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Cell-based metabolomics approach for assessing the impact of wastewater treatment plant effluent on downstream water quality
Citation:
Zhen, H., H. Nguyen, D. Ekman, Tim Collette, S. Glassmeyer, AND Q. Teng. Cell-based metabolomics approach for assessing the impact of wastewater treatment plant effluent on downstream water quality. SETAC North America 37th Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL, November 06 - 10, 2016.
Impact/Purpose:
Presented at SETAC North America 37th Annual Meeting
Description:
Wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) are a known source of various types of chemicals including pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), naturally occurring hormones, and pesticides. There is great concern regarding their adverse effects on human and ecological health through low-level, chronic exposure. In some areas where water resources are limited, the WWTP may be located in the same watershed as drinking water treatment plants (DWTP) and thus have a potential negative effect on downstream water quality. In this study, we investigated the possible impacts of contaminants as they travel from WWTP into DWTP in a water usage cycle by using cell-based metabolomics. Zebrafish liver cells (ZFL) were exposed to water samples collected along a river, where a WWTP was located 9 miles upstream of a DWTP. The sampling sites include upstream of WWTP, WWTP effluent discharging point, downstream of WWTP, drinking water intake place and the treated drinking water. After 48 hrs, the intracellular metabolites of ZFL cells were extracted. The polar and non-polar fractions of metabolites were analyzed by 1H NMR spectroscopy and GC-MS, respectively. Multivariate statistical analysis revealed distinct changes of polar and non-polar metabolite profiles in response to effluent exposure from WWTP. The impact of effluent on the polar fraction of ZFL metabolome gradually diminished downstream of the WWTP and become non-significant at the drinking water intake location. However, the impacts of effluent on non-polar metabolome were still substantial for cells exposed to downstream WWTP sample and drinking water intake sample. ZFL exposed to treated drinking water did not exhibit significant changes of polar and non-polar metabolome compared to upstream WWTP sample, implying that the contaminants from WWTP effluent were efficiently removed in drinking water treatment processes. This study demonstrated the utility of cell-based metabolomics in determining the impacts of WWTP effluent on downstream water quality.
