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Advanced oxidation processes are important barriers for organic micropollutants in (drinking) water treatment. It is however known that medium pressure UV/HO treatment may lead to mutagenicity in the Ames test, which is no longer present after granulated activated carbon (GAC) filtration. Many nitrogen-containing disinfection by-products (N-DBPs) result from the reaction of photolysis products of nitrate with (photolysis products of) natural organic material (NOM) during medium pressure UV treatment of water. Identification of the N-DBPs and the application of effect-directed analysis to combine chemical screening results with biological activity would provide more insight into the relation of specific N-DBPs with the observed mutagenicity and was the subject of this study. To this end, fractions of medium pressure UV-treated and untreated water extracts were prepared using preparative HPLC and tested using the Ames fluctuation test. In addition, high-resolution mass spectrometry was performed on all fractions to assess the presence of N-DBPs. Based on toxicity data and read across analysis, we could identify five N-DBPs that are potentially genotoxic and were present in relatively high concentrations in the fractions in which mutagenicity was observed. The results of this study offer opportunities to further evaluate the identity and potential health concern of N-DBPs formed during advanced oxidation UV drinking water treatment.

A B S T R A C TGenotoxic compounds were produced by full-scale medium pressure (MP) ultraviolet hydrogen peroxide (UV/H 2 O 2 ) treatment of nitrate-rich pretreated surface water. It was hypothesized that this formation was caused by the reaction of nitrate photolysis intermediates with natural organic matter (NOM). An increase in the Ames test response was also found after MP UV photolysis of water containing Pony Lake NOM from the International Humic Substances Society (IHSS) and nitrate, while no increase in the Ames test response was found when nitrate was absent. The same trend in an Ames test response and nitrite formation was observed for both nitrate-rich pretreated surface water and reconstituted water containing NOM and nitrate. Therefore, the conversion of nitrate by MP UV photolysis was studied in several water types. In organic-free water, nitrate was completely converted into nitrite, while no inorganic nitrogen was lost. Also in nitrate-rich surface water, nitrite was found as the only inorganic reaction product, while a small decrease of the inorganic nitrogen content was observed. When NOM was replaced by phenol, MP UV photolysis caused a restricted nitrite formation only, together with a large loss of inorganic nitrogen. The formation of the nitrated phenol derivatives, 2-and 4-nitrophenol and 4-nitrocatechol, was observed with highest concentrations under practical UV conditions. It is hypothesized that the formation of nitrated aromatic compounds is the cause of the increased Ames test response by MP UV treatment.

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