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USING MEMBRANES TO CONCENTRATE DISINFECTION BYPRODUCTS FOR SUBSEQUENT HEALTH EFFECTS STUDIES
Citation:
SPETH, T. F., R. J. MILTNER, J. E. SIMMONS, S. D. RICHARDSON, G. RICE, L. K. TEUSCHLER, AND K. M. SCHENCK. USING MEMBRANES TO CONCENTRATE DISINFECTION BYPRODUCTS FOR SUBSEQUENT HEALTH EFFECTS STUDIES. Presented at UC Advanced Gradute Seminar, Cincinnati, OH, May 13, 2005.
Impact/Purpose:
To inform the public
Description:
Chemical disinfection of water is a major public health advance that has decreased dramatically water-borne disease. Disinfecting agents react with naturally occurring organic and inorganic matter in water to produce a wide variety of disinfection byproducts (DBPs). Although more than 500 DBPs have been identified, ~50% of the total organic halide mass formed during chlorination remains unidentified. The available experimental-animal single-chemical DBP studies do not appear to explain either the cancer or noncancer health effects observed in some epidemiological studies. To conduct in vivo health effect studies on environmentally realistic complex mixtures of DBPs, concentrated aqueous solutions of DBPs were needed. We developed a novel method for concentration of DBPs. The concentration methodology was able to produce concentrates that retained large percentages of the DBPs that were in the initial finished drinking waters. Also, the distributions of the DBPs in the concentrates matched those found in the finished drinking waters. Importantly, the water concentrates were palatable to rats and most DBPs appeared stable over 10 days of storage and during 2 days on the rat cages.