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Journal ArticleDOI

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

TL;DR: The measured vertical concentration profile of triclosan in a lake sediment core of lake Greifensee reflects its increased use over 30 years, and the measured concentrations in surface waters are in the range of the predicted no effect concentration of 50 ng/L.
Abstract: 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...
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The obtained results show the presence of 125 substances (80% of the target compounds) in European wastewater effluents, in concentrations ranging from low nanograms to milligrams per liter, which allow for an estimation to be made of a European median level for the chemicals investigated in WWTP effluent waters.

922 citations


Cites background from "Triclosan: Occurrence and fate of a..."

  • ...Triclosan is an antimicrobial agent used in a multitude of household products; in WWTPs around 90% of the incoming triclosan is removed from the water, by degradation and adsorption to sludge (Bester, 2003; Heidler and Halden, 2008; Singer et al., 2002), which is a high but not complete removal....

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Journal ArticleDOI
Qingwei Bu1, Bin Wang1, Jun Huang1, Shubo Deng1, Gang Yu1 
TL;DR: The results of SLERA revealed that the hot spots for PPCP pollution were those river waters affected by the megacities with high density of population, such as Beijing, Tianjin, Guangzhou and Shanghai.

770 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: 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, and there is strong evidence that aquatic species such as algae, invertebrates and certain types of fish are much more sensitive to TCS than mammals.
Abstract: 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.

733 citations


Cites background or methods from "Triclosan: Occurrence and fate of a..."

  • ...Field measurements from a Swiss WWTP have detailed the elimination process of TCS: 79% was biologically degraded, 15% was sorbed to sludge and 6% left the plant in the final effluent at a concentration of 42 ng l−1 (Singer et al., 2002; Table 1)....

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  • ...On the global front, the production of TCS has now exceeded 1500 tons per year, with Europe being responsible for 350 tons of total production (Singer et al., 2002)....

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  • ...The antimicrobial has been measured in 30‐year‐old sediment from lake Greifensee in Switzerland (Singer et al., 2002)....

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  • ...Buser et al. (2006) analyzed levels of MTCS in juvenile (1–2 year old) brown trout (Salmo trutta fario) from rivers in Northern Switzerland receiving effluent from WWTPs. Concentrations of MTCS in fish were reported between 130 and 2100 ng g−1 of lipid weight....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A literature review of 'emerging' OCs in biosolids has been conducted for a selection of chemicals of potential concern for land application based upon human toxicity, evidence of adverse effects on the environment and endocrine disruption, and the number and quality of studies focussed on the contaminant internationally.

696 citations


Cites background from "Triclosan: Occurrence and fate of a..."

  • ...Antimicrobial agents TCS and TCC have received increasing research attention internationally (Singer et al., 2002; Ying and Kookana, 2007) and are capable of ecological toxicity (Yang et al....

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  • ...Antimicrobial agents TCS and TCC have received increasing research attention internationally (Singer et al., 2002; Ying and Kookana, 2007) and are capable of ecological toxicity (Yang et al., 2008) and bioaccumulation in environmental biota (Kinney et al., 2008)....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The compounds lincomycin, carbamazepine, atenolol, metoprolol, and triclosan showed better removal in WWTPs employing modified activated sludge process with co-existence of anoxic-oxic condition, thereby ensuring a sustainable water cycle management.

591 citations


Cites background from "Triclosan: Occurrence and fate of a..."

  • ...Singer et al. (2002) reported the reduction of triclosan as high as 90%, of which 79% was biologically degraded....

