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Water, water everywhere, but every drop unique: The future of managing low levels of complex contaminant mixtures in drinking water and the implications for human health
Citation:
Glassmeyer, S., E. Burns, M. Focazio, E. Furlong, M. Gribble, M. Jahne, S. Keely, A. Kennicutt, D. Kolpin, E. MedlockKakaley, AND S. Pfaller. Water, water everywhere, but every drop unique: The future of managing low levels of complex contaminant mixtures in drinking water and the implications for human health. AGU Fall meeting, San Francisco, CA, December 09 - 13, 2019.
Impact/Purpose:
This presentation describes the result of a comprehensive literature review of contaminants of emerging concern, and what the future may hold for their presence in the environment
Description:
Population growth, aquifer depletion, infrastructure failure, saltwater intrusion, floods, and drought: these are just a few of the social and environmental drivers which currently affect the quantity and quality of water available for human and ecosystem use. Such drivers are projected to exacerbate future water crises; without significant changes to behaviors and substantial infrastructure investments. It is unlikely that the amount of potable water than will be more than we currently have. What can we, as scientists and stewards of the future, do now to mitigate the impacts of these social and environmental conditions? Advances in analytical technology allow previously unidentifiable and undetectable chemical and microbial contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) to be measured in the water cycle, including in treated drinking water. In some parts of the world, water shortages and a greater dependence upon water reuse may add additional hazards to the water cycle. The implications and effects of exposure to CECs and CEC mixtures on both humans and ecosystems remain uncertain. To address this uncertainty, many questions need to be answered: Do we adequately understand the full extent of contaminants present in water resources? Do we fully understand the biological mechanisms behind the acute or sublethal effects that aquatic contaminants induce at environmentally relevant concentrations, singly and especially in mixtures? What are the treatment options for wastewater and drinking water to adequately remove or reduce the concentrations of CECs below levels of potential concern? What other mitigation strategies are needed? How and where do we effectively monitor for CECs and legacy contaminants in the water supply to properly characterize water quality? Can modelling be used to guide efforts to protect water quality? Answers to these questions will be critical to providing reliable and safe water supplies for human consumption, and for protecting the ecosystems that maintain those water supplies.