Occurrence and fate of pharmaceutical products and by-products,from resource to drinking water

Among all emerging substances in water, pharmaceutical products (PPs) and residues are a lot of concern. These last two years, the number of studies has increased drastically, however much less for water resources and drinking water than for wastewater. This literature review based on recent works, deals with water resources (surface or groundwater), focusing on characteristics, occurrence and fate of numerous PPs studied, and drinking water including water quality. Through this review, it appears that the pharmaceutical risk must be considered even in drinking water where concentrations are very low. Moreover, there is a lack of research for by-products (metabolites and transformation products) characterization, occurrence and fate in all water types and especially in drinking water.     

Heterogeneous uptake of octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4) and decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5) onto mineral dust aerosol under variable RH conditions

We have carried out kinetic studies to characterize the heterogeneous decay of octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D₄) and decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D₅) in the presence of representative mineral dust aerosol in order to obtain a better understanding of the atmospheric fate of these siloxanes. The heterogeneous chemistry of D₄ and D₅ with various mineral dusts was studied in an environmental aerosol reaction chamber using FTIR absorption spectroscopy to monitor the reaction. The apparent heterogeneous uptake coefficient, γ_app, for D₄ and D₅ with various mineral dusts was measured under dry conditions and as a function of relative humidity (RH). In addition, the effect of initial D₄ and D₅ concentration on the rate and yield of the reaction was examined. The uptake coefficient, γ_app, for D₄ and D₅ was similar for the most reactive aerosols tested, with kaolinite ≈hematite > silica. Limited uptake onto carbon black and calcite surfaces was observed for either siloxane. Reaction with hematite and kaolinite resulted in multilayer coverages, suggesting extensive polymerization of D₄ and D₅ on the aerosol surface.     

Susceptibility indexing method for irrigation water management planning: applications to K. Menderes river basin, Turkey

A susceptibility indexing method was developed based on vulnerability and quality indices. The contamination susceptibility index (SI) at a given location was calculated by taking the product of the vulnerability index (VI) and the quality index (QI): SI = VI × QI. This method incorporates both hydrogeological and hydrochemical data for a comprehensive index mapping. The DRASTIC index methodology was used for the hydrogeological data evaluations. The quality index calculation procedure based on a water quality classification scheme was introduced to evaluate hydrochemical data. The suggested susceptibility indexing method was applied to the Küçük Menderes river basin located in western Turkey. The susceptibility index map shows both hydrogeological and hydrochemical data related to the contamination problem including areas that should be taken into consideration during water management planning. The index map indicates that the most susceptible groundwater is located along the river channel between Kiraz and Tire towns, in the Selçuk area and along the Fertek stream channel to the north of Torbal? town. The results indicate that the incorporation of both hydrogeological and hydrochemical datasets enables more realistic evaluations than those of an individual dataset to estimate the groundwater contamination susceptibility of an aquifer. The numerical procedure applied could be extended further by including other parameters such as retardation, potential contaminant sources, etc. that affect the water quality in a given basin.     

The Effect of Shoreline Recreational Angling Activities on Aquatic and Riparian Habitat Within an Urban Environment: Implications for Conservation and Management

There is growing concern that recreational shoreline angling activity may negatively impact littoral and riparian habitats independent of any direct or indirect influences of fish harvest or fishing mortality through mechanisms such as disturbance (e.g., trampling, erosion) and pollution (e.g., littering). We sampled a suite of aquatic and terrestrial variables (i.e., water quality, aquatic and terrestrial macrophytes, soil compaction, anthropogenic refuse) at 14 high shoreline angling-activity sites (identified by way of interviews with conservation officers and angling clubs) within an urban area (Ottawa, Canada). For each high angling-activity site, a nearby corresponding low angling-activity site was sampled for comparison. We found that the percentage of barren area and soil compaction were greater in areas of high angling activity compared with areas that experienced relatively low angling activity. In addition, terrestrial and aquatic macrophyte density, height, and diversity were lower at high angling-activity sites. Angling- and non-angling-related litter was present in large quantities at each of the high angling-activity sites, and comparatively little litter was found at low angling-activity sites. Collectively, these findings indicate that shoreline angling does alter the riparian environment, contributing to pollution and environmental degradation in areas of high angling intensity. With growing interest in providing urban angling opportunities and in response to increasing interest in developing protected areas and parks, a better understanding of the ecologic impacts of shoreline angling is necessary to address multiuser conflicts, to develop angler outreach and educational materials, and to optimize management of angling effort to maintain ecologic integrity of riparian and aquatic ecosystems.     

