EU-wide monitoring survey on emerging polar organic contaminants in wastewater treatment plant effluents.

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products in the aquatic environment in China: a review.

Triclosan [5-chloro-2-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)phenol; TCS] is a broad spectrum antibacterial agent used in personal care, veterinary, industrial and household products. TCS is commonly detected in aquatic ecosystems, as it is only partially removed during the wastewater treatment process. Sorption, biodegradation and photolytic degradation mitigate the availability of TCS to aquatic biota; however the by-products such as methyltriclosan and other chlorinated phenols may be more resistant to degradation and have higher toxicity than the parent compound. The continuous exposure of aquatic organisms to TCS, coupled with its bioaccumulation potential, have led to detectable levels of the antimicrobial in a number of aquatic species. TCS has been also detected in breast milk, urine and plasma, with levels of TCS in the blood correlating with consumer use patterns of the antimicrobial. Mammalian systemic toxicity studies indicate that TCS is neither acutely toxic, mutagenic, carcinogenic, nor a developmental toxicant. Recently, however, concern has been raised over TCS's potential for endocrine disruption, as the antimicrobial has been shown to disrupt thyroid hormone homeostasis and possibly the reproductive axis. Moreover, there is strong evidence that aquatic species such as algae, invertebrates and certain types of fish are much more sensitive to TCS than mammals. TCS is highly toxic to algae and exerts reproductive and developmental effects in some fish. The potential for endocrine disruption and antibiotic cross-resistance highlights the importance of the judicious use of TCS, whereby the use of TCS should be limited to applications where it has been shown to be effective.

/pdf/triclosan-environmental-exposure-toxicity-and-mechanisms-of-16qpwcmnu6.pdf

Triclosan: environmental exposure, toxicity and mechanisms of action

https://www.sewagesludgeactionnetwork.com/files/Food_Grown_in_Sludge_Emerging_Contaminants.pdf

Review of ‘emerging’ organic contaminants in biosolids and assessment of international research priorities for the agricultural use of biosolids

Occurrence and removal of antibiotics, hormones and several other pharmaceuticals in wastewater treatment plants of the largest industrial city of Korea.

Triclosan is used as an antimicrobial agent in a wide range of medical and consumer care products. To investigate the occurrence and fate of triclosan in the aquatic environment, analytical methods for the quantification of triclosan in surface water and wastewater, sludge, and sediment were developed. Furthermore, the fate of triclosan in a wastewater treatment plant (biological degradation, 79%; sorption to sludge, 15%; input into the receiving surface water, 6%) was measured during a field study. Despite the high overall removal rate, the concentration in the wastewater effluents were in the range of 42−213 ng/L leading to concentrations of 11−98 ng/L in the receiving rivers. Moreover, a high removal rate of 0.03 d-1 for triclosan in the epilimnion of the lake Greifensee was observed. This is due to photochemical degradation. The measured vertical concentration profile of triclosan in a lake sediment core of lake Greifensee reflects its increased use over 30 years. As the measured concentrations in sur...

Triclosan: Occurrence and fate of a widely used biocide in the aquatic environment: Field measurements in wastewater treatment plants, surface waters, and lake sediments

Laurent Pillonel

Papers

Triclosan: Occurrence and fate of a widely used biocide in the aquatic environment: Field measurements in wastewater treatment plants, surface waters, and lake sediments