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Chemical Analysis of Drinking Water Concentrates in the Four Lab Study
Citation:
MILTNER, R. J., S. D. RICHARDSON, J. G. PRESSMAN, T. F. SPETH, J. E. SIMMONS, A. McDONALD, S. KRASNER, AND H. WEINBERG. Chemical Analysis of Drinking Water Concentrates in the Four Lab Study. Presented at 2008 TOXICOLOGY AND RISK ASSESSMENT Conference, CINCINNATI, OH, April 15, 2008.
Impact/Purpose:
to present information
Description:
The purpose of the Four Lab study was to evaluate potential health effects from exposure to disinfection by-products (DBPs). Unchlorinated water taken from a full-scale drinking water treatment plant was concentrated and chlorinated to form DBPs. Both the unchlorinated (control) and chlorinated DBP (treated) concentrates were quantitated chemically and evaluated toxicologically. The chlorinated DBP concentrates were tested for mutagenicity in a Salmonella assay and for reproductive and developmental effects in a rodent bioassay. One of the Four Labs (NRMRL) and a private lab were used to quantitate the regulated and routinely monitored DBPs in the concentrates. Additionally, another of the Four Labs (NERL) qualitatively identified other DBPs by GC/MS. This presentation will discuss the various analytic methods employed. It will present the DBPs in the concentrates and their levels, the stability of the unchlorinated concentrate over the multi-generational feeding schedule, the stability of the chlorinated DBPs while on feeding cages, and the reproducibility of numerous chlorination events over the multi-generational feeding schedule. It will also compare the 1x equivalents of the DBP concentrates to the 1x DBPs in the public drinking waters. (This abstract does not reflect EPA policy.)