http://www.beamreach.org/data/101/Science/processing/Nora/Papers/Fate,%20behavior%20and%20effects%20of%20surfactants%20and%20their%20degradation%20products%20in%20the%20environment.pdf

Fate, behavior and effects of surfactants and their degradation products in the environment

Surfactants are a diverse group of chemicals that are best known for their wide use in detergents and other cleaning products. After use, residual surfactants are discharged into sewage systems or directly into surface waters, and most of them end up dispersed in different environmental compartments such as soil, water or sediment. The toxic effects of surfactants on various aquatic organisms are well known. In general, surfactants are present in the environment at levels below toxicity and in Croatia below the national limit. Most surfactants are readily biodegradable and their amount is greatly reduced with secondary treatment in wastewater treatment plants. The highest concern is the release of untreated wastewater or wastewater that has undergone primary treatment alone. The discharge of wastewater polluted with massive quantities of surfactants could have serious effects on the ecosystem. Future studies of surfactant toxicities and biodegradation are necessary to withdraw highly toxic and non-biodegradable compounds from commercial use and replace them with more environmentally friendly ones.

/pdf/surfactants-in-the-environment-2a3nz466vu.pdf

Surfactants in the Environment

European Union Risk Assessment Report

Environmental fate of Triclosan in the River Aire Basin, UK.

Do cytotoxic chemotherapy drugs discharged into rivers pose a risk to the environment and human health? An overview and UK case study

UK monitoring study on the removal of linear alkylbenzene sulphonate in trickling filter type sewage treatment plants. Contribution to GREAT-ER project # 2

Martin S Holt

Papers

UK monitoring study on the removal of linear alkylbenzene sulphonate in trickling filter type sewage treatment plants. Contribution to GREAT-ER project # 2

Removal of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate from a small Yorkshire stream: contribution to GREAT-ER project #7.

Linear alkylbenzene sulfonate and boron monitoring in four catchments in the UK contribution to GREAT-ER #11.

The use of measured boron concentration data from the GREAT-ER UK validation study (1996-1998) to generate predicted regional boron concentrations