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Chen M, Niu Z, Zhang X, Zhang Y. Pollution characteristics and health risk of sixty-five organics in one drinking water system: PAEs should be prioritized for control. CHEMOSPHERE 2024; 350:141171. [PMID: 38211786 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.141171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2023] [Revised: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
Currently, a large number of emerging organic contaminants have been detected in domestic and international drinking water systems. However, there are differences among the research methods, which lead to system errors in directly comparing the hazards of different contaminants, so it is difficult to analyze the priority control pollutants and the risk control target in drinking water from previous studies. Therefore, we selected a drinking water treatment plant (DWTP) in the east of China, and detected trihalomethanes (THMs), antibiotics, phthalate esters (PAEs), organophosphate esters (OPEs), per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), a total of sixty-five organic contaminants in one batch water sample of four seasons, and carried out the whole process monitoring of "Source water-DWTP-Network-Users", and calculated the health risks of contaminants in tap water. The results showed that DWTP could effectively remove antibiotics and PAEs; the removal rate of coagulation for antibiotics can be up to 47%; the release of PAEs in the plastic water supply pipe leads to a significant increase of the concentrations in the water transportation system, which can reach 2.92 times of that in finished water; compared with other contaminants, THMs and PAEs in tap water have higher health risks. This study reveals that THMs and PAEs are priority control organic pollutants, and the water supply network is the key risk control target in the drinking water system, providing a theoretical basis for how to ensure the safety of drinking water.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingyu Chen
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300350, China
| | - Zhiguang Niu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300350, China; The International Joint Institute of Tianjin University, Fuzhou, 350207, China
| | - Xiaohan Zhang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300350, China
| | - Ying Zhang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300350, China.
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Levin R, Villanueva CM, Beene D, Cradock AL, Donat-Vargas C, Lewis J, Martinez-Morata I, Minovi D, Nigra AE, Olson ED, Schaider LA, Ward MH, Deziel NC. US drinking water quality: exposure risk profiles for seven legacy and emerging contaminants. JOURNAL OF EXPOSURE SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENTAL EPIDEMIOLOGY 2024; 34:3-22. [PMID: 37739995 PMCID: PMC10907308 DOI: 10.1038/s41370-023-00597-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Revised: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Advances in drinking water infrastructure and treatment throughout the 20th and early 21st century dramatically improved water reliability and quality in the United States (US) and other parts of the world. However, numerous chemical contaminants from a range of anthropogenic and natural sources continue to pose chronic health concerns, even in countries with established drinking water regulations, such as the US. OBJECTIVE/METHODS In this review, we summarize exposure risk profiles and health effects for seven legacy and emerging drinking water contaminants or contaminant groups: arsenic, disinfection by-products, fracking-related substances, lead, nitrate, per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) and uranium. We begin with an overview of US public water systems, and US and global drinking water regulation. We end with a summary of cross-cutting challenges that burden US drinking water systems: aging and deteriorated water infrastructure, vulnerabilities for children in school and childcare facilities, climate change, disparities in access to safe and reliable drinking water, uneven enforcement of drinking water standards, inadequate health assessments, large numbers of chemicals within a class, a preponderance of small water systems, and issues facing US Indigenous communities. RESULTS Research and data on US drinking water contamination show that exposure profiles, health risks, and water quality reliability issues vary widely across populations, geographically and by contaminant. Factors include water source, local and regional features, aging water infrastructure, industrial or commercial activities, and social determinants. Understanding the risk profiles of different drinking water contaminants is necessary for anticipating local and general problems, ascertaining the state of drinking water resources, and developing mitigation strategies. IMPACT STATEMENT Drinking water contamination is widespread, even in the US. Exposure risk profiles vary by contaminant. Understanding the risk profiles of different drinking water contaminants is necessary for anticipating local and general public health problems, ascertaining the state of drinking water resources, and developing mitigation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronnie Levin
- Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Cristina M Villanueva
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER epidemiología y salud pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
- IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Daniel Beene
- Community Environmental Health Program, College of Pharmacy, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM, USA
- University of New Mexico Department of Geography & Environmental Studies, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | | | - Carolina Donat-Vargas
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER epidemiología y salud pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Johnnye Lewis
- Community Environmental Health Program, College of Pharmacy, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Irene Martinez-Morata
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, USA
| | - Darya Minovi
- Center for Science and Democracy, Union of Concerned Scientists, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Anne E Nigra
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, USA
| | - Erik D Olson
- Natural Resources Defense Council, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | - Mary H Ward
- Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, USA
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Xia S, Liu M, Yu H, Zou D. Pressure-driven membrane filtration technology for terminal control of organic DBPs: A review. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 904:166751. [PMID: 37659548 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/04/2023]
Abstract
Disinfection by-products (DBPs), a series of undesired secondary contaminants formed during the disinfection processes, deteriorate water quality, threaten human health and endanger ecological safety. Membrane-filtration technologies are commonly used in the advanced water treatment and have shown a promising performance for removing trace contaminants. In order to gain a clearer understanding of the behavior of DBPs in membrane-filtration processes, this work dedicated to: (1) comprehensively reviewed the retention efficiency of microfiltration (MF), ultrafiltration (UF), nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) for DBPs. (2) summarized the mechanisms involved size exclusion, electrostatic repulsion and adsorption in the membrane retention of DBPs. (3) In conjunction with principal component analysis, discussed the influence of various factors (such as the characteristics of membrane and DBPs, feed solution composition and operating conditions) on the removal efficiency. In general, the characteristics of the membranes (salt rejection, molecular weight cut-off, zeta potential, etc.) and DBPs (molecular size, electrical property, hydrophobicity, polarity, etc.) fundamentally determine the membrane-filtration performance on retaining DBPs, and the actual operating environmental factors (such as solute concentration, coexisting ions/NOMs, pH and transmembrane pressure) exert a positive/negative impact on performance to some extent. Current researches indicate that NF and RO can be effective in removing DBPs, and looking forward, we recommend that multiple factors should be taken into account that optimize the existed membrane-filtration technologies, rationalize the selection of membrane products, and develop novel membrane materials targeting the removal of DBPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuai Xia
- Key Lab of Groundwater Resources and Environment, Ministry of Education, Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Resources and Environment, Jilin University, 2519 Jiefang Road, Changchun 130021, PR China
| | - Meijun Liu
- School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Liaoning University of Technology, Jinzhou 121001, China
| | - Haiyang Yu
- Key Lab of Groundwater Resources and Environment, Ministry of Education, Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Resources and Environment, Jilin University, 2519 Jiefang Road, Changchun 130021, PR China
| | - Donglei Zou
- Key Lab of Groundwater Resources and Environment, Ministry of Education, Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Resources and Environment, Jilin University, 2519 Jiefang Road, Changchun 130021, PR China.
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Long L, Peng LE, Zhou S, Gan Q, Li X, Jiang J, Han J, Zhang X, Guo H, Tang CY. NaHCO 3 addition enhances water permeance and Ca/haloacetic acids selectivity of nanofiltration membranes for drinking water treatment. WATER RESEARCH 2023; 242:120255. [PMID: 37356158 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Revised: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/27/2023]
Abstract
The existence of disinfection by-products such as haloacetic acids (HAAs) in drinking water severely threatens water safety and public health. Nanofiltration (NF) is a promising strategy to remove HAAs for clean water production. However, NF often possesses overhigh rejection of essential minerals such as calcium. Herein, we developed highly selective NF membranes with tailored surface charge and pore size for efficient rejection of HAAs and high passage of minerals. The NF membranes were fabricated through interfacial polymerization (IP) with NaHCO3 as an additive. The NaHCO3-tailored NF membranes exhibited high water permeance up to ∼24.0 L m - 2 h - 1 bar-1 (more than doubled compared with the control membrane) thanks to the formation of stripe-like features and enlarged pore size. Meanwhile, the tailored membranes showed enhanced negative charge, which benefitted their rejection of HAAs and passage of Ca and Mg. The higher rejection of HAAs (e.g., > 90%) with the lower rejection of minerals (e.g., < 30% for Ca) allowed the NF membranes to achieve higher minerals/HAAs selectivity, which was significantly higher than those of commercially available NF membranes. The simultaneously enhanced membrane performance and higher minerals/HAAs selectivity would greatly boost water production efficiency and water quality. Our findings provide a novel insight to tailor the minerals/micropollutants selectivity of NF membranes for highly selective separation in membrane-based water treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Long
- Membrane-based Environmental & Sustainable Technology Group, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Lu Elfa Peng
- Membrane-based Environmental & Sustainable Technology Group, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Shenghua Zhou
- Membrane-based Environmental & Sustainable Technology Group, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Qimao Gan
- Membrane-based Environmental & Sustainable Technology Group, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Xianhui Li
- Key Laboratory for City Cluster Environmental Safety and Green Development of the Ministry of Education, School of Ecology, Environment and Resources, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Jingyi Jiang
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, Clean Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Jiarui Han
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, Clean Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Xiangru Zhang
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, Clean Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Hao Guo
- Membrane-based Environmental & Sustainable Technology Group, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China; Institute of Environment and Ecology, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, China.
| | - Chuyang Y Tang
- Membrane-based Environmental & Sustainable Technology Group, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China.
