|
| |  Posted 1/6/2006 11:31:14 AM | |
| Junior Member
 
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 4/6/2006 7:26:31 PM
Posts: 13, Visits: 15 |
| Good Morning -
I've recently been doing a bit of research on residual pesticide and herbicides in irrigation water, as many of the most common pesticide and herbicide chemicals are being found in freshwater rivers and freshwater wells throughout the World, and are now being tied to sexual changes in trout/salmon/halibut and now tadpole/frog deaths.
Found a German report of a few years ago on these same ED (endocrin disrupting) chemicals from pestidice/herbicides being found in the post-treated municipal freshwater and municipal wastewater discharges in various areas of Europe. Report was about 3-years old now.
Does anyone have more recent information on post-treatment fresh water water and municpal discharge? Nothing here from the US monitoring agencies I can find. Primarily, looking at what the pre-treatment consisted of for where these residues was found.
Thanks -
Dave/Aquatic Technologies
Aquatic Technologies |
| |
| | | Posted 1/6/2006 2:35:50 PM | |
| Forum Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 6/19/2008 12:52:53 PM
Posts: 32, Visits: 91 |
| | I recently read an article in the Arizona Daily Star that referenced a study done by the University of Arizona Environmental Research Laboratory and the U.S. Geological Survey. You can go to the following website to access the article. http://www.azstarnet.com/dailys!tar/dailystar/106468.php. Also, either WERF or WEF recently published an article regarding ED's and how effective wastewater treatment was in removing them. Mary |
| |
| | | Posted 1/7/2006 2:15:48 AM | |
| Junior Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 4/6/2006 7:26:31 PM
Posts: 13, Visits: 15 |
| Thanks, but the url address comes back with "cant' be found" - please double check it - as Google search not picking it up.
Dave
Aquatic Technologies |
| |
| | | Posted 1/8/2006 2:35:52 PM | |
| 
Supreme Being
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 9/3/2008 2:12:28 PM
Posts: 372, Visits: 506 |
| | Dave: There is an issue of Water Environment Research (September/October 2005) that has a supplemental CD (Vol. 77, Number 6, pp 561-2894) that has the most up to date literature review on endocrine disruptors. Good luck finding it! ---Victor
E. coli happens! Database Central 
|
| |
| | | Posted 1/9/2006 4:58:36 PM | |
| Forum Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 6/19/2008 12:52:53 PM
Posts: 32, Visits: 91 |
| | |
| | | Posted 1/11/2006 1:53:46 AM | |
| Junior Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 4/6/2006 7:26:31 PM
Posts: 13, Visits: 15 |
| Thanks - that url worked!
Dave
Aquatic Technologies |
| |
| | | Posted 1/12/2006 2:08:29 PM | |
| Forum Newbie
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 3/23/2006 12:17:47 PM
Posts: 1, Visits: 2 |
| | Pesticides are not typically removed/destroyed in conventional WWTPs. Advanced treatment such as advanced oxidation, (e.g. ozone plus UV), activated carbon adsorption, or other is usually required. I know there has been a study in CO recently to document occurence of EDCs downstream of wwtps. It was not specifically focused on pesticides but did include them. http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2004/3127 |
| |
| | | Posted 1/13/2006 10:37:16 AM | |
| Junior Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 4/6/2006 7:26:31 PM
Posts: 13, Visits: 15 |
| There is a lot of information coming out through the USGS and EPA Toxicology division that many of the residuals from the pesticides resist inicineration(in fact making them more dangerous), microbial degradation, even ozonation. The level of many of these as to adverse ecological effects is in the low parts per billion - and short term continous exposure from levels in the parts per trillion(!) are now being studied by the medical research industry, as the effects are domino-type - meaning that one action leads to another, that ultimately results in the hormonal changes, damages, etc.
Unfortunately, other then Sweden and some other European countries that are taking a preventive stance - treat/remove/reduce use now and figure out the level of harmful effects later - most countries, including the US/Canada - are spending all their funds and time in documenting the levels and studying effects - which means several generations of human long-term exposure and damage, as well as decades of increased environmental damage - which ulitmately will lead even more decades of damage once the governments decide to begin treatment/regualtion/etc. - were 40-years after Agent Orange and DDT - and we are still dealing with the effects of that.
Ultimately, the regulation will come down to the WWTP's being responsbile for the reduction/elimination of residuals in the wastewater - so plant managers and local oversite committees better start looking at this now - because it's coming sooner then they may think.
So far - have not found any political action to limit or prevent importation of agricultural products that contain these residuals - but expect like bovine BSE - there will begin to be
limitations as both protective issues for local agricultural industry as well as health issues. Bet this comes up in WTO or EU export/import trade negotiations within the next 1-2 years.
Aquatic Technologies |
| |
| | | Posted 1/13/2006 1:35:23 PM | |
| Supreme Being
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 6/26/2008 4:01:08 PM
Posts: 156, Visits: 1,477 |
| | I'm not so sure that agricultural imports, and such, need to be the major concern, and that pesticides may be over- emphasized. I believe that studies have shown that actually the vast bulk of pesticide use in the U.S. (something like 75 %), is household and small commercial. All those suburban tracts using the "Roundup" and such, the "Lawn Doctor" type franchises, golf courses, local nurseries, and so on. The big concerns these days seems to be less the pesticides, than the other chemicals that may be endocrin disrupters. Most of the stuff I've been seeing (and the ones that are really being looked at in the ppt levels) has been pharmaceuticals and related compounds, and chemicals such as those used as fire retardants. Birth control compounds, pharmaceuticals, anti-bacterial soaps, and so on are increasingly being found, and there are studies going on to see how treatable they are. One scary aspect is that the FDA tells drug manufacturers to dispose of waste products by sending them down the sewer, without regard to size of treatment plant, type of treatment, possible impact on the treatment plant (consider a WWTP getting lots of slugs of antibiotics !), and so on. A fair number seem to pass through untreated, or only partially reduced. It has become somewhat accepted to measure sewage contributions to streams using compunds that aren't readily degraded in an STP, such as the ones mentioned above, and caffeine as an indicator. Some of the compunds of concern occur at low levels in nature, complicating the situation, so some of the studies are needed to determine what is a "normal" background level of these substances. While not trying to understate pesticides as an issue, they are at least somewhat regulated, while these other things may be the real item of concern. |
| |
|
|