TY - JOUR
T1 - Indicator compounds representative of contaminants of emerging concern (Cecs) found in the water cycle in the United States
AU - Zhang, Shuangyi
AU - Gitungo, Stephen
AU - Dyksen, John E.
AU - Raczko, Robert F.
AU - Axe, Lisa
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding: This research was funded by National Science Foundation CBET Award Number 1903597 for the project titled INFEWS: US-CHINA: Biochar-Enabled Biologically Active Filtration System for Sustainable Water Management on Rice Agriculture.
Funding Information:
Acknowledgments: The authors gratefully acknowledge support through National Science Foundation CBET Award Number 1903597 for the project titled INFEWS: US-CHINA: Biochar-Enabled Biologically Active Filtration System for Sustainable Water Management on Rice Agriculture. In addition, this research was supported through a contract with SUEZ North America.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
PY - 2021/2/1
Y1 - 2021/2/1
N2 - The presence of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in the aquatic environment has recently become a global issue. The very large number of CECs reported in the literature makes it difficult to interpret potential risks as well as the removal efficiencies, especially for the more recalci-trant compounds. As such, there is a need for indicator compounds that are representative of CECs detected in systems worldwide. In an effort to develop such a list, five criteria were used to address the potential for applying indicator compounds; these criteria include usage, occurrence, resistance to treatment, persistence, and physicochemical properties that shed light on the potential degradability of a class of compounds. Additional constraints applied included the feasibility of procuring and analyzing compounds. In total, 22 CECs belonging to 13 groups were selected as indicator compounds. These compounds include acetaminophen and ibuprofen (analgesic); erythromycin, sulfamethox-azole, and trimethoprim (antibiotics); diazepam and fluoxetine (antidepressants); carbamazepine (antiepileptic); atenolol and propranolol (β-blockers); gemfibrozil (blood lipid regulator); tris(2-chloroethyl)phosphate (TCEP) (fire retardant); cotinine (nicotine metabolite); atrazine, metolachlor, and N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET) (pesticides); 17β-estradiol and cholesterol (steroids); caffeine (psychomotor stimulant); perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) (surfactants); and iopromide (X-ray contrast agent). These thirteen groups of compounds represent CECs with the greatest resistance to treatment processes, most persistent in surface waters, and detected with significant frequency throughout the water cycle. Among the important implications of using indicator compounds are the ability to better understand the efficacy of treatment processes as well as the transport and fate of these compounds in the environment.
AB - The presence of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in the aquatic environment has recently become a global issue. The very large number of CECs reported in the literature makes it difficult to interpret potential risks as well as the removal efficiencies, especially for the more recalci-trant compounds. As such, there is a need for indicator compounds that are representative of CECs detected in systems worldwide. In an effort to develop such a list, five criteria were used to address the potential for applying indicator compounds; these criteria include usage, occurrence, resistance to treatment, persistence, and physicochemical properties that shed light on the potential degradability of a class of compounds. Additional constraints applied included the feasibility of procuring and analyzing compounds. In total, 22 CECs belonging to 13 groups were selected as indicator compounds. These compounds include acetaminophen and ibuprofen (analgesic); erythromycin, sulfamethox-azole, and trimethoprim (antibiotics); diazepam and fluoxetine (antidepressants); carbamazepine (antiepileptic); atenolol and propranolol (β-blockers); gemfibrozil (blood lipid regulator); tris(2-chloroethyl)phosphate (TCEP) (fire retardant); cotinine (nicotine metabolite); atrazine, metolachlor, and N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET) (pesticides); 17β-estradiol and cholesterol (steroids); caffeine (psychomotor stimulant); perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) (surfactants); and iopromide (X-ray contrast agent). These thirteen groups of compounds represent CECs with the greatest resistance to treatment processes, most persistent in surface waters, and detected with significant frequency throughout the water cycle. Among the important implications of using indicator compounds are the ability to better understand the efficacy of treatment processes as well as the transport and fate of these compounds in the environment.
KW - Contaminants of emerging concern
KW - Indicator compounds
KW - Occurrence and usage
KW - Physicochemical properties
KW - Water and wastewater treatment
KW - Water cycle
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U2 - 10.3390/ijerph18031288
DO - 10.3390/ijerph18031288
M3 - Review article
C2 - 33535451
AN - SCOPUS:85100166968
SN - 1661-7827
VL - 18
SP - 1
EP - 30
JO - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
JF - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
IS - 3
M1 - 1288
ER -