Pharmaceuticals and endocrine disrupting compounds in U.S. drinking water
Open accessAbstract
The drinking water for more than 28 million people was screened for a diverse group of pharmaceuticals, potential endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs), and other unregulated organic contaminants. Source water, finished drinking water, and distribution system (tap) water from 19 U.S. water utilities was analyzed for 51 compounds between 2006 and 2007. The 11 most frequently detected compounds were atenolol, atrazine, carbamazepine, estrone, gemfibrozil, meprobamate, naproxen, phenytoin, sulfamethoxazole, TCEP, and trimethoprim. Median concentrations of these compounds were less than 10 ng/L, except for sulfamethoxazole in source water (12 ng/L), TCEP in source water (120 ng/L), and atrazine in source, finished, and distribution system water (32, 49, and 49 ng/L). Atrazine was detected in source waters far removed from agricultural application where wastewater was the only known source of organic contaminants. The occurrence of compounds in finished drinking water was controlled by the type of chemical oxidation (ozone or chlorine) used at each plant. At one drinking water treatment plant, summed monthly concentrations of the detected analytes in source and finished water are reported. Atenolol, atrazine, DEET, estrone, meprobamate, and trimethoprim can serve as indicator compounds representing potential contamination from other pharmaceuticals and EDCs and can gauge the efficacy of treatment processes.
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Sulfamethoxazole and carbamazepine have been among the most frequently detected organic wastewater compounds in drinking water and groundwater.
“Sulfamethoxazole and carbamazepine have been among the most frequently detected OWCs in drinking water and groundwater (Barnes et al., 2008;Benotti et al., 2009;Erickson et al., 2014;Schaider et al., 2014).”
From Septic systems as sources of organic wastewater compounds in domestic drinking water wells in a shallow sand and gravel aquifer (2016) · cites this paper as Benotti et al., 2009
Simvastatin was not detected in 20 public wells on Cape Cod (<5 ng/L), in 19 US drinking water sources (<1 ng/L), or in 5 drinking water sources in Illinois (<1 ng/L).
“It was not detected in 20 public wells on Cape Cod (b5 ng/L, Schaider et al., 2014), in 19 US drinking water sources (b 1 ng/L, Benotti et al., 2009), or in 5 drinking water sources in Illinois (b1 ng/L, Illinois EPA, 2008).”
From Septic systems as sources of organic wastewater compounds in domestic drinking water wells in a shallow sand and gravel aquifer (2016) · cites this paper as Benotti et al., 2009
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- Authors
- Benotti, M. J., Trenholm, R. A., Vanderford, B. J., Holady, J. C., Stanford, B. D., & Snyder, S. A.
- Affiliations
- Southern Nevada Water Authority (US)
- Corresponding author
- Snyder, Shane A.
- Venue
- Environmental Science & Technology
- Publisher
- American Chemical Society (ACS)
- Published
- 2008-12-17
- Volume
- 43
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 597-603
- ISSN
- 0013-936X (ISSN-L)
- 1520-5851
- OpenAlex
- W2021591445
- Cited by
- 1,681
- References
- 26
- Citations by year
- 2026: 27 · 2025: 62 · 2024: 69 · 2023: 78 · 2022: 96 · 2021: 98 · 2020: 106 · 2019: 120 · 2018: 128 · 2017: 125 · 2016: 132 · 2015: 107 · 2014: 129 · 2013: 126 · 2012: 100
- FWCI
- 58.00
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Environmental Science & Technology (publishedVersion, other-oa)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- WateReuse Foundation
- American Water Works Association Research Foundation
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Effects and risks of endocrine disrupting chemicals
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Water Treatment and Disinfection
- Keywords
- pharmaceuticals, endocrine disruptors, drinking water, atrazine, sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim, estrone, TCEP, atenolol, carbamazepine, meprobamate, DEET, indicator compounds, drinking water treatment, chemical oxidation, ozone, chlorine, source water, tap water, water utilities
- MeSH terms
- Pharmaceutical Preparations, United States, Water Pollutants, Chemical, Water Supply, Endocrine Disruptors
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