Characterization and chlorine reactivity of particulate matter released by bathers in indoor swimming pools.

Disinfecting swimming pool water is essential for preventing waterborne diseases. An unforeseen consequence of treating water with disinfectants is the formation of disinfection by-products (DPBs) that can cause harmful effects to health through the interactions between the added disinfectant and organic matter in the water. The present work focuses on the chlorine reactivity with particles released by bathers. Such particles are collected in the filter backwash water of swimming pools and this study intends to distinguish DPBs generated from dissolved chemicals from those formed by particulate matter. Therefore, filtered and unfiltered backwash waters were collected from several swimming pools, analysed physicochemically and chemically, and then chlorinated as is (79 mgL-1) and as diluted suspensions (36.2 and 11.9 mgL-1) at varying concentrations of chlorine (1.2 mg and 24 mgCl2L-1). Utilizing a DPD colorimetric technique and GC-ECD, respectively, the kinetics of chlorine consumption and DPBs production have been investigated. Up to 25.7 µgL-1 of chloroform was produced within 96 h at 1.2 mgCl2L-1, followed by haloacetic acids (HAAs) and haloacetonitriles (HANs). Within 96 h, the concentration of trichloroacetic acid reached a maximum of 231.8 µgL-1 at a chlorine concentration of 231.8 µgL-1. The formations of 0.13 µmol THMs, 0.31 µmol HAAs, and 0.04 µmol HANs per mg of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) were finally determined by correlating the organic content of particles with the nature of the DBPs generated. Comparing the quantities of DBPs generated in filtered and unfiltered samples helps us conclude that ∼50% of DBPs formed during the chlorination of swimming pool water are derived from particles brought by bathers.

Chlorination by-product concentration levels in seawater and fish of an industrialised bay (Gulf of Fos, France) exposed to multiple chlorinated effluents.

Chlorination is one of the most widely used techniques for biofouling control in large industrial units, leading to the formation of halogenated chlorination by-products (CBPs). This study was carried out to evaluate the distribution and the dispersion of these compounds within an industrialised bay hosting multiple chlorination discharges issued from various industrial processes. The water column was sampled at the surface and at 7 m depth (or bottom) in 24 stations for the analysis of CBPs, and muscle samples from 15 conger eel (Conger conger) were also investigated. Temperature and salinity profiles supported the identification of the chlorination releases, with potentially complex patterns. Chemical analyses showed that bromoform was the most abundant CBP, ranging from 0.5 to 2.2 µg L(-1) away from outlets (up to 10 km distance), and up to 18.6 µg L(-1) in a liquefied natural gas (LNG) regasification plume. However, CBP distributions were not homogeneous, halophenols being prominent in a power station outlet and dibromoacetonitrile in more remote stations. A seasonal effect was identified as fewer stations revealed CBPs in summer, probably due to the air and water temperatures increases favouring volatilisation and reactivity. A simple risk assessment of the 11 identified CBPs showed that 7 compounds concentrations were above the potential risk levels to the local marine environment. Finally, conger eel muscles presented relatively high levels of 2,4,6-tribromophenol, traducing a generalised impregnation of the Gulf of Fos to CBPs and a global bioconcentration factor of 25 was determined for this compound.

Heavy metal concentrations in natural and human-impacted sediments of Segara Anakan Lagoon, Indonesia.

The concentrations of eight elements (Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Ti, V, and Zn) in surface sediments from Segara Anakan Nature Reserve (SARN), Indonesia, were determined using inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy following microwave-assisted acid digestion. In general, the heavy metal concentrations of the sediments were found to decrease in the sequence Fe > Ti > Mn > Zn > V > Cu > Cr > Ni. Sediment pollution assessment was carried out using a pollution status index contamination factor, pollution load index, geoaccumulation index, and enrichment factor as well as by comparing the measured values with two sediment quality guidelines, i.e., threshold effect level and probable effect level. The evaluation showed that in the refinery site stations, Cr, Ni, and Zn concentrations found in the SANR sediments may cause the adverse effect to occur over a wider range of organisms and can contribute to a more serious harmful effect.