A pilot study on the assessment of trace organic contaminants including pharmaceuticals and personal care products from on-site wastewater treatment systems along Skaneateles Lake in New York State, USA.

On-site wastewater treatment systems (OWTSs or septic systems) are designed to treat and dispose effluents on the same property that produces the wastewater. Approximately 25% of the U.S. population is served by such facilities. Nevertheless, studies on the treatment efficiency and discharge of organic contaminants through septic effluents are lacking. This pilot study showed the occurrence of organic contaminants including pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), perfluoroalkyl surfactants (PFASs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in septic effluents, adjacent lake water samples, household drinking water in homes that use lake water or a well adjacent to the lake as a source of drinking water, and offshore lake water samples. Septic effluent as well as lake and tap water samples were collected from several households with OWTSs around Skaneateles Lake located in central New York. The advanced on-site systems were installed in some households for the purpose of limiting nutrient levels in the effluent to protect the local surface water. Additionally, because many of these systems serve homes with limited land, advanced treatment systems were needed. The median concentrations of ten PPCPs (ranged from 0.45 to 388 ng/L) and eleven PFASs (ranged from 0.20 to 14.6 ng/L) in septic water were significantly higher (p ≤ 0.01) than in lake water samples. The median concentrations of PPCPs and PFASs in lake and tap water samples were not significantly different (p ≥ 0.65). The median concentrations of ∑PBDEs in septic, lake, and tap water samples were 7.47, 3.49, and 2.22 ng/L, respectively, and those for ∑PCBs were 33.1, 29.2, and 28.6 ng/L, respectively. The mass flux of PPCPs (i.e. the mass flow of PPCPs per unit area per unit time) through the disposal of treated septic effluent from textile biofilter and aerobic treatments to the dispersal unit ranged from 12 (carbamazepine) to 66900 µg/m(2)/day (caffeine) whereas that for PFASs ranged from 7.0 (perfluorobutanesulfonate) to 833 µg/m(2)/day (perfluorooctanoic acid). Based on the ratio of measured concentrations and method detection limit, triclocarban, perfluorooctanoic acid, and perfluorooctanesulfonate have the potential to be used as chemical tracers of septic water contamination in Skaneateles Lake. The median concentrations of atenolol, a beta-blocker drug, in septic water were significantly (ρ = 0.86, p = 0.01) correlated with enterococci counts.

A review of potable water accessibility and sustainability issues in developing countries - case study of Uganda.

Providing sources of sustainable and quality potable water in Uganda is a significant public health issue. This project aimed at identifying and prioritizing possible actions on how sustainable high quality potable water in Uganda's water supply systems could be achieved. In that respect, a review of both the current water supply systems and government programs on drinking water in Uganda was completed. Aspects of quantity, quality, treatment methods, infrastructure, storage and distribution of water for different water systems were evaluated and compared with the existing water supply systems in the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean, for purposes of generating feasible recommendations and opportunities for improvement. Uganda utilizes surface water, groundwater, and rainwater sources for consumption. Surface water covers 15.4% of the land area and serves both urban and rural populations. Lake Victoria contributes about 85% of the total fresh surface water. Potable water quality is negatively affected by the following factors: disposal of sewage and industrial effluents, agricultural pesticides and fertilizers, and surface run-offs during heavy rains. The total renewable groundwater resources in Uganda are estimated to be 29 million m3/year with about 20,000 boreholes, 3000 shallow-wells and 200,000 springs, serving more than 80% of the rural and slum communities. Mean annual rainfall in Uganda ranges from 500 mm to 2500 mm. Groundwater and rainwater quality is mainly affected by poor sanitation and unhygienic practices. There are significant regional variations in the accessibility of potable water, with the Northeastern region having the least amount of potable water from all sources. Uganda still lags behind in potable water resource development. Priorities should be placed mainly on measures available for improvement of groundwater and rainwater resource utilization, protection of watersheds, health education, improved water treatment methods and distribution in rural areas, and pollution control and monitoring. Implementing these changes can promote potable water accessibility especially to the poor populations living in rural and urban slum areas because they comprise the majority (80%) of Uganda's population.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in indoor air and in serum among older residents of upper Hudson River communities.

A study was conducted to evaluate the association between PCBs in residential indoor air and in the serum of older, long time residents of three upper Hudson River communities. Samples of indoor air and of serum were collected from 170 persons 55 to 74 years of age, and analyzed for PCBs using glass capillary gas chromatography. After adjusting for age, BMI, cigarette smoking, and Hudson River fish consumption with multiple linear regression analysis, the results indicated statistically significant associations between concentrations in indoor air and serum for PCB-28, a lightly chlorinated congener common in air that accumulates in serum, and PCB-105. Duration of exposure was an important factor, since among persons who had lived in their home for 39 years or more, 11 of the 12 most commonly detected congeners were significantly correlated, as was their sum (∑ PCB). Significant associations between indoor air and serum PCB concentrations also were more likely when collected in cooler months and if the two samples were collected within 20 d of each other. The study is among the first to indicate that PCB concentrations characteristic of residential indoor air are associated with a detectable increase in body burden.

