Investigation on the levels of carbon-, nitrogen-, iodine-containing disinfection by-products in a water plant in Jiangsu province, China / 中华预防医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>This work aimed to investigate the carbon-, nitrogen-, iodine-containing disinfection by-products (DBPs) formation and pollution situation in different treatment processes and pipe water of a water plant in Jiangsu province China.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>12 water samples were collected from raw water, different time points after the addition of chlorine, finished water and pipe water in July, 2011. Trihalomethanes (THM(4)), haloacetic acids (HAA(6)), haloacetonitriles (HAN(s)), chloropicrin (CPs), haloketones (HK(s)), iodoform (IF) and iodoacetic acid (IAA) were detected by gas chromatography with electron capture detector (GC-ECD) after liquid-liquid extraction. Nitrosamines (NAms) were detected by gas chromatography with mass spectrometer (GC-MS) after solid-phase extraction. The concentration of DBPs was represented as the mean of duplicate samples.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Most DBPs were found in water treatment processes except dibromochloromethane (0.61 µg/L), chloroform (1.64 µg/L) and N-nitrosodimethylamine (3.06 ng/L), which were detected in raw water. Pre-chlorination formed HAA(6) (5.01 µg/L), HKs (0.66 µg/L), HANs (0.57 µg/L) and NAms (98.09 ng/L). Chlorination and post-chlorination led to a dramatic increase in the levels of THM(4), HAA(6) (70.31 and 43.71 µg/L, respectively), while Nams didn't increase. In finished water, bromodichloromethane (34.12 µg/L) had the highest concentration among THM(4) (70.31 µg/L), and so was trichloroacetic acid (13.45 µg/L) among HAA(6) (43.71 µg/L). Levels of HANs, HKs, and CPs were 14.96, 2.32, 0.96 µg/L, respectively. Levels of N-nitrosodimethylamine and N-nitrosodipropylamine were 21.22, 69.43 ng/L, respectively. IAA, IF and other six NAms including N-nitrosomethylethylamine, N-nitrosodiethylamine, N-nitrosopyrrolidine, N-nitrosomorpholine, N-nitrosopiperidine and N-nitrosodibutylamine were not detected in all water samples.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Levels of DBPs in this water plant are relative high.and measures should be taken to control DBPs.</p>

Thyroid disruption induced by pentachlorophenol / 中华预防医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To assess thyroid disruption induced by sodium pentachlorophenol (PCP) using Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) recommended TG 407 method.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 30 specific pathogen free (SPF) SD adult male and female rats were randomly divided into 3 groups, and treated with water, 0.33 and 30 mg x kg(-1)x d(-1) of PCP-Na by oral gavage for consecutive 28 days, respectively. After final treatment, histological changes of thyroid were observed by hematoxylin-eosin stain, and the levels of thyroid hormones (total thyroxine (TT(4)), free thyroxine (FT(4)), total triiodothyronine (TT(3)), and free triiodothyronine (FT(3))) were determined by radioimmunoassay. The expression levels of thyroid receptors (TRalpha and TRbeta) mRNA and deiodinases (DioI, DioII and DioIII) mRNA in liver were analyzed by RT-PCR.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In high dose group, liver weight coefficient of male and female rats were (4.82 +/- 0.42)% and (4.99 +/- 0.17)%, increased by 36.2% (t = 7.338, P < 0.01) and 41.8% (t = 8.955, P < 0.01), compared to control group ((3.54 +/- 0.14)%, (3.52 +/- 0.19)%), respectively, while the significant changes of kidney or thyroid weight were not observed. In high dose group, the levels of TT(4) and FT(4) in serum of male rats were (64.95 +/- 7.16) nmol/L and (8.16 +/- 2.29) pmol/L, and decreased by 26.6% (t = -3.999, P < 0.01) and 42.3% (t = -4.112, P < 0.01) compared to control group ((88.48 +/- 6.99) nmol/L, (14.13 +/- 1.68) pmol/L). In the same group, FT(4) in serum of female rats was (4.94 +/- 0.89) pmol/L, decreased by 55.5% (t = -3.380, P = 0.012) compared to control group ((11.10 +/- 3.40) pmol/L) and TT(3) and FT(3) in serum of female rats were (1.92 +/- 0.24) nmol/L and (3.05 +/- 0.79) pmol/L, increased by 74.5% (t = 5.263, P < 0.01) and 55.6% (t = 3.495, P < 0.01) compared to control group ((1.10 +/- 0.23) nmol/L, (1.96 +/- 0.32) pmol/L), respectively. PCP-Na didn't affect the expression levels of TRalpha, TRbeta, DioIII mRNA in high dose group, while DioII expression of male rats (0.209 +/- 0.017) down-regulated by 79.2% (t = -5.426, P < 0.01) compared to control group (1.006 +/- 0.137), and DioI expression of female rats (1.844 +/- 0.189) up-regulated by 66.6% (t = 4.359, P < 0.01) compared to control group (1.005 +/- 0.083), indicating DioI and DioII poss different sensitivity to adverse effects induced by PCP-Na between male and female rats. The histopathological results showed that PCP-Na could give rise to hyperplasia of the follicular epithelium cells, and the depletion of colloid. There were no significant changes in serum THs levels and expression of TRalpha, TRbeta, DioI-IIImRNA in low dose group. However, sporadic lymphocytic infiltration, follicles amplification in part and slightly increased in thickness of follicular cells were observed in this group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>PCP is a kind of thyroid disrupting chemical.</p>

