Impact/Purpose:

Develop a method to determine the volume of recreational water ingested by relating the quantity imbibed to the level of a chemical biomarker measured in urine.

Description:

The EPA's Beaches Environmental Assessment, Closure, and Health (BEACH) Program is a multi-year, multifaceted strategy for reducing human exposure to certain risks from infectious pathogenic organisms associated with human behavior, and activities related to hygienic practices, or usage patterns in recreational waters. A critical part of this program's agenda concentrates on developing analytical methods and / or the adaptation of existing analytical procedures to determine and evaluate human exposure to environmental hazards, resulting from ingestion, via the measurement of analytes in significant water matrices. This can only be accomplished after different analytical methods have been developed using the most dependable measurement techniques. The applicability of a particular method may require its improvement, adaptation or even perhaps developing new ones that are reproducible and reliable for their potential incorporation into environmental monitoring regulations. The research strategy requires the development of methods for measuring chemical biomarkers in both water and urine matrices. The effective measurement of these biomarkers in both swimming pool water and urine will allow for the determination of certain important parameters (i.e., water ingestion) used for establishing risks associated with recreational swimming activities.

Brief: Research is being conducted to develop analytical methodology for measuring chemical biomarkers in swimming pool water and biological samples. The end users may employ these tools for measuring the concentration of pool stabilizer chemicals in environmental samples and other matrices and relate this to the volume of water ingested. Longer term such information may enhance the knowledge about exposure to chemicals and / or pathogens during swimming, etc., via ingestion or other intake mechanisms.

Record Details:

Record Type:PROJECT

Start Date:10/01/1999

Completion Date:09/30/2002

Record ID: 56183

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Project Information:

Progress :High Performance Liquid Chromatographic(HPLC) methodology with uv detection was developed and evaluated to measure cyanuric acid, a chlorine stabilizer, in swimming pool water and human urine. A Pilot Study was conducted during July, 2001 to determine the efficaciousness of the methodology for application to "real world" samples, i.e., both aqueous and biological matrices. Additionally, the Pilot Study was implemented to investigate, evaluate and determine factors / parameters that may impact the feasibility of conducting a "full field" sampling study in FY02.
In regard to the study: a) Swimming pool water samples were collected prior to the commencement of swimming activities and analyzed on-site, for cyanuric acid, using a commercially available test kit. The samples were subsequently taken to the laboratory and reanalyzed using the HPLC methodology developed in-house; b) A total of 57 persons participated in the study including adults and children, and both male and female swimmers; and c) Standard operating procedures were developed and employed for sample collection, preservation, processing, storage, and etc.
The following presentations / publications resulted from this task in FY01:
Presentations:
Poster Presentation: Cantu, R., Evans, O., Kawahara, F. K., Magnuson, M. L., Shoemaker, J. A., Wymer, L. J., Behymer, T. D., and Dufour, A. P. "Simple Sample Clean-up Procedure and High Performance Liquid Chromatographic Method for the Analysis of Cyanuric Acid in Human Urine", presented at the 221st National ACS Meeting, San Diego, CA, 4/1-5/01.
Publications:
Manuscript: Cantu, R., Evans, O., and Magnuson, M. L., "Rapid Analysis of Cyanuric Acid in Swimming Pool Waters by High Performance Liquid Chromatography using Porous Graphitic Carbon", Chromatographia 2001, 53, 454-456, April (No. 7/8).
Manuscript: Cantu, R., Evans, O., Kawahara, F. K., Wymer, L. J., and Dufour, A. P., "HPLC Determination of Cyanuric Acid in Swimming Pool Waters Using Phenyl and Confirmatory Porous Graphitic Carbon Columns", Anal. Chem., 2001, 73, 3358-3364.
Planned Publications:
Manuscript: "Sample Cleanup and HPLC Method for the Analysis of Cyanuric Acid in Human Urine", submit by 9/30/02.

Relevance :Recognizing the need for stronger beach monitoring programs, improved water quality standards, and timely guidance relating to the use of recreational waters, the EPA responded to national directives (BEACH Program and CWA Plan) by implementing the "Beach Action Plan". Via the "Beach Action Plan" the EPA intends to implement actions to assist state, tribal, and local entities in recreational water monitoring and public notification about water quality. The result of such actions should be a standardization of the mechanisms for water quality monitoring programs, water quality standards and implementation programs and risk communication practices, etc., throughout the United States. Additionally, another objective of the "Beach Action Plan is to improve the science that supports recreational water monitoring.

Thus, the focus of this research effort is to develop state of the science analytical methodology - sensitive, selective, quantitative, rugged - for determining potential chemical biomarkers in recreational waters. The analytical methodology is being developed specifically to determine a pool stabilizer chemical - cyanuric acid - which is routinely swallowed when individuals engage in swimming activities at their local community pools, etc.. The compound, when ingested, passes through the body and is excreted quantitatively in the urine. By determining other related parameters, such as a) the concentration of the stabilizer in pool water, b) the total volume of biological sample collected, and c) the concentration of the stabilizer in the urine, NERL scientists are able to calculate the amount of water ingested. The NERL research effort is significant, in part, because no definitive studies have ever been done to quantify this important parameter. For more than 50 years, scientists have only speculated on the amount of water persons swallow when engaging in recreational and other swimming activities (see OMIS task 5887). The impact of the research, in part, a) provides information to the scientific community about the selection of unique chemical biomarkers for determining water ingestion, b) development of cost effective analytical methodology for measuring analytes in biological matrices, c) a reference method for pool operators / pool maintenance facilities / businesses to compare to commercially available test kits, etc.. Finally, the outcome of this effort should be: a) practical analytical methodology for measuring a chemical biomarker in swimming pool water and biological fluids, and b) a procedure for determining the amount of water ingested during recreational and other swimming activities.

Clients :Office of Research and Development and Office of Water

Project IDs:

ID Code :5886

Project type :OMIS