Accumulation of arsenic in drinking water distribution systems

The tendency for iron solid surfaces to adsorb arsenic is well-known and has become the basis for several drinking water treatment approaches that remove arsenic. It is reasonable to assume that iron-based solids, such as corrosion deposits present in drinking water distribution systems, have similar adsorptive properties and could therefore concentrate arsenic and potentially re-release it into the distribution system. The arsenic composition of solids collected from drinking water distribution systems (pipe sections and hydrant flush solids), where the waters had measurable amounts of arsenic in their treated water, were determined. The elemental composition and mineralogy of 67 solid samples collected from 15 drinking water utilities located in Ohio (7), Michigan (7), and Indiana (1) were also determined. The arsenic content of these solids ranged from 10 to 13 650 microg of As/g of solid (as high as 1.37 wt %), and the major element of most solids was iron. Significant amounts of arsenic were even found in solids from systems that were exposed to relatively low concentrations of arsenic (<10 microg/L) in the water.     

生活饮用水中砷含量的测定

以镍作为基体改进剂，选择合适的仪器分析条件，用石墨炉原子吸收分光光度法测定砷的含量，该法具有样品处理简单、快速、准确、选择性高且试样用量少等优点，具有较强的适用性，方法的精密度和准确度都令人满意。     

Adsorption of arsenic from water using activated neutralized red mud

In this paper activated seawater-neutralized red mud, herein referred to as activated Bauxsol (AB), is used as a novel adsorbent for removing inorganic arsenic (As) from water. The adsorption of As onto AB is studied as a function of contact time, particle size, pH, initial As concentration, AB dosage, and temperature. Kinetic data indicate that the process pseudoequilibrates in 3 and 6 h for As(V) (arsenate) and As(III) (arsenite), respectively, and follows a pseudo-first-order rate expression. Within the range tested, the optimal pH for As(V) adsorption is 4.5, and close to 100% removal can be achieved irrespective of the initial As(V) concentration. Desorption of As(V) is greatest at pH 11.6 where a maximum of 40% can be achieved. In contrast, the optimum pH for As(III) removal is 8.5, and the removal efficiency changes with the initial As(III) concentration. The adsorption data fit the Langmuir isotherm and its linearized form well, with thermodynamic data indicating the spontaneous and endothermic nature of the process. The FITEQL (V.4) and PHREEQC (V.2) computer programs are used to predict As(V) adsorption at various pH values (based on diffuse double layer models). The modeling results fit the experimental results very well and indicate that surface complexation modeling is useful in describing the complex AB surface during the adsorption process. This study shows that As(III) needs to be oxidized to As(V) for a favorable removal using AB and that AB can be a very efficient unconventional adsorbent for removing As(V) from water.     

Difference of toxicity and accumulation of methylated and inorganic arsenic in arsenic-hyperaccumulating and -hypertolerant plants

The arsenic (As) hyperaccumulators, Pteris vittata and Pteris cretica and an As-tolerant plant Boehmeria nivea, were selected to compare the toxicity, uptake, and transportation of inorganic arsenate (As(V)) and its methylated counterpart dimethylarsinic acid (DMA). The XANES method was used to elucidate the effect of As species transformation on As toxicity and accumulation characteristics. Significantly higher toxicity and lower accumulation of DMAthan inorganic As(V) was shown in the As hyperaccumulators and the As-tolerant plant. Reduction of As(V) was commonly found in the plants. Arsenic complexation with thiols, which have less mobility in plants and usually occur in As-tolerant plants, was also found in rhizoids of P. cretica. Plants with greater ability to form As-thiolate have lower ability for upward transport of As. Demethylation of DMA occurred in the three plants. The DMA component decreased from the rhizoids to the fronds in both hyperaccumulators, while this tendency is reverse in B. nivea.     

