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Evaluation of Drinking Water Treatment Technologies for Removal of Endocrine Disrupting Compounds
Impact Statement: Concerns have been raised regarding the possible presence of EDCs in drinking water. Many of the chemicals identified as potential EDCs may have been introduced to surface or ground waters used as drinking water sources from domestic and industrial sewage treatment systems and wet-weather runoff. Some of these compounds have already been shown to be present in the aquatic environment, leading to concern over the possible presence of EDCs in drinking waters. In order to decrease the risk of potential adverse health effects associated with the presence of EDCs in drinking water, two basic strategies exist. One is to protect source waters from contamination by EDCs. The other is to remove EDCs, which may be present in source waters, during the drinking water treatment process. This project addresses the latter approach by evaluating the removal of several EDCs by various drinking water treatment processes.
Project Description: This project is divided into the four following parts:
- The first is the development of analytical methods to identify and quantify the analytes. The compounds to be evaluated initially are six steroid hormones. In the future, a group of alkylphenolic compounds will be added.
- The second part of the project is the application of a reporter gene assay, the MVLN assay, to evaluate the removal of estrogenic activity from the water samples.
- The third part of the study will be conducted using bench-scale experiments to evaluate various drinking water treatment processes. These will include granular activated carbon (GAC), conventional treatment, softening, and nanofiltration.
- For each of these processes, pilot-scale evaluations may be conducted in the fourth part of the study, if warranted.
Results: The development of an analytical method for the six steroid hormones has been completed. The method includes solid phase extraction followed by liquid chromatography/mass spectroscopy (LC/MS) using electrospray ionization. All six of the steroids can be separated on a C18 LC column using a single step gradient. Selective ion monitoring is being used to achieve detection limits in the low ng/L range in organic-free water. The analytical procedure for the alkylphenols is not yet complete.
The
applicability of the MVLN assay to this project is currently being determined.
Dose-response curves for the six steroid hormones have been established.
The water samples evaluated to date have been collected from GAC studies.
The results of the MVLN assay have been consistent with the steroid concentrations
determined analytically, as would be anticipated since adsorption onto
GAC would not be expected to result in structural changes in the target
compound.
Preliminary bench-scale studies have been conducted to evaluate the ability of GAC to adsorb the steroid hormones. The data suggests that the capacity of GAC for adsorption of testosterone and ethynylestradiol will be high. However, it appears that the adsorption rates are very slow.
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Publications & Products:
SETAC 23rd Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City,
November 16-20, 2003
"Evaluation
of Drinking Water Treatment Technologies for Removal of Endocrine Disrupting
Compounds (Poster),” (PDF, 264 Kb, 1
p) by Kathleen Schenck, Thomas Speth, Laura Rosenblum, Steve Wendelken,
Barry Pepich, and Radha Krishnan.
Course sponsored by the National Ground Water
Association, Tampa - December 2001, and Minneapolis - March 2003
"Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals in the
Environment: What Does it Mean for Ground Water?", taught by John
McLachlan, Douglas Meffert and Gregory Sayles
Poster presentation given at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, November, 2002 (abstract P218).
Japan - US Governmental Conference on Drinking
Water Quality Management and Wastewater Control, Tokyo, Japan, October,
2002 and 2002 AWWA Endocrine Disruptors and the Water Industry Symposium,
Cincinnati, OH, April 18-20, 2002
"Evaluation of Drinking Water Treatment Technologies for
Removal of Endocrine Disruptors Chemicals" by Kathleen Schenck and
Thomas Speth, Japan
2002 AWWA Endocrine Disruptors and the Water
Industry Symposium, Cincinnati, OH, April 18-20, 2002
“Endocrine Disruptors & the Water Industry” by Kathleen
Schenck and Thomas Speth
Removal
of Endocrine Disruptor Chemicals During Drinking Water Treatment
EPA/625/R-00/015
March 2001
A group of chemicals, known as endocrine disruptor chemicals (EDC's),
has been identified as having the potential to cause adverse health effects
in humans and wildlife. Among this group DDT, PCBs, endosulfan, methoxychlor,
diethylphthalate, diethylhexylphthalate, and bisphenol A may occur in
drinking water. The various components of the drinking water treatment
process have been evaluated and granular activated carbon has been identified
as the method to be used for the removal of EDC's from drinking water.
This document presents treatment processes for large municipalities and
small communities to remove EDC's from drinking water.
Contact Information: For more information concerning Drinking Water Treatment Technologies for Removal of Endocrine Disrupting Compounds, please contact Kathleen Schenck at phone (513) 569-7947 or fax (513) 569-7185.