scholarly journals Assessment of Environmental Pollution and Human Exposure to Pesticides by Wastewater Analysis in a Seven-Year Study in Athens, Greece

Toxics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 260
Author(s):  
Nikolaos I. Rousis ◽  
Maria Denardou ◽  
Nikiforos Alygizakis ◽  
Aikaterini Galani ◽  
Anna A. Bletsou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Pollution ◽  
Human Exposure ◽  
Screening Method ◽  
Transformation Products ◽  
Wastewater Analysis ◽  
Insect Repellents ◽  
Untreated Wastewater ◽  
Flight Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Pesticide Transformation Products ◽  
Wastewater Samples

Pesticides have been used in large amounts around the world for decades and are responsible for environmental pollution and various adverse effects on human health. Analysis of untreated wastewater can deliver useful information on pesticides’ use in a particular area and allow the assessment of human exposure to certain substances. A wide-scope screening method, based on liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry, was applied, using both target and suspect screening methodologies. Daily composite influent wastewater samples were collected for seven or eight consecutive days in Athens between 2014 and 2020 and analyzed for 756 pesticides, their environmental transformation products and their human metabolites. Forty pesticides were quantified at mean concentrations up to 4.9 µg/L (tralkoxydim). The most abundant class was fungicides followed by herbicides, insect repellents, insecticides and plant growth regulators. In addition, pesticide transformation products and/or metabolites were detected with high frequency, indicating that research should be focused on them. Human exposure was evaluated using the wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) approach and 3-ethyl-carbamoyl benzoic acid and cis-1,2,3,6-tetrahydrophthalimide were proposed as potential WBE biomarkers. Wastewater analysis revealed the presence of unapproved pesticides and indicated that there is an urgent need to include more transformation products in target databases.

scholarly journals Investigation of Biotransformation Products of p-Methoxymethylamphetamine and Dihydromephedrone in Wastewater by High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry

Metabolites ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 66
Author(s):  
Juliet Kinyua ◽  
Aikaterini K. Psoma ◽  
Nikolaos I. Rousis ◽  
Maria-Christina Nika ◽  
Adrian Covaci ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
High Resolution Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Transformation Products ◽  
New Psychoactive Substances ◽  
Batch Reactors ◽  
Flight Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Detection And Identification ◽  
Wastewater Samples ◽  
Set Up

There is a paucity of information on biotransformation and stability of new psychoactive substances (NPS) in wastewater. Moreover, the fate of NPS and their transformation products (TPs) in wastewater treatment plants is not well understood. In this study, batch reactors seeded with activated sludge were set up to evaluate biotic, abiotic, and sorption losses of p-methoxymethylamphetamine (PMMA) and dihydromephedrone (DHM) and identify TPs formed during these processes. Detection and identification of all compounds was performed with target and suspect screening approaches using liquid chromatography quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Influent and effluent 24 h composite wastewater samples were collected from Athens from 2014 to 2020. High elimination rates were found for PMMA (80%) and DHM (97%) after a seven-day experiment and degradation appeared to be related to biological activity in the active bioreactor. Ten TPs were identified and the main reactions were O- and N-demethylation, oxidation, and hydroxylation. Some TPs were reported for the first time and some were confirmed by reference standards. Identification of some TPs was enhanced by the use of an in-house retention time prediction model. Mephedrone and some of its previously reported human metabolites were formed from DHM incubation. Retrospective analysis showed that PMMA was the most frequently detected compound.

scholarly journals Physicochemical and Bacteriological Characterization of Industrial Wastewater Being Discharged to Surface Water Bodies: Significant Threat to Environmental Pollution and Human Health

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Muhammad Tariq ◽  
Alia Anayat ◽  
Muhammad Waseem ◽  
Muhammad Hidayat Rasool ◽  
Muhammad Asif Zahoor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Environmental Pollution ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Industrial Wastewater ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Climatic Factors ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Living Standard ◽  
Untreated Wastewater ◽  
Wastewater Samples

