title: Ecological risk assessment associated to the removal of endocrine-disrupting parabens and benzophenone-4 in wastewater treatment.
abstract: The occurrence of four widely used and endocrine disrupting parabens (PBs) (methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben and benzylparaben) and a polar UV filter (benzophenone-4) were determined in influent and effluent wastewater from the 19 major wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) of Catalonia, Spain. For their analysis an on-line solid-phase extraction-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (SPE-HPLC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated. Laboratory analysis revealed high levels for both PBs and BP4, with maximum concentrations of 5700ngL(-1) and 1806ngL(-1), respectively, in influent samples, and 137ngL(-1) and 1080ngL(-1), respectively in effluent wastewaters. Removal rates (RE%) for the target compounds in each WWTPs were calculated. RE% for parabens were almost 100%, whereas for BP4 values where in the range 5-91%. The half-life time (t1/2), hydraulic retention time (HRT), and annual mass load (ML) for each facility was estimated. Results indicated that there was no clear influence of HRT on the RE% of BP4. MLs for BP4 were in the range 0.9-110.1kgy(-1), with the highest values in the most populated areas. Finally, a risk assessment, estimated in terms of hazard quotients (HQs), was carried out for aquatic biota. HQs for the target compounds in effluent wastewaters indicated a negligible effect, whereas for some influent wastewaters' HQs pointed out that some species are at risk.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Environmental Chemistry, IDAEA-CSIC, Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Molins-Delgado
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Environmental Chemistry, IDAEA-CSIC, Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address: sdcqam@cid.csic.es.
authors.forename: M Silvia
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Díaz-Cruz
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Environmental Chemistry, IDAEA-CSIC, Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain; Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Parc Científic i Tecnològic de la Universitat de Girona, Emili Grahit, 101 Edifici H2O, 17003 Girona, Spain.
authors.forename: Damià
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Barceló
mesh_terms: D048908:Aliivibrio fischeri; D000818:Animals; D001577:Benzophenones / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D003621:Daphnia; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D005399:Fishes; D010226:Parabens / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D010776:Photobacterium; D018570:Risk Assessment; D045483:Rivers; D013030:Spain; D013473:Sunscreening Agents / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D013768:Tetrahymena; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D001577:Benzophenones; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors; D010226:Parabens; D013473:Sunscreening Agents; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C009361:sulisobenzone
keywords: Benzophenone-4; Hazard quotients; Parabens; Removal efficiency; Wastewater