title: Long-term trends of PBDEs, triclosan, and triclocarban in biosolids from a wastewater treatment plant in the Mid-Atlantic region of the US.
abstract: In the US, land application of biosolids has been utilized in government-regulated programs to recycle valuable nutrients and organic carbon that would otherwise be incinerated or buried in landfills. While many benefits have been reported, there are concerns that these practices represent a source of organic micropollutants to the environment. In this study, biosolids samples from a wastewater treatment plant in the Mid-Atlantic region of the US were collected approximately every 2 months over a 7-year period and analyzed for brominated diphenyl ethers (BDE-47, BDE-99, and BDE-209), triclosan, and triclocarban. During the collection period of 2005-2011, concentrations of the brominated diphenyl ethers BDE-47+BDE-99 decreased by 42%, triclocarban decreased by 47%, but BDE-209 and triclosan remained fairly constant. Observed reductions in contaminant concentrations could not be explained by different seasons or by volumetric changes of wastewaters arriving at the treatment plant and instead may be the result of the recent phaseout of BDE-47 and BDE-99 as well as potential reductions in the use of triclocarban.
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA. Electronic address: nandrade@umd.edu.
authors.forename: Natasha A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Andrade
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
authors.forename: Nuria
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lozano
authors.affiliation: Environmental Management and Byproduct Utilization Laboratory, BARC, ARS/USDA, 10300 Baltimore Avenue, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA.
authors.forename: Laura L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: McConnell
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
authors.forename: Alba
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Torrents
authors.affiliation: Environmental Management and Byproduct Utilization Laboratory, BARC, ARS/USDA, 10300 Baltimore Avenue, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA.
authors.forename: Clifford P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Rice
authors.affiliation: DC Water, District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority, 5000 Overlook Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20032, USA.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ramirez
mesh_terms: D002224:Carbanilides / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers / Q000032:analysis*; D008873:Mid-Atlantic Region; D012722:Sewage / Q000032:analysis*; D014260:Triclosan / Q000032:analysis*; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D002224:Carbanilides; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; D012722:Sewage; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D014260:Triclosan; C009540:triclocarban
keywords: Biosolids; PBDEs; Sewage sludge; Triclocarban; Triclosan