possible effects of drug residues in tissues of aquatic organisms and wildlife [5][6][7].…”

The scientist, the politician, the artist and the citizen: how water united them

“…For example, the occurrence of compounds of emerging concern in tap water (e.g. [29]) or connected water resources [30] has received a lot of attention whilst the fact that most European cities loose considerable amounts of pure drinking water due to leakage and antiquated infrastructures hardly raises an eyebrow—on average 25% exceeding even 40% in some cases [31]. Despite the fact that renewable water is abundant in Europe, signals from long-term climate and hydrological assessments, including population dynamics, indicate that there was a 24% decrease in renewable water resources per capita across Europe between 1960 and 2010, particularly in southern Europe [32].…”