Alkylphenol and bisphenol A contamination of urban runoff: an evaluation of the emission potentials of various construction materials and automotive supplies.

Alkylphenol (AP) and bisphenol A (BPA) contamination of urban runoff has already been established. Potential sources of these contaminants in runoff are endogenous to the urban watershed and are mainly related to traffic and leaching from construction materials. This article summarizes the results of experimental work carried out on a selection of building materials, automotive materials, and consumables, which can be in contact with rain, to assess their potential emission of alkylphenols, alkylphenol ethoxylates, and bisphenol A into runoff. 36 samples of materials, new and used, across 7 major families of building materials (PVC, concrete, polycarbonate, SBS-modified bitumen, drainage materials) and automotive materials (body, tires) were subjected to leaching tests with methanol and then, for a selection of them, with water. Automotive fluids were also directly analyzed. The results demonstrate the ubiquitous presence of APs and BPA in urban materials and their extractable character with water. The compounds with the strongest emission rates were bisphenol A and nonylphenol. The most important BPA emissions into water (10 to 300 ng/g) were measured for polycarbonate, tires, some car bodies, and PVC. Nonylphenol was leached in large quantities (1 to 10 ng/g) from PVC, some concretes, SBS-modified bitumen, and body samples. The tires were the only materials having a strong emission in octylphenol (1 to 10 ng/g). The analysis of automotive fluids confirmed the presence of BPA (0.3 to 5.5 g/L) and nonylphenol (2.3 to 2.9 mg/L) in brake fluids, while APs and BPA were found at trace levels in coolants and windscreen washer. Graphical abstract ᅟ.

Characterization of atmospheric deposition and runoff water in a small suburban catchment.

A study has been carried out as part of the mission assigned to IRSTV (Research Institute of Urban Sciences and Techniques), a federative research network supported by the Loire Valley Region, with the objective of characterizing atmospheric deposition, roof runoff and street runoff in a small (31 ha) suburban catchment in Nantes equipped with a separate sewer system. Trace metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and pesticides were investigated. The characterization of atmospheric deposition reveals a high variability of trace metal concentrations, which could not be explained by rainfall characteristics. The relative abundance order of the metals was as follows: Zn > Cu > Cr approximately Ni > Cd. Organic pollutants, i.e., PAHs and pesticides, were only rarely detected in the atmospheric deposition. Zn and Pb appear to be the major contaminants in runoff water, whereas the concentrations of Ni, Cu, Cr, Cd, PAHs and pesticides tend to remain low. On the whole, concentrations were similar to the lowest range reported in the literature. According to statutory thresholds, runoff water quality is poor because of the high Pb and Zn concentrations. Based on scanning electron microscopy observations, atmospheric particles do not apparently differ from runoff particles, with a predominance of pollen, bacteria and particles resulting from soil erosion. Spherical organic particles produced during fuel combustion have also been observed.