The occurrence of disinfection by-products in municipal drinking water in China's Pearl River Delta and a multipathway cancer risk assessment

• Published in: The Science of the total environment Vol. 447; pp. 108 - 115
• Main Authors: Gan, Wenhui, Guo, Wanhong, Mo, Jianmin, He, Yisen, Liu, Yongjian, Liu, Wei, Liang, Yongmei, Yang, Xin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier B.V 01.03.2013; Elsevier
• Subjects: Air. Soil. Water. Waste. Feeding; Applied sciences; Biological and medical sciences; Brackish; Byproducts; Cancer; China; Chloral; Chloroform - analysis; Chloroform - toxicity; Cities; Correlation; Dichloroacetic Acid - analysis; Dichloroacetic Acid - toxicity; Disinfectants - analysis; Disinfectants - toxicity; Disinfection; Disinfection byproducts; Drinking water; Drinking Water - analysis; Drinking Water - chemistry; Drinking water and swimming-pool water. Desalination; Environment. Living conditions; Exact sciences and technology; Haloacetic acids; Health risk; Humans; Hydrates; Ingestion; Medical sciences; Neoplasms - chemically induced; Neoplasms - etiology; Pollution; Public Health; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Risk; Risk Assessment; Rivers; Seasons; Trichloroacetic Acid - analysis; Trichloroacetic Acid - toxicity; Trihalomethanes; Trihalomethanes - analysis; Trihalomethanes - toxicity; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Water Pollutants, Chemical - toxicity; Water treatment and pollution; Asia; China; China, People's Rep., Guangdong Prov., Guangzhou; China, People's Rep., Zhu R; Drinking water; Haloacetic acids; Trihalomethanes; Disinfection byproducts; Health risk; Chlorination; Haloacetic acid; Trihalomethane; Health and environment; Carboxylic acid; Seasonal variation; Risk assessment; Public health; Halogen Organic compounds; Drinking water treatment; Reaction product; Disinfection; Secondary pollutant; Malignant tumor; Halogenated hydrocarbon; Water quality; Health hazards; Water pollution; By product; Cancer
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2012.12.091

Disinfection byproducts were measured in the finished drinking water from ten water treatment plants in three Chinese cities — Guangzhou, Foshan and Zhuhai. A total of 155 water samples were collected in 2011 and 2012. The median (range) of trihalomethane (THM) and haloacetic acid (HAA) levels were 17.7 (0.7–62.7) μg/L and 8.6 (0.3–81.3) μg/L, respectively. Chloroform, dichloroacetic acid and trichloroacetic acid were the dominant species observed in Guangzhou and Foshan water, while brominated THMs predominated in water from Zhuhai. Haloacetonitriles, haloketones, chloral hydrate and trichloronitromethane were usually detected at levels ranging from unquantifiable (<0.2μg/L) to 12.2μg/L (choral hydrate). THMs and HAAs showed clear seasonal variations with the total concentrations higher in winter than in summer. Correlations among DBP levels varied, with the strongest linear correlation observed between chloroform and chloral hydrate levels (R2=0.77). The risk of cancer from ingestion, inhalation and dermal contact exposure to THMs was estimated. CHCl2Br contributed the highest percentage of the cancer risk from ingestion pathway and CHCl3 contributed the highest of cancer risk from inhalation pathway. ► The occurrence of DBPs in 155 samples in three cities was investigated. ► The median THM and HAA levels were 17.7 and 8.6μg/L, respectively. ► HANs, HKs, CH, and TCNM occurred at low concentrations. ► The cancer risk from mutipathway exposure to THM and HAA was estimated.