This study investigated the spatial distribution and seasonal variation of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) and illicit drugs in western Hengchun peninsula and Kenting coastal tourist area in Taiwan. We used solid phase extraction (SPE) followed by liquid-chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) to determine 22 PPCPs and 10 illicit drugs in water samples. The detected concentrations of PPCPs and illicit drugs ranged from below detection limit to 9350 ng/L, and the most frequently five detected compounds in this area were ampicillin (79%), codeine (63%), caffeine (62%), carbamazepine (61%) and pseudoephedrine (57%). The impact of the special event- Kenting music festival, such as ¡§spring scream¡¨ was also discussed in this study, and the results from PCA and HCA both showed that the concentrations and distributions of PPCPs and illicit drugs were affected by the tourists. In addition, two wastewater treatments plants (WWTPs) were also investigated for seven days during Kenting music festival period. The results indicated that WWTPs did not show enough removal efficiencies in Kenting tourist area during the special event. The impact of the PPCPs and illicit drugs to the aquatic environment and ecology still needs to be further monitored.

As water stresses increase across the U.S., interest in household water reuse is growing. Such reuse typically focuses on light greywater, that is all wastewater generated in the house excluding toilet waste and kitchen wastewater. As this practice becomes more widespread, higher level reuse is expected to require greater greywater treatment prior to reuse. Membrane bioreactors (MBRs) are an attractive technology for this application because they offer a robust combination of treatment processes and are already used in some households in countries such as Japan. This research sought to understand the role of phosphorus availability in determining the quality of effluent from MBR treatment of light greywater because phosphorus concentrations are expected to be low with phosphorus phased out of many consumer products. Less than 30 [mu]g/L of dissolved orthophosphate was present in synthetic greywater made from three common household products, and no measurable amount of dissolved orthophosphate was found in real greywater, but low concentrations of particulate phosphate were detected. These concentrations were well below levels believed necessary to achieve full BOD₅ removal in biological treatment. Nevertheless, MBR performance was not adversely affected until no supplemental phosphorus was provided. Measurement of extracellular enzyme activity showed an increase in the ratio of phosphatase activity to total glycosidase activity with declining phosphorus concentration, providing an early indication of nutrient stress before changes in effluent water quality were detected. Removal of three xenobiotic organic compounds (XOCs) in treatment of synthetic greywater was also evaluated under conditions of phosphorous limitation and balance. Abiotic removal mechanisms were not deemed to be important, but removal of methylparaben and sodium lauryl sulfate via biodegradation responded to nutrient limitation similarly to overall COD removal while removal of diethyl phthalate was affected to a greater extent. Measurement of plasmid DNA concentrations was evaluated as a potential indicator of the effect of nutrient limitation on plasmid-mediated biodegradation of XOCs. An overall reduction in the plasmid content was observed in all cases under conditions of phosphorus limitation; however, the extent of reduction was reactor dependent. / text

Many chemicals used in everyday personal care products are today amongst the most commonly detected compounds in surface waters throughout the world. Collectively referred to as micropollutants, they include paraben preservatives, organic UV filters, alkylphenols, triclosan, and bisphenol-A. Micropollutants enter the aquatic environment predominantly via wastewater discharges. To date there has been only limited assessments on their presence and impacts in coastal environments. The wastewater treatment plants in Lyttelton, Governors Bay, and Diamond Harbour were found to discharge micropollutants into Whakaraupo Harbour. Similarly, the sewage effluents of the Antarctic research stations Scott Base and McMurdo Station were found to discharge micropollutants into Erebus Bay. Strong seasonal changes in the Whakaraupo effluent concentrations were observed, with concentrations higher in winter than in summer. Concentrations fluctuated greatly in Scott Base, reaching concentrations higher than have been previously reported internationally. The nine most commonly detected analytes were octylphenol, 4-MBC, BP-3, BP-1, triclosan, methyl triclosan, bisphenol-A, estrone, and coprostanol. The marine environments in Whakaraupo Harbour and Erebus Bay were found to be similarly impacted. The most commonly detected micropollutants in seawater in Whakaraupo Harbour were mParaben, 4-MBC, BP-3, OMC, bisphenol-A, and estrone. The marine sediments in Whakaraupo Harbour accumulated mParaben, octylphenol, 4-MBC, BP-3, BP-1, bisphenol-A, OMC, estrone, and coprostanol, while mussels bioaccumulated mParaben, octylphenol, and BP-3. The same range of micropollutants were detected in seawater throughout Erebus Bay, including the reference sites. Marine biota (clams, urchins, and fish), including those from the reference site, were shown to readily bioaccumulate mParaben, pParaben, octylphenol, BP-3, E2, EE2, and coprostanol. A much larger coastal area of Antarctica and New Zealand is therefore impacted than was previously thought. Photodegradation was identified as an important environmental degradation pathway for micropollutants. mParaben, BPA, EE2, and BP-3 are highly photo-stable, while triclosan and OP readily photodegrade. The low temperature and irradiance conditions in Antarctica were modelled to investigate their potential environmental persistence. Field measurements suggest the model may underestimate the photodegradation potential of some micropollutants.