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Zhu X, Hao Y, Chen L, Zhu J, Huang C, Zhang X, Zhou R, Ding X. Occurrence and multi-pathway health risk assessment of trihalomethanes in drinking water of Wuxi, China. CHEMOSPHERE 2023:139085. [PMID: 37263514 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.139085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Revised: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Chlorination is widely used to disinfect drinking water to keep humans safe from microorganisms. During chlorination, chlorine and its compounds react with contaminants to form disinfection by-products (DBPs). Toxicological and epidemiological studies have demonstrated that trihalomethanes (THMs) are the most widely investigated DBPs in drinking water, and their exposure has been associated with some adverse health effects. However, studies about risk characteristics in this field are limited. We estimated the health risks of THMs exposure in drinking water through multi-pathways, and systematically analyzed the factors influencing health risks of THMs in Wuxi, China. A total of 488 drinking water samples were collected and analyzed for THMs from four water treatment utilities from 2008 to 2016 in Wuxi. And water exposure parameters were obtained from 602 participants by structured questionnaires. The median concentration of THMs ranged from 6.71 μg/L to 9.18 μg/L. The cumulative cancer risk of THMs exposure through multi-pathways was 1.26 × 10-4, and CHBr2Cl made the largest contribution to the total cancer risk (48.25%). The non-cancer risk of THMs exposure was 2.02 × 10-1. Health risks of the exposure to THMs in drinking water in summer were significantly higher than that in winter (P = 0.0003 for cancer risk, and P = 5.95 × 10-7 for non-cancer risk). In our study, the average individual disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) lost was 1.27 × 10-4 per person-year (ppy). This study attempted to use DALYs for risk assessment of THMs, which will provide useful information for risk comparison and prioritization of hazards in drinking water. This suggested that potential higher risk might exist, and possible measures could be considered to decrease the health risks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xun Zhu
- Wuxi Center for Disease Control and Prevention (The Affiliated Wuxi Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanjing Medical University), Wuxi, 214023, China
| | - Yamei Hao
- Wuxi Center for Disease Control and Prevention (The Affiliated Wuxi Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanjing Medical University), Wuxi, 214023, China
| | - Limei Chen
- Wuxi Center for Disease Control and Prevention (The Affiliated Wuxi Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanjing Medical University), Wuxi, 214023, China
| | - Jingying Zhu
- Wuxi Center for Disease Control and Prevention (The Affiliated Wuxi Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanjing Medical University), Wuxi, 214023, China
| | - Chunhua Huang
- Wuxi Center for Disease Control and Prevention (The Affiliated Wuxi Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanjing Medical University), Wuxi, 214023, China
| | - Xi Zhang
- Wuxi Center for Disease Control and Prevention (The Affiliated Wuxi Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanjing Medical University), Wuxi, 214023, China
| | - Run Zhou
- Wuxi Center for Disease Control and Prevention (The Affiliated Wuxi Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanjing Medical University), Wuxi, 214023, China
| | - Xinliang Ding
- Wuxi Center for Disease Control and Prevention (The Affiliated Wuxi Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanjing Medical University), Wuxi, 214023, China.
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Global trends in the epidemiology of bladder cancer: challenges for public health and clinical practice. Nat Rev Clin Oncol 2023; 20:287-304. [PMID: 36914746 DOI: 10.1038/s41571-023-00744-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 37.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023]
Abstract
Bladder cancer is among the ten most common cancers globally, causes considerable morbidity and mortality and is, therefore, a substantial burden for health-care systems. The incidence of bladder cancer is affected by demographic trends, most notably population growth and ageing, as well as exposure to risk factors, especially tobacco smoking. Consequently, the incidence has not been stable throughout the world over time, nor will it be in the near future. Further primary prevention efforts are of the utmost importance to reduce the medical and financial burden of bladder cancer on populations and health-care systems. Simultaneously, less-invasive and lower-cost approaches for the diagnosis of both primary and recurrent bladder cancers are required to address challenges posed by the increasing shortage of health-care professionals and limited financial resources worldwide. In this regard, urinary biomarkers have demonstrated promising diagnostic accuracy and efficiency. Awareness of the risk factors and symptoms of bladder cancer should also be increased in society, particularly among health-care professionals and high-risk groups. Studies investigating the associations between lifestyle factors and bladder cancer outcomes are scarce and should be a research priority. In this Review, we outline global trends in bladder cancer incidence and mortality, and discuss the main risk factors influencing bladder cancer occurrence and outcomes. We then discuss the implications, challenges and opportunities of these epidemiological trends for public health and clinical practice.
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