New Method Reveals Hidden Toxins in Treated Drinking Water
Researchers have identified a technique to detect large, previously invisible chemical byproducts created when water treatment plants disinfect drinking water. The discovery matters because these undetected compounds may pose health risks—and water utilities now have a tool to monitor and reduce them.
Originaltitel: Nontarget Analysis of Disinfection Byproducts Using Sequential Extraction and Elution
<p>Disinfection byproducts (DBPs) formed upon drinkingwater treatment are often cytotoxic and genotoxic, and have beenrelated to health risks, such as bladder cancer. Large DBPs, with morethan two carbon atoms, are produced in large quantities and greatdiversity, and contribute substantially to observed toxicity, but theircomposition and structure remain largely unknown. While a few studieshave explored high-resolution detection methods, we here focus on theextraction and elution procedures of these >2 carbon DBPs, beforeusing negative electrospray ionization (ESI[−]) and detection byFourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICRMS). Samples were collected from three drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) in Sweden, of which two use hypochlorite and one usesmonochloramine for disinfection. A reversed-phase SPE sorbent (Hyper Sep) showed high complementarity with a hybrid carbonsorbent (Carbon S), which captured a subset of polar saturated DBPs not retained by the commonly used reversed-phase materials.Stepwise elution using solvents of varying polarity reduced sample complexity and ionization suppression and further extended theDBP diversity detected. Extraction at pH 8, investigated for one DWTP, also extended DBP diversity but that impact was smaller.The classic methanol elution on reversed phase may miss proportionally more DBPs in chloraminated drinking water.</p>