An ultrasound-assisted photocatalytic treatment to remove an herbicidal pollutant from wastewaters

Pollutants of emerging concern contaminate surface and ground water. Advanced oxidation processes treat these molecules and degrade them into smaller compounds or mineralization products. However, little information on coupled advanced oxidation techniques and on the degradation pathways of these pollutants is available to identify possible ecotoxic subproducts. In the present work, we investigate the ultrasound assisted photocatalytic degradation pathway of the herbicide Isoproturon. We worked in batch mode in a thermostatic glass reactor. We compared the activity of nanometric TiO2 P25 with that of Kronos 1077, a micrometric TiO2. We discuss the individual, additive and synergistic degradation action of photolysis, sonolysis, sonophotolysis, and sonophotocatalysis by varying catalyst loading and/or ultrasound power for the last three techniques. With 0.1 g L 121 catalyst, photocatalysis and sonophotopcatalysis completely degrade Isoproturon within 240 min and 60 min, respectively (>99% conversion). Sonophotocatalysis breaks Isoproturon down into smaller molecules than photocatalysis alone

Towards regulation of Endocrine Disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in water resources using bioassays - A guide to developing a testing strategy

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are found in every environmental medium and are chemically diverse. Their presence in water resources can negatively impact the health of both human and wildlife. Currently, there are no mandatory screening mandates or regulations for EDC levels in complex water samples globally. Bioassays, which allow quantifying in vivo or in vitro biological effects of chemicals are used commonly to assess acute toxicity in water. The existing OECD framework to identify single-compound EDCs offers a set of bioassays that are validated for the Estrogen-, Androgen-, and Thyroid hormones, and for Steroidogenesis pathways (EATS). In this review, we discussed bioassays that could be potentially used to screen EDCs in water resources, including in vivo and in vitro bioassays using invertebrates, fish, amphibians, and/or mammalians species. Strengths and weaknesses of samples preparation for complex water samples are discussed. We also review how to calculate the Effect-Based Trigger values, which could serve as thresholds to determine if a given water sample poses a risk based on existing quality standards. This work aims to assist governments and regulatory agencies in developing a testing strategy towards regulation of EDCs in water resources worldwide. The main recommendations include 1) opting for internationally validated cell reporter in vitro bioassays to reduce animal use & cost; 2) testing for cell viability (a critical parameter) when using in vitro bioassays; and 3) evaluating the recovery of the water sample preparation method selected. This review also highlights future research avenues for the EDC screening revolution (e.g., 3D tissue culture, transgenic animals, OMICs, and Adverse Outcome Pathways (AOPs)).This work was supported by the Fonds de recherche du Québec - Nature et technologies (FRQNT-290501) to JR, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada (NSERC-DG-2020-06475), and Canada Research Chairs to VSL (CRC-950-232235). LNM was supported by a H2020-Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action MSCA-IF-RI- 2017 awarded by the European Commission (ref. 797725-EpiSTOX). The authors are grateful to the Intersectorial Centre for Endocrine Disruptor Analysis (ICEDA)'s researcher network that facilitated this Special Issue. We thank Peta Neale that compiled references from the literature for EBT value that can be found in Table 3.Peer reviewe

Occurrence of legacy and replacement plasticizers, bisphenols, and flame retardants in potable water in Montreal and South Africa

The occurrence of thirty-nine contaminants including plasticizers, bisphenols, and flame retardants in potable water from Montreal and South Africa was analyzed to determine their presence and concentrations in different water sources. In Montreal, five bottled water (BW) brands and three drinking water treatment plants (DWTP) were included. In South Africa, water was sampled from one urban DWTP located in Pretoria, Gauteng, and one rural DWTP located in Vhembe, along with water from the same rural DWTP which had been stored in small and large plastic containers. A combination of legacy compounds, typically with proven toxic effects, and replacement compounds was investigated. Bisphenols, Dechlorane-602, Dechlorane-603, and s-dechlorane plus (s-DP) were not detected in any water samples, and a-dechlorane plus (a-DP) was only detected in one sample from Pretoria at a concentration of 1.09 ng/L. Lower brominated polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE)s were detected more frequently than higher brominated PBDEs, always at low concentrations of <2 ng/L, and total PBDE levels were statistically higher in South Africa than in Montreal. Replacement flame retardants, organophosphate esters (OPEs), were detected at statistically higher concentrations in Montreal's BW (68.56 ng/L), drinking water (DW) (421.45 ng/L) and Vhembe (198.33 ng/L) than legacy PBDEs. Total OPE concentrations did not demonstrate any geographical trend; however, levels were statistically higher in Montreal's DW than Montreal's BW. Plasticizers were frequently detected in all samples, with legacy compounds DEHP, DBP, and replacement DINCH being detected in 100 % of samples with average concentrations ranging from 6.89 ng/L for DEHP in Pretoria to 175.04 ng/L for DINCH in Montreal's DW. Total plasticizer concentrations were higher in Montreal than in South Africa. The replacement plasticizers (DINCH, DINP, DIDA, and DEHA) were detected at similar frequencies and concentrations as legacy plasticizers (DEHP, DEP, DBP, MEHP). For the compounds reported in earlier studies, the concentrations detected in the present study were similar to other locations. These compounds are not currently regulated in drinking water but their frequent detection, especially OPEs and plasticizers, and the presence of replacement compounds at similar or higher levels than their legacy compounds demonstrate the importance of further investigating the prevalence and the ecological or human health effects of these compounds.The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Canadian Foundation for Innovation through the John R. Evans Leaders Fund grant,http://www.elsevier.com/locate/scitotenvhj2023School of Health Systems and Public Health (SHSPH

