Safety assessment of organic micropollutants in reclaimed water: Chemical analyses, ecological risk assessments, and in vivo endocrine-disrupting studies

Abstract

Reclaimed water from municipal wastewater has great potential in mitigating the water resource crisis, while the inevitable residue of organic micropollutants (OMPs) challenges the safety of reclaimed water reuse. Limited information was available regarding the overall adverse effects of mixed OMPs in reclaimed water, especially the endocrine-disrupting effects on living organisms. Herein, chemical monitoring in two municipal wastewater treatment plants showed that 31 of 32 candidate OMPs including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), phenols, pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) were detected in reclaimed water, with a concentration ranging from ng/L to μg/L. Then, based on the risk quotient value, phenol, bisphenol A, tetracycline, and carbamazepine were ranked as high ecological risks. Most PAHs and PPCPs were quantified as medium and low risks, respectively. More importantly, using aquatic vertebrate zebrafish as an in vivo model, the endocrine-disrupting potentials of OMP mixtures were comprehensively characterized. We found that a realistic exposure to reclaimed water induced estrogen-like endocrine disruption and hyperthyroidism in zebrafish, abnormal expression of genes along the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid (-gonad) axes, reproductive impairment, and transgenerational toxicity. Based on the chemical analyses, risk quotient calculations, and biotoxicity characterization, this study contributed to understanding the ecological risks of reclaimed water and developing the control standards for OMPs. In addition, application of the zebrafish model in this study also highlighted the significance of in vivo biotoxicity test in water quality evaluation.