MIDDLEBURG, Va., Feb. 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The environmental occurrence of trace organic compounds such as pharmaceuticals, personal care products, pesticides, and hormones, and their potential adverse effects on aquatic and terrestrial life and on human health is an issue that concerns not only scientists and engineers, but also the general public. The February 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) includes a collection of papers on "Contaminants of Emerging Concern in Water Resources," with William Battaglin and Dana Kolpin, both of the U.S. Geological Survey in Lakewood, CO, serving as the guest associate editors.
These papers arose from a 2007 AWRA Specialty Conference on the same topic, and they provide an overview of the detection and sources of contaminants of emerging concern, their fate and transport in natural and engineered systems, receptors and effects, and social and engineering solutions to problems. According to Battaglin, "This unique collection of papers highlights the wide variety and complexity of issues related to the occurrence of contaminants of emerging concern in water resources worldwide."
The papers are:
- Chalew and Halden present a synthesis of the toxicological effects that two routinely used synthetic biocides, triclosan and triclocarban, can have on wildlife, laboratory animals, and human cell cultures. See: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/121663613/abstract.
- Sellin et al. investigate the occurrence of estrogenic compounds in Nebraska streams. See: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/121663610/abstract.
- Kitamura et al. expose Japanese medaka to estrogenic compounds in a variety of controlled conditions. http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/121663619/abstract
- Wu et al. use Escherichia coli (E. coli) as a bacterial tracer for water and sediment bound transport of microbial pathogens. See: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/121663618/abstract.
- Phillips and Chalmers look for organic wastewater compounds in urban runoff, combined sewer overflows, and wastewater treatment plant outfalls in Vermont and New York. See: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/121663615/abstract.
- Guo and Krasner evaluate caffeine, carbamazepine, primidone, and an N-nitrosodimethylamine formation potential test as indicators of potential wastewater impacts on drinking water sources. See: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/121663611/abstract.
- Brown et al. use a lagrangian sampling strategy to assess inputs and losses of emerging contaminants in St. Vrain Creek as it passes through the City of Longmont, Colorado. See: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/121663617/abstract.
- Poynton and Vulpe describe the utility of DNA microarrays for assessing potential effects of emerging contaminants. See: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/121663612/abstract.
The complete February 2009 issue is available here: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/118544603/home
The Journal of the American Water Resources Association is published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Water Resources Association. AWRA is the premier non-governmental organization dedicated to the advancement of multidisciplinary water resources management and research. For over 40 years, AWRA has provided a forum for water resources conservation and networking. More information at: http://www.awra.org.
SOURCE American Water Resources Association
