Grantee Research Project Results
2017 Progress Report: Reclaimed Water Irrigation: Plant Accumulation and Risks of Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs)
EPA Grant Number: R835829Title: Reclaimed Water Irrigation: Plant Accumulation and Risks of Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs)
Investigators: Gan, Jay , Trumble, John T. , sun, Chengliang , Pennington, Marcus , Dudley, Stacia
Current Investigators: Gan, Jay , Trumble, John T. , Dudley, Stacia , Pennington, Marcus , sun, Chengliang
Institution: University of California - Riverside
EPA Project Officer: Packard, Benjamin H
Project Period: September 1, 2015 through August 31, 2018 (Extended to February 28, 2020)
Project Period Covered by this Report: September 1, 2016 through August 31,2017
Project Amount: $749,631
RFA: Human and Ecological Health Impacts Associated with Water Reuse and Conservation Practices (2014) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Human Health , Water
Objective:
In arid and semi-arid regions such as the southwestern U.S., municipally treated wastewater (or reclaimed water) is potentially a valuable water resource that may be used for augmenting agricultural irrigation, thus alleviating water scarcity caused by urbanization and droughts. A hurdle to this beneficial reuse, however, is the perceived uptake of and risks from contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) from the treated wastewater via food crops. In this project, we aim to identify CECs with the highest potential for plant accumulation, obtain first-hand values of occurrence of CECs in edible products of common vegetables and other food crops, and further characterize acute and sublethal effects of selected CECs on a range of important insects. This project will provide the much-needed first-hand information on the occurrence and potential risks of CECs in food plants when treated wastewater is used for irrigation. The study findings will be of great value to the scientific community and the society-at-large for developing knowledge that promotes the safe reuse of treated wastewater.
Progress Summary:
Our project has continued to make significant progress. The proposal has 4 objectives: 1) controlled experiments to evaluate plant uptake and metabolism of emerging contaminants; 2) field studies to evaluate plant accumulation of emerging contaminants under realistic conditions; 3) controlled experiments to evaluate effects of emerging contaminants on terrestrial insects and risk assessment to predict human exposure and risks; and 4) carry out educational and outreach activities. We have completed experiments to address objectives 1) and 3), and are preparing for a field study in Southern California for carrying objective 2). Our graduate students have given presentations to local K-12 students and talked about safe water reuse under objective 4). In addition to participation at EPA sponsored annual project meetings, we have made presentations at regional, national and international scientific meetings in connection with this project. We are scheduled to present at the WE&RF Agricultural Water Reuse workshop in Sacramento, CA, on January 31, 2018.
Future Activities:
We are preparing for a field study at the South Coast Research & Education Center in Orange County, CA, where we will evaluate accumulation of PPCPs from biosolids by common fruit trees under field conditions. Additionally, we will carry out laboratory and greenhouse scale experiments to understand how trace contaminants are distributed in plants at the cellular level, such as the role of cell wall in sorption and sequestration of such contaminants. We will also conduct assays to understand the oxidative stress and other enzymatic stresses induced by exposure of higher plants to PPCPs at environmentally relevant levels. Another experiment underway considers the influence of PPCPs on plant hormone balances. These planned studies together will contribute to a better understanding on the holistic effects of emerging contaminants in wastewater and biosolids on economically important crops.
Journal Articles on this Report : 7 Displayed | Download in RIS Format
| Other project views: | All 23 publications | 16 publications in selected types | All 16 journal articles |
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Fu Q, Wu X, Ye Q, Ernst F, Gan J. Biosolids inhibit bioavailability and plant uptake of triclosan and triclocarban. Water Research 2016;102:117-124. |
R835829 (2016) R835829 (2017) R835829 (2019) |
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Fu Q, Zhang J, Borchardt D, Schlenk D, Gan J. Direct conjugation of emerging contaminants in Arabidopsis: indication for an overlooked risk in plants? Environmental Science & Technology 2017;51(11):6071-6081. |
R835829 (2017) R835829 (2019) |
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Fu Q, Ye Q, Zhang J, Richards J, Borchardt D, Gan J. Diclofenac in Arabidopsis cells: rapid formation of conjugates. Environmental Pollution 2017;222:383-392. |
R835829 (2017) R835829 (2019) |
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Pennington MJ, Rothman JA, Jones MB, McFrederick QS, Gan J, Trumble JT. Effects of contaminants of emerging concern on Megaselia scalaris (Lowe, Diptera:Phoridae) and its microbial community. Scientific Reports 2017;7(1):8165 (12 pp.). |
R835829 (2017) |
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Pennington MJ, Rothman JA, Dudley SL, Jones MB, MdFredrick QS, Gan J, Trumble JT. Contaminants of emerging concern affect Trichoplusia ni growth and development on artificial diets and a key host plant. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 2017;114(46):E9923-E9931. |
R835829 (2017) R835829 (2019) |
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Pennington MJ, Rothman JA, Jones MB, McFrederick QS, Gan J, Trumble JT. Effects of contaminants of emerging concern on Myzus persicae (Sulzer, Hemiptera:Aphididae) biology and on their host plant, Capsicum annuum. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 2018;190(3):125. |
R835829 (2017) |
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Sun C, Dudley S, Trumble J, Gan J. Pharmaceutical and personal care products-induced stress symptoms and detoxification mechanisms in cucumber plants. Environmental Pollution 2018;234:39-47. |
R835829 (2017) R835829 (2019) |
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Progress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.