Occurrence of PCBs in raw and finished drinking water at seven public water systems along the Hudson River.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were measured in raw and finished drinking water at seven Public Water Systems (PWSs) along the Hudson River as part of a baseline monitoring program prior to the extensive sediment dredging of the Upper Hudson River. Water samples were either analyzed using an Aroclor method (based on USEPA Method 508) or a congener method (Modified Green Bay Mass Balance Method). Using the congener-based method, raw water concentrations ranged from <9.3 to 164.3 ng/L and finished water concentrations ranged from <9.3 to 186.6 ng/L. Using the Aroclor method, finished water concentrations ranged from <5.0 to 200.9 ng/L. Most finished water samples above 73.0 ng/L were from a PWS with wells drilled near the river. Excluding the well data, total PCB concentrations in raw water at systems in the Upper River were similar to concentrations at systems in the Lower River, though the congener patterns differed. Paired comparison of total PCB concentrations using the two analytical methods showed good agreement, although raw water showed a different relationship than finished water.

Indoor air polychlorinated biphenyl concentrations in three communities along the Upper Hudson River, New York.

Indoor air polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations were measured in upstate New York as part of a nonoccupational exposure investigation. The adjacent study communities contain numerous sites of current and former PCB contamination, including two capacitor-manufacturing facilities. Indoor air PCB concentrations in the study area homes were not significantly different than in the comparison area homes. Total PCB concentrations in the study area homes ranged from 0.3 to 114.3 ng/m(3) (median 7.9). For the comparison area homes, concentrations ranged from 0.3 to 233.3 ng/m(3) (median 6.8). No correlations were found between PCB concentrations in indoor and outdoor air, with indoor concentrations generally 20 times higher than outdoor concentrations. Of the home characteristics cataloged, the presence of fluorescent lights was significantly associated with total PCB concentration in the study area only. The indoor PCB concentrations measured in this study are similar to those in other communities with known PCB-contaminated sites and similar to levels reported in other locations from the northeastern United States.

Sources of pharmaceutical pollution in the New York City Watershed.

An investigation was carried out in the New York City Watershed for the presence of selected pharmaceuticals. In four seasonal sampling events between August 2003 and May 2004, surface water was collected from eight reservoir keypoints and effluent was collected from four wastewater treatment plants. We evaluated the following twelve compounds: amoxicillin, atenolol, caffeine, carbamazepine, cephalexin, estrone, 17alpha-ethinylestradiol, 17beta-estradiol, ibuprofen, sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim, and valproic acid. In the treated effluents, carbamazepine was detected most frequently (100%; concentration range: 22-551 ng/L), followed by atenolol (94%; ND - 14,200 ng/L), trimethoprim (83%; ND - 37,000 ng/L), ibuprofen (61%; ND - 14,600 ng/L), and caffeine (49%; ND - 37,200 ng/L), while estrone was detected once (56 ng/L). In the reservoir keypoint samples, only ibuprofen (2.5%; ND - 932 ng/L) and caffeine (2.9%; ND - 177 ng/L) were detected. The other analytes were not detected in any sample. It is expected that investigation of other wastewater treatment plants in the New York City Watershed would show that their effluents are also a potential source of pharmaceuticals, but that these pharmaceuticals are unlikely to be detected in the Watershed's surface waters.

Outdoor air PCB concentrations in three communities along the Upper Hudson River, New York.

Outdoor air polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations were measured in upstate New York as part of a nonoccupational exposure investigation. The adjacent study communities of Hudson Falls and Fort Edward contain numerous sites of current and former PCB contamination, including two capacitor-manufacturing facilities. Outdoor air PCB concentrations in the study municipalities were significantly higher than in the comparison municipality of Glens Falls. Total PCB concentrations in the study area ranged from 0.102 to 4.011 ng/m(3) (median: 0.711 ng/m(3)). For the comparison area, concentrations ranged from 0.080 to 2.366 ng/m(3) (median: 0.431 ng/m(3)). Although our sampling was not designed to identify point sources, the presence of PCB-contaminated sites in the study area likely contributed to this observed difference in concentration. While elevated relative to the comparison area, total PCB concentrations in the study area are lower than those in other communities with known PCB-contaminated sites, and similar to levels reported in other locations from the northeastern United States.