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Meeting in San Francisco: Integrated Disinfection By-Products Mixtures Research: Results from the Four Lab Study
Citation:
RICHARDSON, S. D., J. E. SIMMONS, M. G. NAROTSKY, L. D. CLAXTON, E. S. HUNTER, R. J. MILTNER, J. G. PRESSMAN, T. F. SPETH, G. E. RICE, L. K. TEUSCHLER, S. W. Krasner, AND H. S. Weinberg. Meeting in San Francisco: Integrated Disinfection By-Products Mixtures Research: Results from the Four Lab Study. Presented at Micropol and Ecohazard 2009 Conference, San Francisco, CA, June 08 - 10, 2009.
Impact/Purpose:
The purpose of this study is to address concerns related to potential health effects from exposure to complex mixtures of drinking water disinfection by-products (DBPs) that cannot be addressed directly from toxicological studies of individual DBPs or simple DBP mixtures.
Description:
This study involves the collaboration of the four national laboratories of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as well as other scientists from universities and water utilities, and is termed the ‘Four Lab Study’. The purpose of this study is to address concerns related to potential health effects from exposure to complex mixtures of drinking water disinfection by-products (DBPs) that cannot be addressed directly from toxicological studies of individual DBPs or simple DBP mixtures. Adverse health effects evaluated in this study include the reproductive and developmental effects observed in some recent human epidemiologic studies of drinking water, as well as several other toxicological endpoints. Along with extensive toxicity testing on these complex drinking water mixtures, DBPs were comprehensively identified using gas chromatography (GC) with low and high resolution electron ionization (EI) and chemical ionization (CI) mass spectrometry (MS). In addition, 75 priority DBPs were quantified, using GC/MS or GC with electron capture detection. Many DBPs were identified, including trihalomethanes (THMs), iodo-THMs, haloacetic and other halo-acids, haloamides, halonitromethanes, haloaldehydes, haloketones, halonitriles, nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) and other nitrosamines, MX (3-chloro-4-(dichloromethyl)-5-hydroxy-2(5H)-furanone), and MX analogues. Several DBPs, including bromochloroacetamide, bromodichloroacetamide, dibromochloroacetamide, brominated tins, and chloro-, bromo-, and iodo-phenols, have not been previously reported in the literature. Many DBPs identified were not present in either the NIST or Wiley mass spectra library databases. Toxicological endpoints investigated included reproductive and developmental effects for parental (P0), first generation (F1), and second generation (F2) rats. Toxicological effects included a slight, but significant delay in puberty for F1 female rats. Other toxicological effects included mutagenicity, which supports earlier findings of mutagenicity for chlorinated drinking water.