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Assessment of Health Risk Associated with Persistent Organic Pollutants in Water

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Assessment of Health Risk Associated with Persistent Organic Pollutants in Water View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Springer - Publisher Connector Environ Monit Assess (2013) 185:497–508 DOI 10.1007/s10661-012-2570-8 Assessment of health risk associated with persistent organic pollutants in water Adam Pawełczyk Received: 9 October 2011 /Accepted: 10 February 2012 /Published online: 6 March 2012 # The Author(s) 2012. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com Abstract This paper presents the results of analyses Keywords Environmental monitoring . Risk of water samples taken from water intakes supplying assessment . Polychlorinated biphenyls . one of the districts located near the city of Wrocław. Chloroorganic pesticides . Water pollution Surprisingly high concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls and chloroorganic pesticides, classified as persistent organic pollutants (POPs), were detected in Introduction the monitored sites. Basing on the analytical and tox- icological data, the individual health risks related to Polychlorinated biphenyls and chloroorganic organic carcinogenic effects (excess cancer risk over a life- pesticides used on a massive scale in not so distant past time) in humans were assessed, resulting from direct still pose major health hazard to people and animals. ingestion of community water. Also noncarcinogenic Polychlorinated biphenyls are a mixture of congeners effects resulting from exposure to the examined POPs differing in their composition. Theoretically, 209 con- were determined. The conservative approach to risk geners produced by the chlorination of biphenyl are assessment, taking into account a safety margin for possible (Mills et al. 2007a). These compounds have data incompleteness, was adopted. The carcinogenic different trade names, such as: Aroclor in the USA, risk was found to slightly exceed the unconditionally Phenochlor in France, Clophen in Germany, Kanechlor acceptable risk of 10−6 in the case of polychlorinated in Japan, Fenchlor in Italy, Sovol in Russia and Delor in biphenyls and hexachlorocyclohexane, for all the in- the former Czechoslovakia. Industrial polychlorinated habitant populations. The determined values of non- biphenyl preparations called Chlorofen and Tarnol were carcinogenic effects expressed by hazard quotient and produced in Poland. Polychlorinated biphenyls are char- hazard index indicate that the water pollutants and acterized by low reactivity, are fire-retardant and poorly their concentrations do not cause an increase in non- biodegradable (Falandysz et al. 2007). The recommen- carcinogenic incidences in the inhabitants using the ded chemical nomenclature of polychlorinated biphenyl monitored water sources. congeners used further in this work is referenced to (Mills et al. 2007). It was mainly owing to these prop- erties that polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were com- monly and widely used in industry. Polychlorinated A. Pawełczyk (*) biphenyls were chiefly used as additives to electrical ł Wroc aw University of Technology, oils, compressor oils, hydraulic oils, paint improvers, ul. Wyspianskiego27, 50-370 Wroclaw, Poland impregnating agents, antidust agents, plasticizers for e-mail: [email protected] plastics, rubber softeners, and heat-carrying agents. 498 Environ Monit Assess (2013) 185:497–508 Because of the proven harmful effect of polychlorinated Analyses of the water drawn for consumption biphenyls on living organisms their production and use purposes from the intakes in one of the districts near were discontinued. Polychlorinated biphenyls, similarly the city of Wrocław showed a surprisingly high as chloroorganic pesticides, were labeled as toxic organ- level of its contamination with persistent organic ic compounds TOCs. Similar restrictions were imposed pollutants POP such as polychlorinated biphenyls on the use of chlorinated pesticides. and chloroorganic pesticides (Pawełczyk et al. Chlorinated pesticides contributed to a reduction in 2008) in comparison with standards for drinking diseases, higher crops, and increased animal produc- water (MHC 2000). The cause of the presence of tion. Hexachlorocyclohexane and p,p′-dichlorodiphe- these pollutants in the investigated water intakes has nyltrichloroethane (DDT), as well as the persistent not been explained yet. Probably the polychlorinated chloroorganic compounds from its decomposition, biphenyls infiltrate into water mainly in places are still present in the environment, despite the ban where industrial and municipal sewage is discharged on their use introduced in most countries in the 1970s. into rivers. Over time p,p′-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane Solubility of polychlorinated biphenyls is low decomposes into