unregulated organic chemicals in drinking water aka ...unregulated compounds in water: state...
TRANSCRIPT
Unregulated Compounds in Water:State Activities & Response
Unregulated Organic Chemicals in Drinking Wateraka:
“Toxic Soup”
Eileen Murphy, Ph.D.
March 2008NJ AWWA Spring Conference
Division of Science, Research & TechnologyKey Roles
Provision of high quality science & technical information for use in DEP-wide decision-making
• Research and scientific projects• Technical support
DSRT serves as science center for the Department
Involved in a variety of disciplines
Today’s talk
The early years... Unregulated contaminants in NJ waters and drinking waters: USGS & NJDEP
What’s going on now?• Tailored Collaboration• Demonstration Projects• Settlement of Environmental
Penalty
Future Directions
Pharmaceuticals in Drinking Water?
Trace levels of multiple medicines found in finished
drinking water.
Sewage in our drinking water?
Trace levels of wastewater related
compounds found in finished drinking water.
The studies
How do we know?Were they found in NJ?
Water Studies
“Screening” Studies (DEP)
Wastewater Studies (USGS)
Treatment Studies (Multiple)
It’s all about poop (Atherholt)
Wastewater Studies
Screening studiesIndustrial, septic
Drinking Water Treatment Plant Drinking Water Treatment Plant StudiesStudies
It’s all about poop (Atherholt)
Wastewater Studies
1 or more OWCs detected in 80% of samples – 82 of the 95 OWCs detected in 1 or more samples
Concentrations were low (sub ppb) and rarely exceeded established drinking-water guidelines, health-advisories, or aquatic-life criteria
Guidelines, advisories, and criteria not established for many of the compounds detected
75% of samples contained more than 1 OWC and 50% of samples contained 7 or more OWCs
Summary USGS Wastewater Studies(1 of 3)
Summary USGS Wastewater Studies, (2 of 3)
Total concentration(spearman = .76; p = .0001)Total number(spearman = .58; p = .0008)
Summary USGS Wastewater Studies(3 of 3)
Pharmaceutical/AntibioticPesticideFragranceFlame retardantPlant/Animal steroidsDetergent metaboliteOther
Screening studiesIndustrial, septic
Summary of Scanning Studies(1 of 3)
Analytical methods capable of detecting unregulated compounds at ultra-trace levels (below one ppb)
• 600 TICs in NJDEP-EOHSI study• Most in raw samples
QA procedures vital for interpretation of results• Compounds in both samples and blanks• Compounds sometimes in blanks• False positives and negatives possible
TICs occurred in systems where regulated compound concentration elevated
• No TICs in control system
Some compounds pass through existing water treatment
• 51 TICs in raw and finished water
Summary of Scanning Studies(2 of 3)
Some compounds are present in finished water but not in raw water.
Only a fraction of detected compounds have standards, guidelines, or criteria
Systems with carbon treatment had fewer TICs in raw & finished pairs than systems with air stripping only
Summary Scanning Studies(3 of 3)
Drinking Water Treatment Plant Drinking Water Treatment Plant StudiesStudies
Summary Treatment Plant StudiesSummary Treatment Plant Studies(1 of 3)(1 of 3)
• Advancements in analytical technology have given us the ability to detect previously unmonitored contaminants at ultra-trace levels,
• 60 of ~110 OWCs were detected in one or more stream samples,
• Most frequently detected compounds include pharmaceuticals, pesticides, fragrances, flame retardants, and plant/animal steroids,
• Stream concentrations were generally sub-ppb and did not exceed established aquatic-life criteria,
Summary Treatment Plant StudiesSummary Treatment Plant Studies(2 of 3)(2 of 3)
Preliminary data indicate that some OWCs can survive conventional water-treatment processes and occur in finished water at sub-ppb levels that do not exceed drinking-water standards,
At most locations, OWCs occur as mixtures of 2 or more compounds,
Findings from these studies corroborate those of the USGSsNational Reconnaissance Survey and other similar U.S. and European studies.
Summary Treatment Plant StudiesSummary Treatment Plant Studies(3 of 3)(3 of 3)
• Different types of advanced treatment can reduce levels of parent compounds.
• Parent compounds may metabolize into degradation products.
Toxicity Review
Are these chemicals harmful?
Follow-up to the studies
Many compounds have little or no information
School of Public Health toxicologists reviewed existing literature
Findings of Toxicity Review
Focused on 300 of the 600 tentatively identified compounds from the screening study.
