Emerging Contaminants in our WaterResources: Research-Assessment-Monitoring

New Jersey Water Monitoring andAssessment Technical WorkshopApril 20, 2006

Herb BuxtonCoordinator, Toxic SubstancesHydrology Program

• Human Drugs• Vet. Drugs• Antibiotics• Hormones• Steroids• Detergents• Plastics

• Antioxidants• Fire retardants• Disinfectants• Fumigants• Fragrances• Insecticides/ Repellants

Emerging Contaminants?PPCP’s

EDC’s

PhAC’s

HAA’s

OWC’s

New and understudied contaminants!

How do we decide whichchemicals to look for?

• Quantities produced/used.• Pathways for chemical release.• Anticipated environ’tal behavior.• Health significance.• Potential as indicators/tracers.• Ability to measure.• Stakeholder priorities.

• WWTF• CSOs• ISDS• Industrial Disch.• Landfills• Water Reuse.

Human Waste Pathways

Animal Agriculture Waste lagoons Land application Processing Aquaculture

Animal Waste Pathways

The Important Questions• What compounds enter the environment

and from what sources?• At what levels are they found?• In what mixtures?• In what media (water, sediment, tissue)?• Do they persist and accumulate?• Do they transform and to what?• Do they pose an ecological health risk?• Do they pose a human health risk?

• Methods Development.• Occurrence and Source

Pathways.• Transport & Fate.• Ecological

Effects.

USGS Priorities

158 Compounds in Water

• 45 Antibiotics

• 20 Human Drugs

• 14 Hormones and Steroids

• 79 Household and Industrial Compounds

83 Compounds in Sediment

• 3 Antibiotics

• 19 Human Drugs

• 61 Household and Industrial Compounds

• Methods Development

New Methods Priorities• SSRI’s• Flourochemicals• Hormones• Antibiotics• Statins• Benzodiazepenes• Cox II inhibitors• Algal Toxins

• AdditionalEnvironmentalMedia

• Lower ReportingLevels

II. Occurrence& SourcePathways

Stream Recon 99-00GW Recon 00-01

springsumpwell

What have we learned?• Present at low concentrations in water.

• Present as mixtures (up to 38 in 1sample).

• A wide range of compounds and classesreflect a range of human activities &inputs.

• The compounds and concentrationsdetected depend on the media sampled.

Source Characterization StudiesHuman: septic tanks, municipalbiosolids, municipal effluents,municipal holding ponds, hospitalwaste.

Animal Agric: poultry, swine, dairy,beef cow operations, foodprocessing plants, aquaculture.

III. Transport & Fate- Transport processes

- Environmental media

- Degradation byproducts

- Persistence

Dye Injection

Trailing Edge

Fourmile Creek, IA

Tracer Tests

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

Sul

fam

etho

xazo

le

Cod

eine

Cot

inin

e

Trim

etho

prim

Deh

ydro

nife

dipi

ne

Dilt

iaze

m

Ace

tam

inop

hen

Ran

itidi

ne

Caf

fein

e

Dip

henh

ydra

min

e

Car

bam

azap

ine

Cim

etid

ine

Met

form

in

Ery

thro

myc

in

Thia

bend

azol

e

Fluo

xetin

e

Gem

fibro

zil

Mic

onaz

ole

Per

cent

Det

ecte

dWater (30) Sediment (36)

Are they in the water or sediments?

WWTP Study:10 Plants, US/DS

DEETga

laxoli

de (H

HCB)ton

alide

(AHTN)

tributy

lphos

phate

triclos

an

Freq

uenc

y of

Det

ectio

n (%

)

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Med

ian

Con

cent

ratio

n (μ

g/ L

)

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2Upstream Effluent Downstream 1 Downstream 2 median

ES&T, 2005, v. 39, n. 14, p. 5157-5169

Transport and Fate Study inBoulder Creek CO

Upstream Site

Downstream Sites

Boulder Creek Studies

WWTP

0

5

10

15

20

25

Upstream EffluentDischarge

Downstream1

Downstream2

ParoxetineNorsertralineSertralineNorfluoxetineFluoxetine

Site 1 Site 2

Con

cent

ratio

n (n

g/L)

Paroxetine Metabolite,Fluvoxamine, and

Duloxetine not detected.

dete

cted

, but

not

abov

e th

e LO

Q.

Antidepressants in Boulder Creek“Minor Players”

Preliminary Data

Antidepressants in Boulder Creek

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

Upstream Effluent

Discharge

Downstream Site

1

Downstream Site

2

Venlafaxine

Bupropion

Citalopram

Con

cent

ratio

n (n

g/L)

“Major Players”

dete

cted

, but

not

abov

e th

e LO

Q.

Preliminary Data

IV. Health Effects- Endocrine Disruption

- Antibiotic Resistance

- Chemical Mixtures

- Pathogens

- Other EcologicalEffects

External Deformities

Cellular Abnormalities

male

female

Intersex

Boulder Creek Transport Fateand Effects Studies

<0.8

2.11.4

2.9

1.2

E2 Concentrations, ng/L

Boulder Creek Studies

Attenuation of estrogenic activity, 4/19/05

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

BC-75 BC-EFF BC-DC BC-107

EEQ

(as

ng/L

E2)

Ethinyl estradiolEstrone17beta-estradiol

Upstream Effluent DS 1 DS 2

Preliminary Data

WWTP Effluent andEndocrine Disruption

Hypothalamus

Pituitary Liver

Gonads

White sucker (Catostomus commersoni)

(Norris and others, 2004)

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Up

Dow

n

Up

Dow

n

Up

Dow

n

Up

Dow

n

Mar 2 02 Oct 17 02 Sep 23 03 Jun 18 04

Sex,

in P

erce

nt

Female Male Intersex

Intersex: S. Branch Potomac, 2004

0102030405060708090

100

1 2 3 4 5 8

Site #

Perc

ent E

vide

nce

of In

ters

exSpring Summer

7 - # of males tested

4

12

8

13

10

13

11

10

1211

6

Vicki Blazer

Preliminary Data

Antibiotic ResistanceDirect use in orchards.

• Resistance develops in organisms.• Environmental Transfer of Genetic

Determinants.• Development of Multiple

Resistance.• Resistance from non antibiotics.• Is resistance facilitated by chronic

low-level exposure?

Aquaculture

Animal waste lagoons

The USGS Toxics Program: toxics.usgs.gov

Emerging Water Quality Issues: toxics.usgs.gov/regional/emc.html

AcknowledgementsDana Kolpin, Iowa City IA (dwkolpin@usgs.gov)

The Research Team

Field expertise in 50 District (state) Offices.

Bibliography with over 100 publications