Determination of several herbicides, fungicides and estrogens in water from various treatment processes of different water plants in Shanghai by solid phase extraction-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry / 中华预防医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To establish the solid phase extraction-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) method for qualitative and quantitative determination of several herbicides, fungicides and estrogens in drinking water.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Duplicate 1 L water samples were collected from various treatment processes of different water plants. Target pollutants were extracted by XAD-2 resin from water samples and were eluted by 30% acetone-methanol. GC/MS was employed for qualitative and quantitative analysis of target pollutants.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The linear ranges of standard curves of 6 target compounds including atrazine, alachlor, 4-cumyphenol, thiabendazole, β-estradiol and ethylestradiol were 0.1 - 10 µg/ml and the R(2) values were 0.9915 - 0.9995. The detection limits, the recovery rates, and the relative standard deviation (RSD) were separately 0.01 - 0.40 µg/L, 74.0% - 112.0% and 2.3% - 14.8%. Atrazine (0.11 - 0.13 µg/L), 4-cumyphenol (0.20 - 0.35 µg/L), thiabendazole (0.92 - 1.46 µg/L), β-estradiol (1.02 - 1.32 µg/L) and ethylestradiol (0.96 - 1.66 µg/L)were all detected in raw water, post-coagulation water, post-sedimentation water and finished water using Huangpu River as water source. Alachlor was not detected in any water samples in Huangpu River. The 6 target compounds were not detected in any water samples from the water plants using Yangtse River as water source.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The methods with high sensitivity and satisfying selectivity are suitable to simultaneously qualitative and quantitative determination of target pollutants in drinking water. Concentrations of above-mentioned pollutants in drinking water coming from Huangpu River are obviously higher than in drinking water coming from Yangtze River. Thiabendazole, β-estradiol and ethylestradiol at the level of µg/L exist in drinking water coming from Huangpu River and more attention should be paid to surveillance of future.</p>

Formation and changes of regulated trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids in raw water of Yangtze River, Huangpu River and different treatment processes and pipelines network / 中华预防医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVES</b>To investigate the pollutant levels of regulated disinfection by-products trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs) in raw water from the Huangpu River, the Yangtze River and different treatment processes and finished water, and to explore the changes tendency in transmission and distribution pipeline network.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 65 ml water samples with two replicates were collected from different raw water, corresponding treatment processes, finished water and six national surveillance points in main network of transmission and distribution, water source for A water plant and B, C water plant was the Huangpu River and the Yangtze River, respectively. Regulated THMs and HAAs above water samples were detected by gas chromatography.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The total trihalomethanes (THM(4)) concentration in different treatment processes of A water plant was ND-9.64 µg/L, dichlorobromomethane was the highest (6.43 µg/L). The THM(4) concentration in B and C water plant was ND to 38.06 µg/L, dibromochloromethane (12.24 µg/L) and bromoform (14.07 µg/L) were the highest in the B and the C water plant respectively. In addition to trichloroacetic acid in A water plant from the raw water, the other HAAs came from different treatment processes. The total haloacetic acids (HAA(6)) concentration of different treated processes in A water plant was 3.21 - 22.97 µg/L, mobromoacetic acid (10.40 µg/L) was the highest. Dibromoacetic acid was the highest both in B (8.25 µg/L) and C (8.84 µg/L) water plant, HAA(6) concentration was ND to 27.18 µg/L. The highest and the lowest concentration of THM(4) were found from the main distribution network of C and A water plant respectively, but the concentration of HAA(6) in the main water pipes network of A water plant was the highest, and the lowest in C water plant. The THMs concentration was 21.11 - 31.18 µg/L in C water plant and 6.72 - 8.51 µg/L in A water plant. The concentration of HAA(6) was 25.02 - 37.31 µg/L in A water plant and 18.69 - 23.32 µg/L in C water plant. The highest concentrations of brominated disinfection by-products in B and C water plant were 54.57 µg/L and 45.38 µg/L respectively, those were higher than A water plant (18.98 µg/L), and higher than the chlorinated disinfection by-products in B and C water plants (30.23 µg/L and 30.60 µg/L).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The THM(4) concentrations of finished water treated from Huangpu River was lower than finished water from the Yangtze River, while the HAAs concentrations in finish water from Huangpu River was higher than the two water plants of Yangtze River. The fluctuations of THMs and HAAs concentration in distribution network were low during transmission and distribution process.</p>