OBJECTIVE: To measure urinary triclosan levels and their variability across pregnancy, and to identify sources of triclosan exposure among Canadian pregnant women. METHODS: Single spot and serial urine samples, as well as consumer product use information were collected across pregnancy and post-partum from 80 healthy pregnant women in Ottawa. Analyses included descriptives, linear mixed effects and parametric trend modeling, and surrogate category analysis. RESULTS: Triclosan was detected in 87% of maternal urine samples (LOD=3.0 µg/L). Triclosan concentrations varied by time of day of urine collection (p=0.0006), season of sampling (p=0.019), and parity (p=0.038). Triclosan was included in 4% of all personal care products used by participants; 89% of these triclosan products were varying brands of toothpaste and hand soaps. CONCLUSION: This study provided the first data on temporal variability urinary triclosan levels, and on source attribution data in Canadian pregnant women. Results will assist with population-specific exposure assessment strategies.

OBJECTIVE: To measure urinary triclosan levels and their variability across pregnancy, and to identify sources of triclosan exposure among Canadian pregnant women. METHODS: Single spot and serial urine samples, as well as consumer product use information were collected across pregnancy and post-partum from 80 healthy pregnant women in Ottawa. Analyses included descriptives, linear mixed effects and parametric trend modeling, and surrogate category analysis. RESULTS: Triclosan was detected in 87% of maternal urine samples (LOD=3.0 µg/L). Triclosan concentrations varied by time of day of urine collection (p=0.0006), season of sampling (p=0.019), and parity (p=0.038). Triclosan was included in 4% of all personal care products used by participants; 89% of these triclosan products were varying brands of toothpaste and hand soaps. CONCLUSION: This study provided the first data on temporal variability urinary triclosan levels, and on source attribution data in Canadian pregnant women. Results will assist with population-specific exposure assessment strategies.

The growing consciousness of consumers towards buying products that contain mainly natural ingredients and do not harm the health and the environment drives the growth of the natural personal care market. Additionally, men nowadays care more about their image and self-presentation which lead to an increase of the natural personal care products offered for men. As the drug store market in Germany is highly competitive, marketers need to understand the factors influencing men’s purchase decision. The attitude of consumers is an elemental influence factor on purchase intention that could lead to the actual behaviour as it predicts the intention to purchase a product. Therefore, this thesis investigates the factors influencing men’s attitude towards natural personal care products and attitude’s impact on purchase intention, particularly in the German market. This has been done through the development of an own theoretical model whereas the main idea was taken from the TPB model. Afterwards, it was extended by factors that influence attitude which were identified through literature review. To meet the purpose of this study, data were collected through a quantitative online survey which generated 207 valuable responses. In order to analyse the relationships between the different variables, descriptive statistics, factor analyses, Pearson correlation analyses as well as linear and multiple regression analyses were used. The findings of this study provide new insights about the predictors of attitude: German male consumers’ attitude towards natural personal care products is mainly predicted by their consciousness about the environment and subjective norms whereas health consciousness and product knowledge were identified to be no predictors. Moreover, the study confirmed attitude as a strong predictor for intention which is supported by the idea of the TPB model and findings in previous literature. The respondents of this study are environmentally conscious and are influenceable by others. Furthermore, they have an overall positive attitude towards natural personal care products and intent to some extent to purchase these products in the future. The study’s results provide a variety of theoretical and managerial implications as well as opportunities for future research.

