Posted on Feb 5, 2023
Scientists try to keep up with chemical blizzard entering Puget Sound
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Wastewater treatment plants are sending hundreds of unregulated chemicals into Puget Sound.
The plants sterilize sewage and remove solids and organic materials from it. But they were never designed to remove things like antibiotics, cosmetics, hormones, pharmaceuticals, and other consumer products that wash down household drains.
“The latest estimate of the number of chemicals that are used in commerce is 350,000. That doesn't include degradation products and metabolites that may also be in the environment,” said Western Washington University environmental toxicologist Ruth Sofield.
“The work that we're doing, we're looking at chemicals in the low hundreds,” she told the Puget Sound Partnership’s Science Panel on Wednesday.
Sofield and other scientists are trying to help the state agency identify and prioritize the most harmful substances in the dilute chemical broth that is wastewater.
The plants sterilize sewage and remove solids and organic materials from it. But they were never designed to remove things like antibiotics, cosmetics, hormones, pharmaceuticals, and other consumer products that wash down household drains.
“The latest estimate of the number of chemicals that are used in commerce is 350,000. That doesn't include degradation products and metabolites that may also be in the environment,” said Western Washington University environmental toxicologist Ruth Sofield.
“The work that we're doing, we're looking at chemicals in the low hundreds,” she told the Puget Sound Partnership’s Science Panel on Wednesday.
Sofield and other scientists are trying to help the state agency identify and prioritize the most harmful substances in the dilute chemical broth that is wastewater.
Scientists try to keep up with chemical blizzard entering Puget Sound
Posted from kuow.org
Science
Puget Sound
Chemicals
Hazmat
Water
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 3
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I WAS STATIONED AT FORT LEWIS FOR ALMOST 6 YEARS AND THE GREAT NORTH PACIFIC IS A MONSTER WITHIN: PO1 William "Chip" Nagel good day Brother William, always informational and of the most interesting. Thanks for sharing, have a blessed day!
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This is a country-wide problem. Between issues with Sanitary Sewer Overflows, toxic sewage contamination, and other toxins that "wastewater" was never designed to handle, we have a real problem!
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."We know that we're missing the large universe of chemicals,” Sofield said.
The researchers, who expect to submit their findings for publication in a peer-reviewed journal later in February, have identified 57 high-priority chemicals, including the antibiotics tetracycline and ciprofloxacin, the steroid prednisone, and the plasticizer BPA. They’ve put another 84 on their “watch list.”
Nearly half of the priority chemicals are antibiotics, about 18% are hormones, another 18% are pharmaceuticals, and 10% are perfluorinated substances, according to Sofield.
A new study from King County (see page 23 here) focuses on these so-called "chemicals of emerging concern" in wastewater."...
..."We know that we're missing the large universe of chemicals,” Sofield said.
The researchers, who expect to submit their findings for publication in a peer-reviewed journal later in February, have identified 57 high-priority chemicals, including the antibiotics tetracycline and ciprofloxacin, the steroid prednisone, and the plasticizer BPA. They’ve put another 84 on their “watch list.”
Nearly half of the priority chemicals are antibiotics, about 18% are hormones, another 18% are pharmaceuticals, and 10% are perfluorinated substances, according to Sofield.
A new study from King County (see page 23 here) focuses on these so-called "chemicals of emerging concern" in wastewater."...
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