Compounds of emerging concern detected in water samples from potable water and wastewater treatment plants and detected in water and bed-sediment samples from sites on the Trinity River, Dallas, Texas, 2009–13

Abstract

Compounds of Emerging Concern Detected in Water and Sediment Samples, Trinity River, Dallas, Texas detected in finished water or in treated-effluent water samples, respectively, indicating that these compounds were removed or degraded to compounds that were not analyzed. Some CECs, however, are resistant to degradation and were detected in untreated and treated water at PWTPs and at WWTPs. The three CECs detected at PWTPs in raw-water and finishedwater samples were tris(dichloroisopropyl)phosphate, benzophenone, and methyl salicylate. At WWTPs, 29 CECs were detected, including carbamazepine, sulfamethoxazole, 4-androstene-3,17-dione, 3-beta-coprostanol, acetylhexamethyl-tetrahydronaphthalene (AHTN), hexahydrohexamethyl-cyclopenta-benzopyran (HHCB), 1,4-dichlorobenzene, tribromomethane, benzophenone, and tris(dichloroisopropyl)phosphate, in untreated and treated water, indicating that treatment processes likely did not remove or degrade these compounds. Of the 23 CECs detected in stream-water samples collected at 5 sites on the Trinity River in or near Dallas, 10 CECs (carbamazepine, sulfamethoxazole, caffeine, 3-beta-coprostanol, cholesterol, HHCB, benzophenone, triethyl citrate, tributyl phosphate, and tris(dichloroisopropyl) phosphate) were detected at all 5 sites. The 10 CECs detected in water samples collected at all 5 sites on the Trinity River were also detected in treated-effluent water at WWTPs. Eleven of the 57 targeted CECs were detected in bedsediment samples collected at study sites on the Trinity River. Of these 11 CECs, only 2 (beta-sitosterol and cholesterol) were detected in bed-sediment samples at all 5 sites on the Trinity River. Nine of these 11 CECs were not detected in any water-column sample, likely because of the strong hydrophobic characteristics of these compounds. Results from water treatment plants indicate that the water treatment process is less effective for removing or degrading compounds that are engineered to be resistant to degradation. These results also indicate the presence of CECs and EDCs at locations upstream from PWTPs in Dallas. Results from Trinity River main-stem sites indicate that some compounds are naturally attenuated during transport, but a few are persistent throughout the study reach. Many CECs and EDCs are hydrophobic and were only detected in bed sediment, indicating multiple pathways through which CECs can persist in the environment. In general, concentrations of CECs in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area were similar to those found in metropolitan areas nationwide.

Organic contaminants in Ganga basin: From the Green Revolution to the emerging concerns of modern India

“…According to the definition provided by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), ECs are “Any synthetic or naturally occurring chemical or any microorganism that is not commonly monitored in the environment but has the potential to enter the environment and cause known or suspected adverse ecological and/or human health effects” ( Churchill et al, 2020 ; Philip et al, 2018 ). Many substances used in daily life, ranging from pharmaceuticals to detergents fall under this description ( Philip et al., 2018 ; Sharma and Kapoor 2014 ; Stuart et al., 2012 ).…”