PT04 Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals in Wastewater Treatment Effluents
Exhibit Hall
8:00 AM - Tuesday
(PT055) Comparison of a passive sampler to standard water-column sampling techniques for organic contaminants associated with wastewater effluents.
Alvarez, D1, Stackelberg, P2, Petty, J3, Huckins, J1, Furlong, E4, Zaugg, S4, Meyer, M5, 1 USGS - CERC, Columbia, MO, USA2 USGS, West Trenton, NJ, USA3 USGS, Columbia, MO, USA4 USGS - NWQL, Denver, CO, USA5 USGS, Lawrence, KS, USA
ABSTRACT- The use of passive samplers such as SPMDs for monitoring hydrophobic organic contaminants is widely accepted. However, many organic contaminants originating from wastewater treatment plants are hydrophilic and not amenable to sampling by SPMDs. Monitoring programs for these types of chemicals have been focused around traditional water-column sampling techniques (i.e., grab and composite samples). Four water samples collected using standard depth and width water-column sampling methodology were compared to a passive, in situ, sampler (the polar organic chemical integrative sampler or POCIS) for the detection of 96 organic wastewater-related contaminants (OWCs) in a stream that receives agricultural, municipal, and industrial wastewaters. Thirty-two OWCs were identified in POCIS extracts whereas 9 to 24 were identified in individual water-column samples demonstrating the utility of POCIS for identifying contaminants whose occurrence are transient or whose concentrations are insufficient to meet analytical detection limits. Overall, 10 OWCs were identified exclusively in the POCIS extracts and only six solely identified in the water-column samples. Repetitive water samples taken using the standard method during the POCIS deployment period required multiple trips to the sampling site and an increased number of samples to store, process, and analyze. Further advantages include, the ease of performing a single deployment as compared to collecting and processing multiple water samples, the greater mass of chemical residues sequestered, and the ability to detect chemicals which dissipate quickly.
Key words: pharmaceuticals, pocis, wastewater, passive sampling