You are here:
NON-REGULATED CONTAMINANTS EMERGING RESEARCH, EXISTING AND FUTURE POLLUTANTS IN WATER SUPPLIES: OLD POLLUTANTS, NEW CONCERNS - NEW POLLUTANTS, UNKNOWN ISSUES
Citation:
Daughton, C G. NON-REGULATED CONTAMINANTS EMERGING RESEARCH, EXISTING AND FUTURE POLLUTANTS IN WATER SUPPLIES: OLD POLLUTANTS, NEW CONCERNS - NEW POLLUTANTS, UNKNOWN ISSUES. Presented at National Academies, Institute of Medicine: Roundtable on Environmental Health Science, Research, and Medicine (EHSRT), Washington, DC, October 16, 2003.
Impact/Purpose:
The research focused on in the subtasks is the development and application of state-of the-art technologies to meet the needs of the public, Office of Water, and ORD in the area of Water Quality. Located In the subtasks are the various research projects being performed in support of this Task and more in-depth coverage of each project. Briefly, each project's objective is stated below.
Subtask 1: To integrate state-of-the-art technologies (polar organic chemical integrative samplers, advanced solid-phase extraction methodologies with liquid chromatography/electrospray/mass spectrometry) and apply them to studying the sources and fate of a select list of PPCPs. Application and improvement of analytical methodologies that can detect non-volatile, polar, water-soluble pharmaceuticals in source waters at levels that could be environmentally significant (at concentrations less than parts per billion, ppb). IAG with USGS ends in FY05. APM 20 due in FY05.
Subtask 2: Coordination of interagency research and public outreach activities for PPCPs. Participate on NSTC Health and Environment subcommittee working group on PPCPs. Web site maintenance and expansion, invited technical presentations, invited articles for peer-reviewed journals, interviews for media, responding to public inquiries.
Subtask 3: To apply state-of-the-art environmental forensic techniques to the recognition and characterization of emerging pollutants in the aquatic environment. There is a need for high sensitivity and for a powerful method of structural characterization, advanced mass spectrometric and chromatographic techniques to be employed to meet the challenge of emerging pollutants, including pharmaceuticals and personal care products, agents of sabotage, and explosives. Ongoing efforts continue to identify previously unrecognized pollutants from a range of problematic samples having importance to regional and state contacts.
Subtask 4: To provide the Agency with a set of practical analytical methods for the selective and sensitive determination of selenium species (organic, inorganic, volatile and non volatile forms) in multiple media to accurately assess and if necessary control the risk of selenium exposure to organisms. This includes development of optimal extraction, digestion, separation and detection approaches.
Subtask 5: To develop and apply an analytical method that can extract and detect synthetic musks. The extent of exposure may be determined by measuring levels of synthetic musks from their potential source (communal sewage effluent). This subtask ends in FY05 with the deliverable of APM 21. Future applications to biosolids will be covered in subtask 6.
Subtask 6: Application, and improvement, of previously in-house developed sensitive, robust, and green, methodologies regarding the use of urobilin and sterols as a possible markers of sewage contamination.
Subtask 7: Adaptation and improvement of previously developed in-house methods, for PPCPs (e.g., antibiotics and musks) to solid materials (e.g. biosolids, sediments).
Subtask 8: Study of the presence of personal care products, incombustible organic compounds from the direct-piping of small engines exhaust in Lake Tahoe, and lake deposition of airborne pollutants from industrial activity
Description:
Those chemical pollutants that are regulated under various international, federal, and state programs represent but a small fraction of the universe of chemicals that occur in the environment as a result of both natural processes and human influence. Although this galaxy of targeted chemicals might be minuscule compared with the universe of both known and yet-to-be identified chemicals, an implicit assumption is that these selective lists of chemicals are responsible for the most significant share of risk with respect to environmental or economic impairment or to human health.
This presentation examines the less-discussed aspects of the background and assumptions that underlie society's "relationship" with chemical pollutants in water. The major intent of this synopsis. is to open some windows onto the landscape of resources (all conveniently accessible via the Internet) for pursuing the many and disparate aspects of "emerging" research regarding water pollutants. A wide spectrum of research needs and gaps has been compiled for a particularly diverse array of water pollutants here: httQ://www.eQa.gov/nerlesdl/chemistrx/Qharma/needs.htm/; in general, these needs and gaps are equally pertinent to most water pollutants.
Briefly summarized are some of the many, disparate issues that require consideration in assessing the challenges in ensuring public health with regard to the use of water. The sections that follow are pertinent to answering questions such as: What types of "new" chemical stressors can be anticipated in water? How important are these stressors to human health? What research gaps might hamper the safeguarding of public health? What disconnects might exist between policy and science?