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EVALUATION OF DRINKING WATER TREATMENT TECHNOLOGIES FOR REMOVAL OF ENDOCRINE DISRUPTORS
Citation:
Schenck*, K M., T F. Speth*, R. Krishnan, B. Pepich, S. Wendelken, AND L Rosenblum. EVALUATION OF DRINKING WATER TREATMENT TECHNOLOGIES FOR REMOVAL OF ENDOCRINE DISRUPTORS. Presented at Annual Meeting of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC), Salt Lake City, UT, 11/16-20/2002.
Description:
Evaluation of Drinking Water Treatment Technologies for Removal of Endocrine Disruptors. Schenck, K*, Speth, T, U.S. EPA, Cincinnati, OH, USA, Rosenblum, L, Wendelken, S, Pepich, B, and Krishnan, R, Shaw Environmental, Inc., Cincinnati, OH, USA. Many of the chemicals identified as potential endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) may be present in surface or ground waters used as drinking water sources due to their introduction 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 a growing 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. The compounds to be evaluated are all steroid hormones: estradiol; estriol; ethynylestradiol; progesterone; testosterone and dihydrotestosterone. The analytical method for the steroid hormones includes solid phase extraction followed by liquid chromatography/mass spectroscopy (LC/MS) using electrospray ionization. The extraction procedure is reliable over a concentration range of 104. All six of the steroids can be separated on a C18 LC column using a single step gradient of 50 to 65% methanol in ammonium hydroxide in water. Single ion monitoring is being used to achieve detection limits in the low ng/L range in organic-free water. Bench-scale experiments are being conducted to evaluate various drinking water treatment processes. These include granular activated carbon, conventional treatment, softening, and nanofiltration. The water matrix will be either an organic-free water, a ground water or a surface water depending on the treatment being evaluated. For each of these processes, pilot-scale evaluations may be conducted, if warranted.