This study assessed the chemical substances that can be used to investigate fecal contamination of surface waters and how they can be used to indicate and trace fecal contamination in oligotrophic rivers of Northern Sweden. It was found that, from previous studies, several chemicals can be used to trace fecal contamination of surface water, and these include pharmaceuticals, personal care products, sterols, stanols and bile acids. Pharmaceuticals have been successfully used to indicate fecal contamination in many tropical countries and some countries in the cold regions and thus can also be applied to oligotrophic rivers. Sterols, stanols and bile acids make it possible to accurately indicate and trace the different sources of fecal contamination and can also be used to distinguish between the different organisms from which those sterols and bile acids emanate. For these groups of chemicals analytical methods such as chromatography and mass spectrometry are used to decipher the different chemicals in the test samples of water or sediment. Overall, these methods can be used concurrently but the sterols and bile acids have more specificity compared to the pharmaceuticals and personal care products / <p>2021-07-06</p>

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(工学) / 甲第19984号 / 工博第4228号 / 新制||工||1654(附属図書館) / 33080 / 京都大学大学院工学研究科都市環境工学専攻 / (主査)教授 田中 宏明, 教授 米田 稔, 講師 山下 尚之 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) / Kyoto University / DFAM

This study evaluates soil properties that impact the effectiveness of soil aquifer treatment (SAT) as a polishing step to the remove two classes of ECs from wastewater effluent: pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), and engineering nanomaterials (ENMs). In recent years, it has been determined that elevated levels of emerging contaminants (ECs) are being released into the environment with wastewater effluent. ECs are proven to cause adverse environmental and health effects as a result of long-term exposure. It is important to evaluate sustainable solutions to improve the current methods of wastewater treatment to address these ECs. Soil aquifer treatment (SAT) is a sustainable, cost effect treatment alternative to advanced treatment at a wastewater treatment plant. SAT replenishes local groundwater supplies while allowing for indirect potable reuse, if contaminants of concern such as ECs can be effectively removed from the water. Since wastewater effluent can contain a variety of contaminants with myriad physical and chemical properties, understanding the potential of the aquifer itself to provide EC removal is a key step in establishing SAT as a viable treatment alternative. Peer-reviewed research studies were analyzed to determine the soil properties that affect the fate and transport of ECs in the aquifer environment. The data was complied to produce recommendations for an effective SAT site. Physical and chemical properties of the soil facilitate contaminant removal as the groundwater flows through the aquifer. This study determined that removal of ECs from effluent had a correlation with (1) high clay content, (2) small Darcy Velocity, (3) high soil organic matter content, and (4) low sand content. Based on the 6 peer-reviewed research studies reviewed, the removal of nanomaterials is affected by clay content and sand content, but not soil organic matter content. Conversely, the removal of PPCPs is affected by clay content and soil organic mater content, but not sand content. It can be concluded that two different removal mechanisms facilitate the removal of nanomaterials versus PPCPs; physical removal for nanomaterials and chemical removal (sorption) for PPCPs. Clay facilitates the removal of both contaminants. The small soil diameter of clay forms smaller pores in the soil media. This causes increased pore straining, while also restricting the flow through the soil, which increases the contact time between the soil particle and the ECs. Additionally, clay has a large surface area, which increases surface interactions, such as sorption, of the EC to the surface of the clay particle.

Healthcare facility wastewaters are a potentially important and under characterized source of pharmaceuticals and personal care products to the environment. In this study the composition and magnitude of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) released into a single municipality’s wastewater system from a hospital, a nursing care facility, an assisted living facility and an independent living facility are presented for 54 pharmaceuticals, 8 hormones and 31 Alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEOs). Chemical oxidation using molecular ozone and advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) (UV-hydrogen peroxide, Fenton’s Reagent, and Photo – Fenton’s Reagent) were screened and evaluated as potential treatment technologies for removal of APEOs in water and wastewater. In this research, APEOs were found to be dominant PPCP class out of 94 individual analytes measured, accounting for more than 65% of the total mass loading observed leaving the healthcare facility wastewater. Seventy one out of the total measured PPCPs were detected in wastewater from at least one of the facilities. Healthcare facility wastewater are the source of PPCPs to the environment; however, their contribution to the total magnitude of PPCPs in municipal wastewater and the surrounding environment will be determined by the relative flow contribution of wastewater released from the facility to the municipal sewer network. Molecular ozone and advanced oxidation processes were observed to remove APEOs from analyzed water matrices; however, understanding the product formation during the oxidation process is important before concluding a suitable treatment process. Molecular ozone reacted selectively with the double bond in the APEO while AOPs reaction was non selective oxidation. During the AOPs, OH· formation rate and scavenging rate constant of wastewater was found to be the factors governing the oxidation process. Thus, the research carried out informs a risk management decisions concerning the prevalence of PPCPs in the wastewater and use of oxidation systems as a treatment technologies for removal of PPCPs.