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References
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Journal ArticleDOI
06 Aug 1998-Nature
TL;DR: It is shown that triclosan blocks lipid synthesis in Escherichia coli, and that mutations in, or overexpression of, the gene fabI (which encodes enoyl reductase, involved in fatty acid synthesis) prevents this blockage.
Abstract: Triclosan is a broad-spectrum antibacterial and antifungal agent1,2, which acts by previously undetermined mechanisms, that is used in products such as antiseptic soaps, toothpastes, fabrics and plastics. Here we show that triclosan blocks lipid synthesis in Escherichia coli, and that mutations in, or overexpression of, the gene fabI (which encodes enoyl reductase, involved in fatty acid synthesis) prevents this blockage. This is, to our knowledge, the first evidence that triclosan acts on a specific bacterial target, rather than as a nonspecific ‘biocide’.

1,011 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The neutral form of TCS, a chlorinated biphenyl ether used as an antimicrobial in consumer products, was determined to be associated with toxic effects and Ionization and sorption will mitigate those effects in the aquatic compartment.
Abstract: The aquatic toxicity of triclosan (TCS), a chlorinated biphenyl ether used as an antimicrobial in consumer products, was studied with activated-sludge microorganisms, algae, invertebrates, and fish. Triclosan, a compound used for inhibiting microbial growth, was not toxic to wastewater microorganisms at concentrations less than aqueous solubility. The 48-h Daphnia magna median effective concentration (EC50) was 390 microg/L and the 96-h median lethal concentration values for Pimephales promelas and Lepomis macrochirus were 260 and 370 microg/L, respectively. A no-observed-effect concentration (NOEC) and lowest-observed-effect concentration of 34.1 microg/L and 71.3 microg/L, respectively, were determined with an early life-stage toxicity test with Oncorhynchus mykiss. During a 96-h Scenedesmus study, the 96-h biomass EC50 was 1.4 microg/L and the 96-h NOEC was 0.69 microg/L. Other algae and Lemna also were investigated. Bioconcentration was assessed with Danio rerio. The average TCS accumulation factor over the five-week test period was 4,157 at 3 microg/L and 2,532 at 30 microg/L. Algae were determined to be the most susceptible organisms. Toxicity of a TCS-containing wastewater secondary effluent to P. promelas and Ceriodaphnia was evaluated and no observed differences in toxicity between control and TCS-treated laboratory units were detected. The neutral form of TCS was determined to be associated with toxic effects. Ionization and sorption will mitigate those effects in the aquatic compartment.

625 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Modeling the situation of lake Greifensee indicated that photodegradation can account for the elimination of triclosan from the lake and suggested a seasonal dependence of the concentrations (lower in summer, higher in winter), consistent with observed concentrations.
Abstract: The bactericide triclosan and methyl triclosan, an environmental transformation product thereof, were detected in lakes and in a river in Switzerland at concentrations of up to 74 and 2 ng L(-1), respectively. Both compounds were emitted via wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), with methyl triclosan probably being formed by biological methylation. A regional mass balance for a lake (Greifensee) indicated significant removal of triclosan by processes other than flushing. Laboratory experiments showed that triclosan in the dissociated form was rapidly decomposed in lake water when exposed to sunlight (half-life less than 1 h in August at 47 degrees latitude). Methyl triclosan and nondissociated triclosan, however, were relatively stable toward photodegradation. Modeling these experimental data for the situation of lake Greifensee indicated that photodegradation can account for the elimination of triclosan from the lake and suggested a seasonal dependence of the concentrations (lower in summer, higher in winter), consistent with observed concentrations. Although emissions of methyl triclosan from WWTPs were only approximately 2% relative to those of triclosan, its predicted concentration relative to triclosan in the epilimnion of the lake increases to 30% in summer. Passive sampling with semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) indicated the presence of methyl triclosan in lakes with inputs from anthropogenic sources but not in a remote mountain lake. Surprisingly, no parent triclosan was observed in the SPMDs from these lakes. Methyl triclosan appears to be preferentially accumulated in SPMDs under the conditions in these lakes, leading to concentrations comparable to those of persistent chlorinated organic pollutants.

528 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: High levels of the commonly used, effective bactericide Triclosan was found in three out of five randomly selected human milk samples and in wild living fish from the receiving waters of the three wastewater treatment plants.

521 citations