Incomes,Attitudes, and Occurrences of Invasive Species: An Application to Signal Crayfish in Sweden

This article analyzes and carries out an econometric test of the explanatory power of economic and attitude variables for occurrences of the nonnative signal crayfish in Swedish waters. Signal crayfish are a carrier of plague which threatens the native noble crayfish with extinction. Crayfish are associated with recreational and cultural traditions in Sweden, which may run against environmental preferences for preserving native species. Econometric analysis is carried out using panel data at the municipality level with economic factors and attitudes as explanatory variables, which are derived from a simple dynamic harvesting model. A log-normal model is used for the regression analysis, and the results indicate significant impacts on occurrences of waters with signal crayfish of changes in both economic and attitude variables. Variables reflecting environmental and recreational preferences have unexpected signs, where the former variable has a positive and the latter a negative impact on occurrences of waters with signal crayfish. These effects are, however, counteracted by their respective interaction effect with income.     

Species composition and quantitative representation of fishes in biotopes with the riffle minnow <Emphasis Type="Italic">Alburnoides bipunctatus</Emphasis>

Species composition of fishes was studied in rivers (capture sites) inhabited by the riffle minnow. In some localities, this species proved to occupy a leading position in the ichthyofauna, being obviously dominant. In small rivers, 16 species were caught together with it, including seven species regularly occurring in catches. The relative abundance of riffle minnow showed a moderate positive correlation with that of the gudgeon (0.568) and a nonsignificant negative correlation (?0.399) with that of the bleak. It is probable that the population dynamics of riffle minnow are determined mainly by natural intraspecific mechanisms rather than by water quality, which has changed only slightly in the rivers studied.     

Arsenic species in ecosystems affected by arsenic-rich spring water near an abandoned mine in Korea

The objectives of this study were to quantitatively estimate the distribution of arsenic with its speciation and to identify potential pathways for transformation of arsenic species from samples of water, sediments, and plants in the ecosystem affected by the Cheongog Spring, where As(V) concentration reached levels up to 0.270 mg L⁻¹. After flowing about 100 m downstream, the arsenic level showed a marked reduction to 0.044 mg L⁻¹ (about 84% removal) without noticeable changes in major water chemistry. The field study and laboratory hydroponic experiments with the dominant emergent plants along the creek (water dropwort and thunbergian smartweed) indicated that arsenic distribution, reduction, and speciation appear to be controlled by, (i) sorption onto stream sediments in exchangeable fractions, (ii) bioaccumulation by and possible release from emergent plants, and (iii) transformation of As(V) to As(III) and organic species through biological activities.     

Characterization of aluminium-based water treatment residual for potential phosphorus removal in engineered wetlands

Aluminium-based water treatment residual (Al-WTR) is the most widely generated residual from water treatment facilities worldwide. It is regarded as a by-product of no reuse potential and landfilled. This study assessed Al-WTR as potential phosphate-removing substrate in engineered wetlands. Results indicate specific surface area ranged from 28.0 m² g⁻¹ to 41.4 m² g⁻¹. X-ray Diffraction, Fourier transform infrared and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopes all indicate Al-WTR is mainly composed of amorphous aluminium which influences its phosphorus (P) adsorption capacity. The pH and electrical conductivity ranged from 5.9 to 6.0 and 0.104 dS m⁻¹ to 0.140 dS m⁻¹ respectively, showing that it should support plant growth. Batch tests showed adsorption maxima of 31.9 mg P g⁻¹ and significant P removal was achieved in column tests. Overall, results showed that Al-WTR can be used for P removal in engineered wetlands and it carries the benefits of reuse of a by-product that promotes sustainability.     

The radiative efficiency of HCF2OCF2OCF2CF2OCF2H (H-Galden 1040x) revisited

The infrared spectrum of HCF₂OCF₂OCF₂CF₂OCF₂H (CAS# 188690-77-9) has been re-measured. The integrated absorption intensity over the range 1000–1500 cm^?1 measured in the present work is (6.65 ± 0.33) × 10^?17 cm² molecule^?1 cm^?1 in 700 Torr of air at 296 K. The radiative efficiency of HCF₂OCF₂OCF₂CF₂OCF₂H is calculated to be 1.02 W m^?2 ppb^?1. The value reported in the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report is approximately 35% larger reflecting what we believe to be an erroneously high value for the absorption strength of HCF₂OCF₂OCF₂CF₂OCF₂H adopted by the IPCC.