The chemical disinfection of drinking water has saved millions of lives since the turn of the last century. However, since the mid 1970?s it has been known that the production of disinfection byproducts (DBPs) may be associated with adverse human health effects. The possibility that DBPs might cause adverse health effects has resulted in water treatment and monitoring investments costing billions of dollars worldwide. In addition, the DBP issue has caused a wide-spread fear of drinking water disinfection, making knowledge about the nature and dimensions of the health risks, if any, posed by DBPs in drinking water a critical public policy issue in all countries using effective drinking water disinfection technology to avoid the scourges of waterborne disease.
Epidemiologic studies have consistently shown an association of exposure to chlorinated drinking water with an increase in the incidence of bladder cancer. Some studies have shown associations with adverse reproductive outcomes. However, toxicological risk assessments of known DBPs have not been able to attribute possible risk levels observed in epidemiologic studies to drinking water exposure levels for known DBPs, and particularly those that are chlorinated, such as the trihalomethanes. This anomaly may mean one of three things: first, the causative DBP agents have not yet been identified; second, the identified DBPs act in an as yet unrecognized synergistic manner; or third, the observed epidemiologic associations with disinfection are correlational, without being causal.
While efforts to identify the important DBPs have been limited by available analytical methods, new technology has recently been developed to address these concerns, including FAIMS (High-Field Asymmetric Waveform Ion Mobility Spectrometry). Using FAIMS and other advanced analytical technologies, this project is characterizing and identifying polar DBPs in model and real drinking waters. DBP profiles from chemical disinfection (chlorination and/or chloramination) are being compared with physical (UV) disinfection and with various combinations. Ultimately, accurate predictions of DBP formation will enhance the ability to reduce the formation of harmful byproducts and optimize expenditures for controlling DBP formation.
This research is being performed in collaboration with researchers at the University of Waterloo and the University of Alberta together with collaborations involving leading water quality researchers in Australia, California and China.
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