Keywords:
INORGANIC ARSENIC SPECIES, IRON, EDTA, DRINKING WATER, IN-FIELD PRESERVATION,
Project Information:
Progress
:The research under this task is complete (an additional publication based on this research - the in-field preservation of inorganic arsenic species in iron rich drinking water sources - will be submitted to a peer reviewed journal by September, 2003). In summary,
A procedure was developed to separate and identify arsenic species using ion chromatography with inductively coupled plasma - mass spectrometry (presented at SEGH, 98).
Preservation data was presented at a number of scientific conferences - (SEGH 98), (Winter Conference, 00) (ICCS, 01).
Research indicated that EDTA prevents arsenic losses in iron rich waters (JEM, 2001). The EDTA treatment (described in JEM,2001) has been utilized in the field (on 5 independent well waters) and has demonstrated good As(III) and As(V) stabilities for greater than 30 days (presented at ICCS, 2001).
Papers/Presentations produced under this task:
-Creed, J., Schwegel, C. and X. Wei, "Arsenic speciation in Drinking Water Matrices Via IC-ICP-MS", SEGH, 8/98, San Diego, CA.
-Creed, J., Gallagher, P., Shoemaker, J., Wei, X., and C. Brockhoff, "Speciation of Drinking Water Contaminants by IC-ICP-MS", presented at Jekyll Island Symposium, May 1999, Jekyll Island, GA.
-Schwegel, C., Gallagher, P., Wei, X., and J. Creed, "Speciation and Preservation Studies of Inorganic Arsenic in Drinking Water Sources Using IC-ICP/MS", presented at Winter Conference on Plasma Spectrochemistry, January 2000, Ft Lauderdale, FL."
- Creed, J., Wei, X., Gallagher, P. and C. Schwegel, "Use of EDTA for Preservation of Arsenic Species in Iron Rich Drinking Water Sources", presented at the American Water Works Association Meeting, November 5-9, 2000, Salt Lake City, Utah.
- Gallagher, P., Schwegel, C., Wei, X. and J. Creed, "Speciation and Preservation of Inorganic Arsenic in Drinking Water Sources Using EDTA with IC Separation and ICP-MS Detection," published in the Journal of Environmental Monitoring, 3, 371-76, 2001.
- Gallagher, P., Schwegel, C., Heck, A., Gamble, B. and J. Creed, "An Investigation of As(III) / As(V) Stability in Iron Rich Water Matrices " presented at ICCS, Chicago, IL 2001.
Relevance
:Relevance: The Office of Research and Development has designated the study of arsenic as a high priority research area because of the health risk associated from exposure to this element. The research described in this task is identified in the Arsenic Research Plan (ARP) as Exposure Issue 1. Therefore, this task is relevant to the Agency's mission in that it addresses scientific shortcomings identified in the ARP and supports treatment decision making which ultimately minimizes exposure to arsenic from drinking water ingestion. Significance: The reduction in the arsenic maximum contaminant level (MCL) from 50ppb to 10ppb will require noncompliant drinking water supplies to implement some type of treatment to reduce exposures. The research described in this task will improve the efficiency of arsenic removal by providing treatment engineers with accurate information regarding the redox mixture present in the untreated water. The need for effective treatment decision making will grow in its significance as the emphasis of the arsenic rule shifts from drafting legislation to implementation and ongoing compliance. Impact: Compliance implies added treatment costs and these costs are directly impacted by poor or inaccurate treatment decision making. The need to comply with the arsenic rule will in some cases require the "tweeking" of existing removal strategies while wholesale changes in the treatment may be necessary. Decisions made on poor analytical results can mislead treatment engineers and in turn affect overall costs and ultimately influence the effectiveness of the removal and exposure of arsenic through drinking water consumption. Collaboration and Customer Interaction: From the inception of this project, the PI has collaborated with NRMRL who has provided NERL with field samples. Through routine (every other month) informal meetings, the progress, results and the need for future samplings are discussed. The collaboration with NRMRL has also resulted in the identification of additional issues (i.e, media evaluation and pipe scale characterization) which will be initiated in FY02 in a separate task. In addition, the PI participates on an American Water Works Association Research Foundation Project Advisory Committee (AWWARF PAC) for the in-field speciation of arsenic and through this has been exposed to some AWWA issues and research conducted at USGS. The PI has been invited to sit on an upcoming AWWARF PAC on the preservation of arsenic. Through these interactions with AWWARF and NRMRL, the research efforts conducted in this task have been refocused and refined to address treatment needs. Finally, communication is maintained with the Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water in order to determine research needs and provide information which could impact future arsenic drinking water regulations. This exchange is accomplished through teleconferences, through communication with NERL's ALD for Drinking Water or through exchange of research results.
Clients
:Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water (Ireen Dooley and Jennifer Wu)
Research Component
:ARSENIC
Risk Paradigm
:EXPOSURE
Project IDs:
ID Code
:none
Project type
:ORD-DW Plan
ID Code
:10910
Project type
:OMIS