Analysis of Drinking Water Disinfection Byproducts: from Individual Compounds to Complex Mixtures

Date: November 18, 2020 4:00 pm (ET)

Speaker(s)

  • Xing-Fang Li
    University of Alberta

Division of Analytical and Environmental Toxicology, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta

Abstract:

Drinking water disinfection is the most effective means for preventing waterborne diseases.  However, the very disinfection processes that kill microorganisms also produce a variety of disinfection by-products (DBPs) from reactions between the disinfectants (e.g., chlorine) and the natural organic matter in water. Epidemiological studies have consistently shown an increased risk of bladder cancer associated with consumption of chlorinated drinking water. Analytical limitations prevented these earlier studies from measuring or identifying the actual DBPs in drinking water. Thus, the exact DBPs in the disinfected water that contribute to the increased bladder cancer risk are unclear. To date, we know approximately 700 DBPs; however, the majority of DBPs produced in disinfected water remain unidentified. Faced with tremendous challenges and knowledge gaps, regulatory agencies can only regulate a few DBPs that are easy to measure. To find the real culprit(s) from the unknowns, we have focused on the development of ultra-sensitive analytical techniques to discover new DBPs of health importance. These techniques take advantage of specific pre-concentration, efficient chromatographic separation, and highly sensitive mass spectrometry detection. Our current development of analytical technologies aims at the discovery of highly toxic individual DBPs (e.g. nitrosamines and haloquinones) and comprehensive characterization of all DBPs in disinfected drinking water and their precursors in source water.