Three years of wastewater surveillance for new psychoactive substances from 16 countries

The proliferation of new psychoactive substances (NPS) over recent years has made their surveillance complex. The analysis of raw municipal influent wastewater can allow a broader insight into community consumption patterns of NPS. This study examines data from an international wastewater surveillance program that collected and analysed influent wastewater samples from up to 47 sites in 16 countries between 2019 and 2022. Influent wastewater samples were collected over the New Year period and analysed using validated liquid chromatography - mass spectrometry methods. Over the three years, a total of 18 NPS were found in at least one site. Synthetic cathinones were the most found class followed by phenethylamines and designer benzodiazepines. Furthermore, two ketamine analogues, one plant based NPS (mitragynine) and methiopropamine were also quantified across the three years. This work demonstrates that NPS are used across different continents and countries with the use of some more evident in particular regions. For example, mitragynine has highest mass loads in sites in the United States, while eutylone and 3-methylmethcathinone increased considerably in New Zealand and in several European countries, respectively. Moreover, 2F-deschloroketamine, an analogue of ketamine, has emerged more recently and could be quantified in several sites, including one in China, where it is considered as one of the drugs of most concern. Finally, some NPS were detected in specific regions during the initial sampling campaigns and spread to additional sites by the third campaign. Hence, wastewater surveillance can provide an insight into temporal and spatial trends of NPS use

Multi-year interlaboratory exercises for the analysis of illicit drugs and metabolites in wastewater:development of a quality control system

Thirty-seven laboratories from 25 countries present the development of an inter-laboratory testing scheme for the analysis of seven illicit drug residues in standard solutions, tap- and wastewater. Almost 10 000 concentration values were evaluated: triplicates of up to five samples and 26 laboratories per year. The setup was substantially improved with experiences gained across the six repetitions (e.g. matrix type, sample conditions, spiking levels). From this, (pre-)analytical issues (e.g. pH adjustment, filtration) were revealed for specific analytes which resulted in formulation of best-practice protocols for inter-laboratory setup and analytical procedures. The results illustrate the effectiveness of the inter-laboratory setup to assess laboratory performance in the framework of wastewater-based epidemiology. The exercise proved that measurements of laboratories were of high quality (>80% satisfactory results for six out of seven analytes) and that analytical follow-up is important to assist laboratories in improving robustness of wastewater-based epidemiology results

Comparative measurement and quantitative risk assessment of alcohol consumption through wastewater-based epidemiology: An international study in 20 cities

Quantitative measurement of drug consumption biomarkers in wastewater can provide objective information on community drug use patterns and trends. This study presents the measurement of alcohol consumption in 20 cities across 11 countries through the use of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE), and reports the application of these data for the risk assessment of alcohol on a population scale using the margin of exposure (MOE) approach. Raw 24-h composite wastewater samples were collected over a one-week period from 20 cities following a common protocol. For each sample a specific and stable alcohol consumption biomarker, ethyl sulfate (EtS) was determined by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. The EtS concentrations were used for estimation of per capita alcohol consumption in each city, which was further compared with international reports and applied for risk assessment by MOE. The average per capita consumption in 20 cities ranged between 6.4 and 44.3. L/day/1000 inhabitants. An increase in alcohol consumption during the weekend occurred in all cities, however the level of this increase was found to differ. In contrast to conventional data (sales statistics and interviews), WBE revealed geographical differences in the level and pattern of actual alcohol consumption at an inter-city level. All the sampled cities were in the "high risk" category (MOE