Reference Doses (RfD) or Minimal Risk Levels (MRL) were available for 15 of the chemicals
Toxicology data was available for an additional 54 chemicals. • Of these 54 chemicals, repeated dose toxicology studies were
available for 25 chemicals. • Acute toxicology data was available for the other 39 chemicals.
Toxicology data could not be located for the remaining 221 chemicals.
Some compounds pass through existing water treatment• 51 TICs in raw and finished water• 11 OWCs tracked throughout a water system
Unique compounds are introduced due to treatment
Detected compounds include pharmaceuticals, pesticides, fragrances, flame retardants, and plant/animal steroids
QA procedures vital for interpretation of results
Summary of Completed Work, cont’d.
NJDEP
Summary of Completed Work
Analytical methods capable of detecting unregulated compounds at ultra-trace levels
• 600 TICs in NJDEP-EOHSI study• 60 of 122 OWCs detected in 1 or more stream samples
Unregulated compounds detected at sub-ppb levels
Only a fraction of detected compounds have standards, guidelines, or criteria
NJDEP
What are the human health effects?
What are the ecological effects?
What are the cumulative effects when more than one compound is present?
So What?
So what do we do?
Drink dirty water?
Drink Bottled Water?
Pretend to drink bottled water?
Drink more beer!
Treat the Water
What type of treatment?
How do we know treatment is working?
What’s the regulatory approach?
State Response
Determine extent of exposure
Consider options for removing exposure
Continued fate & transport studies
Water treatment studies
5 Options
Chemical-specific
Chemical class - health endpoint
Chemical class - chemical class
Intensive Site Remediation tracking
Barrier treatment on selected systems
Treatment Option
Interested Party Review• Treatment Option
Literature Review: treatment options
Demonstration Projects
Tailored Collaboration
Settlement Agreement
Activities for Treatment Option
Literature Review: DWQI• Black & Veatch
• Optimal water treatment for surface water systems
• Optimal water treatment for ground water systems
• private wells?Water
Treatment
Ground water Demonstration Projects
Geographic: • Fairlawn (Bergen
County)• Merchantville-
Pennsauken (Camden County)
Based on numbers of chemicals
Full-scale carbon treatment units
State-funded with 5 year commitment
Regulated & unregulated analyses
Collaborative Efforts
Tailored Collaboration• USGS, Black & Veatch, NJDEP, various water
surface water systems
• Extensive monitoring of raw and throughout treatment train - advanced treatment
Settlement Agreement(USGS, NJDEP, NJ American Water)
Penalty toward projectUSGS methodsNJ American
• Raw • Treatment trainSeveral facilitiesUSGS methods
Study Design Comparison
Title Samples Sample Sites Contaminants• NJDEP New Jersey “TIC” StudyGroundwater
Raw Ground waterFinished
Community water systems
Scan (untargeted)
• NJDEP New Jersey “TIC” StudySurface water
Raw surface watersFinished
Community water systems
Scan (untargeted)
• USGS National Reconnaissance Survey Raw surface waters Downstream of wastewater discharges
95 target analytes
• NJDEP-USGS New Jersey Reconnaissance Survey
Raw surface waters Downstream of wastewater discharges
100+ target analytes
• USGS-CDC New Jersey Drinking Water Treatment -Plant Study
Raw surface waterFinished
One community water system
100+ target analytes
• NJDEP-USGS New Jersey Drinking Water Treatment -Plant Study
Raw surface waterFinished
Community water systems
100+ target analytes
• NJDEP-USGS-Black&Veatch Tailored Collaboration
Raw surface waterFinished
Community water systems
100+ target analytes
• NJDEP-USGS-NJ American Water Raw surface waterFinished
Community water systems
100+ target analytes
• NJDEP Demonstration Projects Raw Ground waterFinished
Community water systems
Scan (untargeted)
Systems Vulnerable to Contamination by Unregulated Contaminants
Source Water Assessment Areas
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Ground Water Protection Areas for Merchantville Pennsauken W.C.
Ground Water Protection Areas2 yr. time of travel5 yr. time of travel12 yr. time of travel
r Compost Facility% Solid Waste Landfill
Classification Exemption Area$ Known Contaminated Sites# CWS wells
0.7 0 0.7 Miles
N
J.Louis, DSRT, Aug. 2002
Future Directions
Use results of new work to inform possible regulatory action.Encourage treatment at wastewater discharges (prevention)Encourage research on toxicology of mixtures of contaminants (EOHSI)
Questions?
I’m all ears.