Chemicals of Emerging Environmental Concern: The New Micropollutants

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Archibald Hutchinson
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January 23, 2008 Herb Buxton USGS Toxic Substances

1 Chemicals of Emerging Environmental Concern: The New Micropollutants NJ Water Monitoring Coordinative Council January 23, 2008 Herb Buxton USGS Toxic Substances Hydrology Program U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey

2 2 Chemicals of Emerging Environmental Concern? Human Drugs Vet. Drugs Antibiotics Hormones Steroids Detergents Plastics Antioxidants Fire retardants Disinfectants Fumigants Fragrances Insecticides/ Repellants

3 3 Why the sudden interest? Clofibric Acid found in Swiss Lakes and the North Sea. CH 3 Cl O COOH Cl O COOH H CH 3 H 3 C CH 3 Mecoprop (Pesticide) Clofibric Acid (Cholesterol Drug) Buser, et al, 1998.

4 4 Human Waste Pathways WWTP CSOs Septics Industrial Disch. Landfills Water Reuse.

5 5 Animal Waste Pathways Animal Agriculture Waste lagoons Land application Processing Aquaculture Manure (kg/day) Human 1.5 Cow 30 Hog 4 Sheep 1.5 Chicken 0.14

6 6 Selecting Compounds and Designing Studies Quantities used. Pathways for chemical release. Health significance (Known or Potential). Ability to measure - Reliably. Anticipated environmental behavior. Potential as chemical indicators/tracers. Stakeholder priorities.

USGS CEEC Sites >1000 Wells >400 Streams >75 WWTPs 7 Reflect a wide

7 What have we learned? Present in water at sub-ppb conc. s. Present as complex mixtures. USGS CEEC Sites >1000 Wells >400 Streams >75 WWTPs 7 Reflect a wide range of human activities. Some are mobile and persistent. Present in various environmental media (water, solids, tissue).

National Water Surveys 100 Surface (139) Ground (47) 80 60 40 20 0 8

8 National Water Surveys 100 Surface (139) Ground (47) Percent Detected Non. drugs Antibiotics Pharms Det. Metab. DEET Caffeine Fluoxetine

9 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 9 Sulfamethoxazole Codeine Cotinine Trimethoprim Dehydronifedipine Diltiazem Acetaminophen Ranitidine Caffeine Diphenhydramine Carbamazapine Cimetidine Metformin Erythromycin Percent Detected Thiabendazole Fluoxetine Gemfibrozil Miconazole Don t t just look in the water! Water (30) Sediment (36)

10 Concentration (ng/l) SSRIs in WW Effluent Minnesota, MGD, Population Served = 1.8 million Fluoxetine Norfluoxetine Sertraline Norsertraline Paroxetine Citalopram Bupropion Venlafaxine Duloxetine Effluent Grab Samples Collected Same Day 7:30 AM 2:30 PM 11:30 PM Paroxetine Metabolite and Fluvoxamine were not detected. 10

Gadolinium, Healthcare WW Indicator 11 Gd

06 0.04 Fourmile Ck Boulder Ck MRI Contrast Agent

6 Distance from Source (km ) (Gromet and others,

11 Gadolinium, Healthcare WW Indicator 11 Gd Concentration (ug/l) Fourmile Ck Boulder Ck MRI Contrast Agent Distance Distance from Source (km ) (Gromet and others, 1984; Bau and Dulski, 1996; Möller and others, 2002; Verplanck and others, 2003) Distance

12 12 Environmental Health Concerns Endocrine Disruption. Antimicrobial Resistance. Surprising New Effects. Traditional Health Significance.

13 Rivers in Britain 13 Endocrine Disruption Hormones The bodies chemical messengers. Desbrow et al. (1998) Endocrine Disruptors biogenic or synthetic hormones or mimics or blockers that interfere with the message. Observed Effects Intersex (vitellogenin( vitellogenin, cellular abnormalities), population effects (sex ratios)

14 Challenge of Effects Research -- Boulder Creek, CO 14 <0.8 ng/l 2.1 ng/l 1.4 ng/l 2.9 ng/l Sex, in Percent 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 1.230% ng/l 20% 10% 0% 17b-Estradiol in stream water Female Male Intersex Upstream Estrogen equivalents (ng/l) Jun-04 Downstream 0.0 7/7/2005 7/14/2005 7/21/2005 7/28/2005 E3 EE2 E1 E2

15 Antibiotic Resistance Direct use in orchards. 15 Resistance develops in organisms. Environmental transfer of resistance genes. Multiple resistance. Resistance from non antibiotics. Resistance from chronic low-level level exposure? Animal waste lagoons Aquaculture

16 16 Other Ecological Effects Antibiotics: Reduced soil microbial activity at Env. Concentrations (Costanzo( et al., 2005; Thiele- Bruhn and Beck, 2005). Triclosan (antimicrobial disinfectant): Effects thyroid in frogs (Veldhoen et al., 2006). Diclofenac (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory): inflammatory): Consumption of diclofenac-treated meat caused renal failure in vultures (Oaks et al., 2004).

17 17 Other Ecological Effects -- continued Ciprofloxacin, triclosan, Tergitol NP 10: shifts in algal community structure (Wilson et al., 2003). Drug Mixtures 13: Inhibited growth of human embryonic cells at env.. levels (Pomati( et al., 2006).

18 18 Other CEECs Low appl. rate pesticides Isoxaflutole. And Degradates. Others: Sulfonylurea Sulfonamide Imidazolinone Pyrethroid Conc. In μg/l Midwest Streams 4/75 55/75 45/75 64/67 65/67 50/67 60/67 59/60 60/60 60/60 58/60 ppb ppt Isoxaflutole Diketonitrile Benzoic acid Atrazine deethylatrazine deisopropylatrazine Hydroxyatrazine Metolachlor Metolachlor-ESA Metolachlor-OXA Acet/Met-ESA Sec Am

19 Other CEECs Deicing (airplane/roadways) Dust Suppression Coal Tar Sealants 6000 6000 4000 4000 Chloride Concentration (mg/l) Lincoln

19 19 Other CEECs Deicing (airplane/roadways) Dust Suppression Coal Tar Sealants Chloride Concentration (mg/l) Lincoln Creek Milwaukee, WI Water-Quality Criteria Cl Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May /03 1/04 3/04 5/04 Corsi,, Finger, Van Metre

20 20 Other CEECs Algal Toxins a different source. Midwest cyanotoxin Lake & Reservoir recon. (27, blooms) Analyzing samples as part of USEPA National Lakes Survey. (1200 pelagic) Loftin,, Graham, Meyer

21 21 Other CEECs Pathogens Nanomaterial (carbon, metals) Genes Surprises! Eberl,, Taylor

22 Information & Research Needs 22 Identifying priority compounds and source pathways. Improved methods (occurrence and effects). Comprehensive exposure characterization. Comparative efficacy of treatment technologies and BMPs. Ability to extrapolate from ecologic effects to human risk. Additional info on specific sources and sensitive environ. s. Tox.. testing of priority compounds & environment mixtures. Field demonstration of linkage between exposure & effects.

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