p,p′-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethy- and decreases with increasing chlorine content. lene (DDE) and p,p′-dichlorodiphenyl dichloroethane Sewage treatment does not remove dissolved frac- (DDD), which have similar physical, chemical and tion of polychlorinated biphenyls from water, toxicological properties. As they pass through the food therefore they pass from the sewages to various chain, the substances accumulate in human and animal water reservoirs. Due to hydrophobic properties, organisms, mainly in their fatty tissue and internal polychlorinated biphenyls tend to absorb on sus- organs. Thirty three years after its banning in the pended solid organic and inorganic particles and USA, p,p′-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane is still de- only that part of PCBs can be easily separated tectable in about 10% of the population while DDE from water. occurs in almost everyone (Eskenazi 2006). Dissolved polychlorinated biphenyls pass also The use of polychlorinated biphenyls and pesticides through commonly used raw water treatment systems has led to the accumulation of these compounds in the (Starek 2001). The widespread sand beds are not ca- environment and their migration, resulting in the con- pable of adsorbing the dissolved organic compounds. tamination of waters, including drinking water intakes. For that purpose, activated carbon systems or other Polychlorinated biphenyls get into the environment techniques would be suitable, which increase costs of through evaporation and leakages and during inciner- the water-treatment processes. ation, industrial sewage discharge and waste disposal. The main objective of the work was to determine It is estimated that about 80% of the annual production the contribution of selected POP contaminants present of polychlorinated biphenyls would get into the envi- in the water intakes, to excess adverse health effects, ronment in this way (Nisbet and Sarofim 1972). At- among the local population consuming the water. Ac- mospheric conditions play a major role in the transport tually, the so-called Excess Lifetime Cancer Risk of chloroorganic pesticides. The concentration of the (ELCR) for cancer effects and the so-called hazard pesticides in water increases when the thaw begins, quotient for noncancer effects originating from poly- whereby they are then detected in mountain waters chlorinated biphenyls and pesticides in water were and even in the polar regions. When they get into the discussed. The research should determine if any meas- atmosphere, polychlorinated biphenyl vapors are ures have to be taken in order to abate the exposure of absorbed on the suspended dust particles. The average the population to these particular contaminants’ concentration of polychlorinated biphenyls in air in groups. different areas of Sweden amounted to 1–50 ng/m3 The health risk assessment presented in the paper (PZWL 1985). In environmental hazard conditions, was conducted according to the procedure recommen- less than 5% of the dose absorbed by the body comes ded by the US Environmental Protection Agency (US from absorption through the respiratory tract and the EPA) in Risk Assessment Guidance for Superfund skin. The other 95% of the dose is absorbed through (EPA 1989). It includes hazard identification, dose– the alimentary canal (Koopman-Esseboom et al. response assessment, exposure assessment, risk char- 1994). acterization, and uncertainty analysis. Environ Monit Assess (2013) 185:497–508 499 Materials and methods Table 1 Parameters of chromatographic apparatus Parameter Value/type Raw water taken from three deep wells located in the vicinity of a county town near Wrocław was analyzed. Column length 60 m Also, water samples taken from a small river flowing Column temperature through the protected area of the district’swaterintakes Initial 160°C were examined. The chemical analyses showed that con- Temperature rise 5°C/min geners: 2,2′,5-trichlorobiphenyl (PCB18), 2,3,3′-trichlor- Final 325°C obiphenyl (PCB20), 2,4,4′-trichlorobiphenyl (PCB28), Initial isotherm 1 min 2,2′,3,5′-tetrachlorobiphenyl (PCB44), 2,2′,5,5′-tetra- Final isotherm 15 min chlorobiphenyl (PCB52), 2,2′,4,5,5′-pentachlorobiphenyl Carrier gas Nitrogen ′ ′ (PCB101), 2,3 ,4,4 ,5-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB118), Doping gas Nitrogen 2,3,3′,4,4′-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB105), 2,2′,4,4′,5,5′- hexachlorobiphenyl (PCB153), 2,2′,3,4,4′,5′-hexachloro- biphenyl (PCB138), 2,2′,3,3′,4,4′,5-heptachlorobiphenyl three water intakes and in the river flowing through (PCB170), 2,2′,3,4,4′,5,5′-heptachlorobiphenyl the water-bearing areas in the period of 5 months. The (PCB180), and 2,2′,3,3′,4,4′,5,5′-cctachlorobiphenyl samples were collected every week; that means the (PCB194) were present in the water intakes. Also, chlor- each average value was obtained from about 20 deter- oorganic pesticides were found in the water. minations.
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