In developing countries, various sociodemographic and climatic factors such as urbanization, industrialization, and improved living standard, and water and energy demands will all characterize wastewater’s future. Increasing population and water shortage are the main driving forces for the reuse of untreated wastewater for irrigation and other uses in many poor countries, posing a significant threat to global food security. Although wastewater contains essential nutrients required for plant growth, it also contains toxic heavy metals and pathogens that pose a significant threat to the environment and human health. Present research work was carried out to study important physicochemical and microbiological parameters of industrial wastewater collected from various discharged points at different locations of Kala Shah Kaku (KSK) city, Pakistan. Physicochemical parameters such as pH, temperature, sodium, calcium, magnesium, bicarbonates, sodium adsorption ratio, chlorides, and heavy metals such as nickel, cadmium, and iron of all industrial wastewater samples were within the standard limits. However, certain water’s quality parameters such as TSS, BOD, COD, residual sodium carbonate, heavy metals such as chromium, and total suspended solids of all samples were exceeding the maximum allowable limits listed by Pakistani Standards. Carbonates, manganese, and cobalt were not detected in any of the wastewater samples. Total viable count and total coliform counts were higher in all samples describing low levels of sanitation. Contamination of fecal coliform and Escherichia coli was observed in about 50% of the studied wastewater samples. The overall results focus on the discharge of highly polluted wastewater in and around KSK city. Indirectly it creates significant threats to environmental pollution and human health. Continuous monitoring of physicochemical and microbial indicators of effluent’s quality for its reuse for irrigation purpose is proposed to safeguard the public health and environment.

scholarly journals Occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in Six Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants at the Early Stage of COVID-19 Pandemic in The United States

Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 798
Author(s):  
Samendra P. Sherchan ◽  
Shalina Shahin ◽  
Jeenal Patel ◽  
Lauren M. Ward ◽  
Sarmila Tandukar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Municipal Wastewater ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
The United States ◽  
Secondary Effluent ◽  
Untreated Wastewater ◽  
Treatment Processes ◽  
Wastewater Samples

In this study, we investigated the occurrence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA in primary influent (n = 42), secondary effluent (n = 24) and tertiary treated effluent (n = 34) collected from six wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs A–F) in Virginia (WWTP A), Florida (WWTPs B, C, and D), and Georgia (WWTPs E and F) in the United States during April–July 2020. Of the 100 wastewater samples analyzed, eight (19%) untreated wastewater samples collected from the primary influents contained SARS-CoV-2 RNA as measured by reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) assays. SARS-CoV-2 RNA were detected in influent wastewater samples collected from WWTP A (Virginia), WWTPs E and F (Georgia) and WWTP D (Florida). Secondary and tertiary effluent samples were not positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA indicating the treatment processes in these WWTPs potentially removed SARS-CoV-2 RNA during the secondary and tertiary treatment processes. However, further studies are needed to understand the log removal values (LRVs) and transmission risks of SARS-CoV-2 RNA through analyzing wastewater samples from a wider range of WWTPs.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): a new challenge in untreated wastewater

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (8) ◽  
pp. 1005-1009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akshay Kumar Chaudhry ◽  
Payal Sachdeva
Keyword(s):  
Human Health ◽  
Human Exposure ◽  
Etiologic Agent ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Successful Management ◽  
Virus Shedding ◽  
Untreated Wastewater ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

COVID-19 outbreak was declared a pandemic by the WHO on 12 March 2020. As of 27 May 2020, WHO statistics exhibited that more than five million confirmed cases have been reported globally. Much remains unclear about the fate and impact of SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus 2019, in wastewater. SARS-CoV-2 infection, the etiologic agent of the current COVID-19 pandemic, is followed by virus shedding in the stool. The quantification of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater, therefore, enables monitoring of the prevalence of infections among the population through wastewater-based epidemiology. This review discusses the possible spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in wastewater and its impact on human health, if any. The information and resources outlined in this paper are based on recently published studies and provide information to decision-makers on the successful management of COVID-19 and reduce the risk of human exposure to COVID-19. Additionally, systems-based approaches to curtail COVID-19 spread are also discussed.

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