Occurrence and Fate of Pharmaceuticals and EDCs in US Drinking Water. School of Public Health

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1 Occurrence and Fate of Pharmaceuticals and EDCs in US Drinking Water Shane Dr. Shane Snyder, Snyder Ph.D. Associate Applied R&D Professor Center Southern Harvard Nevada University Water Authority School of Public Health

2 Administrative Support Linda Parker Research Chemists Doug Mawhinney, Ph.D. Oscar Quinones Rebecca Trenholm Brett Vanderford Janie Zeigler Analysts Jasmin Koster Shannon Ferguson Engineering Julia Lew Samantha Stoughtenberg, P.E. Eric Wert, P.E.

3 Post-Doctoral Researchers Mark Benotti, Ph.D. (SUNY) Daniel Gerrity, Ph.D. (ASU) Ben Stanford, Ph.D. (UNC) Yongrui Tan, Ph.D. (Rensselear) Research Student Interns Susanna Blunt (UNLV-DRI) Deborah Dryer (U of Wash) Elaine Go (UNLV) Christy Meza (UNLV) Aleks Pisarenko (Miami U OH) Robert Young (Colorado State) Josephine Liu (UNLV) Former Post-Doc. Researchers Hongxia Lei (Golden State W) Fernando Rosario (UC Boulder)

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7 Las Vegas 1850 s Early Settlers take up residency at the Las Vegas Springs. Las Vegas Springs Lorenzi Park

8 In 1905, a railroad resulted in the formation of the privately owned Las Vegas Land and Water Company

9 Las Vegas 1905 Las Vegas is founded on May 15, 1905 (pop. 1205) In these early years and lasting for the next several decades, the community viewed its supply of artesian groundwater as virtually inexhaustible.

10 The construction of Hoover Dam attracts thousands of workers to the area.

11 Las Vegas 1950 Planners estimate that the area s population will not exceed 100,000 until the end of the century.

12 Las Vegas 1960s University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Las Vegas Population Approximately 120,000

13 Las Vegas 1970 Las Vegas Population: 263, Population Forecast: 585,000

14 Las Vegas 1980 Las Vegas Population: 528, Population Forecast: 800,000

15 Las Vegas 1985 Return Flow Credit Established: Water returned to the Colorado earns credit to withdraw an equivalent amount of drinking water

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17 Las Vegas 1990 Las Vegas Population: 750, Population Forecast: 1,000,000

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24 Las Vegas 2000 Las Vegas Population: 1,400,000 5,000 new residents/month 1,200 new homes/month 1 school/month 100 teachers/month 34,000,000 visitors/year > $3 billion infrastructure SNWA R&D Division created

25 Wastewater Treatment

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30 Depth (m) Depth (m) August, 2004, Estrone INTAKE 1 x INTAKE 2 x LV Wash>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Hoover Dam August 9, 2004, DEET INTAKE 1 x INTAKE 2 x LV Wash>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Hoover Dam

31 Depth (m) Depth (m) August 9, 2004, Meprobamate (ng/l) LV Wash NH 2 O O O O H 2 N Hoover Dam August, 9, 2004, Sulfamethoxazole (ng/l) NH LV Wash O N O HN S O Hoover Dam

32 Inner Las Vegas Bay Looking Northwest March 7, 2000, elevation 1213 Feet April 11, 2002, elevation 1170 Feet

33 Fishing Dock at Lake Mead

34 Intake #3 2 Km long & 200 m deep Cost $1,000,000,000 AMSWTF Saddle Island Intake No. 11 Intake No. 32 Intake No. 22

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36 Las Vegas Population Growth Population , , , , , ,400,000

37 Drought Effect on Pharmaceutical and EDC Concentrations sum of pharmaceutical and EDC concentrations (ng/l) / / / / / / /2006 source water concentration Lake Mead Volume 07/ / / / Lake Mead volume (10 6 acre-ft)

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40 Recent History

41 Senate Hearing & call to Action

42 The fact that more pharmaceuticals are detected today is not due to greater contamination of our nation s water, but a reflection of the increasingly sensitive analytical technology that allows us to identify and quantify diminishingly minute concentrations of these chemicals in water.

43 If our study had been constrained by the ability to find these compounds at parts-per-billion levels instead of delving into the parts-per-trillion range, none of them not a single one would have been found. Finished Water for 18 Drinking Water Treatment Facilities Compound Max (ng/l) Median (ng/l) Frequency (%) MRL > 1000 ng/l Atrazine* Meprobamate MRL > 50 ng/l MRL > 20 ng/l Dilantin MRL > 20 ng/l Atenolol MRL > 20 ng/l MRL > 10 ng/l Carbamazepine Gemfibrozil MRL > 500 ng/l MRL > 100 ng/l TCEP DEET MRL > 50 ng/l Metolachlor TCPP (Fyrol PCF) MRL > 1000 ng/l MRL > 10 ng/l Sulfamethoxazole

44 The truth is that the concentrations of pharmaceuticals found in water supplies are millions of times lower than a medical dose. Consider that the highest concentration of any pharmaceutical we detected in US drinking waters is approximately 5,000,000 times lower than the therapeutic dose.

45 This concentration is roughly equivalent to ½ of an inch in the distance between the earth and the moon...

46 I can tell you with absolute certainty that, if we regulate contaminants based upon detection rather than health effects, we are embarking on a futile journey without end.

47 The critical question we must address is not Do they exist?, but rather, At what concentration are these compounds harmful to human health?

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49 It is imperative that the nation do a better job of protecting its waters, and especially sources of drinking water, from contamination.

50 In an age where we are concerned about greenhouse gas emissions and minimizing our nation s energy demands, is it wise to dictate energy-intensive water treatment systems when there is no evidence of public health benefits?

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53 Number of Spawning Events Percent Wastewater Composition 1969, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society; Zn 50% Spawning Reduction = 88 μg/l Drinking Water Zn > 150 μg/l 2.5 Wastewater Zn < 50 μg/l 120 Spawning Events, Trial 1 2 Spawning Events, Trial 2 Percent Wastewater Influence Drinking Water 6.25% WW 12.5% WW 25% WW 50% WW 100% WW EE2 + DW EE2 + WW 0

54 Summary All water has been, or will be, reused Global sustainability depends on recycling water Analytical instruments can detect nearly any substance in water Pharms and EDCs have been present in water for centuries Treatment can relocate, transform, or mineralize No system can provide complete removal (zero does not exist) Most efficacious processes are also costly and energy intensive Oxidation byproducts will be formed, but are they toxic? Meaningful water quality goals must be health-based Detection does not = risk, just as non-detection does not = safe Pharms have robust data in relationship to human health Human risk assessments are necessary to protect public health, and to avoid exploitation of perception

55 Shane Snyder

56 Shane Snyder