Nontargeted screening for potentially hazardous wastewater-derived organic chemicals in aquatic ecosystems
Presentation Abstract
Ecosystem health is often adversely impacted by urban waters. Understanding the chemical composition of water impacted by wastewater effluents, storm water runoff, and on-site sewage discharge is critical to better manage water quality through appropriate strategies. Many previous investigations targeted and reported the occurrence of trace levels of unregulated contaminants in the wastewater impacted urban streams. However, targeted characterization of chemicals only captures a small fraction of chemical suite. Application of accurate-mass quadrupole time-of-flight (QTOF) spectrometry presents an excellent platform for capturing and resolving thousands of organic chemicals in the water with high sensitivity. Here, we use liquid chromatography QTOF tandem mass spectrometry (QTOF LC-MS/MS) techniques to characterize chemical occurrence in wastewater collected from three regional wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The multivariate statistical analysis software Agilent Mass Profiler Professional was applied to understand the relationship of chemical profiles among studied WWTPs. Among thousands of detected chemical compounds, we are particularly interested in the candidates with high abundance and ubiquitous occurrence, implying a high potential to cause biological impacts. Meanwhile, multiple screening criteria, such as MS/MS spectra comparison, fragment screening, and mass defect screening, were also applied to organize and reduce the data of interest.
Session Title
Toxics, Pollutants and Species
Conference Track
Salish Sea Snapshots
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2016 : Vancouver, B.C.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
2016 12:00 AM
End Date
2016 12:00 AM
Location
2016SSEC
Type of Presentation
Snapshot
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Marine ecosystem health--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Aquatic habitats--Environmental aspects--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Hazardous wastes--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)--Analysis; Sewage--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)--Analysis; Aquatic pollution--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Nontargeted screening for potentially hazardous wastewater-derived organic chemicals in aquatic ecosystems
2016SSEC
Ecosystem health is often adversely impacted by urban waters. Understanding the chemical composition of water impacted by wastewater effluents, storm water runoff, and on-site sewage discharge is critical to better manage water quality through appropriate strategies. Many previous investigations targeted and reported the occurrence of trace levels of unregulated contaminants in the wastewater impacted urban streams. However, targeted characterization of chemicals only captures a small fraction of chemical suite. Application of accurate-mass quadrupole time-of-flight (QTOF) spectrometry presents an excellent platform for capturing and resolving thousands of organic chemicals in the water with high sensitivity. Here, we use liquid chromatography QTOF tandem mass spectrometry (QTOF LC-MS/MS) techniques to characterize chemical occurrence in wastewater collected from three regional wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The multivariate statistical analysis software Agilent Mass Profiler Professional was applied to understand the relationship of chemical profiles among studied WWTPs. Among thousands of detected chemical compounds, we are particularly interested in the candidates with high abundance and ubiquitous occurrence, implying a high potential to cause biological impacts. Meanwhile, multiple screening criteria, such as MS/MS spectra comparison, fragment screening, and mass defect screening, were also applied to organize and reduce the data of interest.