CCT-ICP-MS测定饮用天然矿泉水中微量砷

采用碰撞池技术（CCT）和电感耦合等离子体质谱法（ICP-Ms）对饮用天然矿泉水中微量元素砷进行测定。通过在线加入内标校正基体效应和接口效应,应用仪器碰撞池技术消除元素质量数干扰,测定元素校正曲线相关系数在0．9995以上,元素检出限0．033μg·L^-1,RSD％〈10（n=12）,加标回收率在95．5％．108．0％之间,该方法灵敏度高,干扰少,结果较为满意。     

Removal of bromate from drinking water using the ion exchange membrane bioreactor concept

Bromate is a disinfection byproduct with carcinogenic properties that has to be removed from drinking water to concentrations below 10 or 25 microg/L. This work evaluates the applicability of the ion exchange membrane bioreactor (IEMB) concept for the removal of bromate from drinking water, in situations where nitrate is also present in concentrations up to 3 orders of magnitude higher than bromate. The batch results obtained show that the biological reduction of bromate was slow and only occurring after the complete reduction of nitrate. The specific bromate reduction rates varied from 0.027 +/- 0.01 mg BrO3(-)/g(cell dry weight) x h to 0.090 mg BrO3(-)/ g(cell dry weight) x h for the studied concentrations. On the other hand, transport studies, using anion exchange membranes showed that Donnan dialysis could efficiently remove bromate from polluted waters. Therefore, the use of a dense, nonporous membrane in the IEMB system, isolates the water stream from the biological compartment, allowing for the uncoupling of the water production rate from the biological reduction rate. The IEMB system was used for the treatment of a polluted water stream containing 200 microg/L of BrO3(-) and 60 mg/L of NO3(-). The concentrations of both ions in the treated water were reduced below the recommended levels. No bromate accumulation was observed in the biocompartment of the IEMB, suggesting its complete reduction in the biofilm formed on the membrane surface contacting the biocompartment. Therefore, the IEMB has proven to be a technology able to solve specific problems associated with the removal of bromate from water streams, since it efficiently removes bromate from drinking water even in the presence of nitrate, a known competitor of bromate biological reduction, without secondary contamination of the treated water by cells or excess of carbon source.     

阳极溶出伏安法测定饮用水中镉、铅、铜、砷

目的建立阳极溶出伏安法快速测定饮用水中镉、铅、铜、砷含量的检测方法。方法采用微波消解处理水样,以玻碳电极为工作电极,Ag/AgCl电极为参比电极,铂电极为对电极测定其溶出电流,采用外标法定量。结果在浓度为0.1～10μg/L范围内, Cd、Pb、Cu、As线性关系良好,方法检出限为0.00004～0.001 mg/L,加标回收率在98.10%～100.35%间。实际样品测定精密度小于2%。结论该方法稳定、快速、灵敏度高、准确度好,是一种高效的检测痕量重金属离子的方法。     

Testing tubewell platform color as a rapid screening tool for arsenic and manganese in drinking water wells

A low-cost rapid screening tool for arsenic (As) and manganese (Mn) in groundwater is urgently needed to formulate mitigation policies for sustainable drinking water supply. This study attempts to make statistical comparison between tubewell (TW) platform color and the level of As and Mn concentration in groundwater extracted from the respective TW (n = 423), to validate platform color as a screening tool for As and Mn in groundwater. The result shows that a black colored platform with 73% certainty indicates that well water is safe from As, while with 84% certainty a red colored platform indicates that well water is enriched with As, compared to WHO drinking water guideline of 10 μg/L. With this guideline the efficiency, sensitivity, and specificity of the tool are 79%, 77%, and 81%, respectively. However, the certainty values become 93% and 38%, respectively, for black and red colored platforms at 50 μg/L, the drinking water standards for India and Bangladesh. The respective efficiency, sensitivity, and specificity are 65%, 85%, and 59%. Similarly for Mn, black and red colored platform with 78% and 64% certainty, respectively, indicates that well water is either enriched or free from Mn at the Indian national drinking water standard of 300 μg/L. With this guideline the efficiency, sensitivity, and specificity of the tool are 71%, 67%, and 76%, respectively. Thus, this study demonstrates that TW platform color can be potentially used as an initial screening tool for identifying TWs with elevated dissolved As and Mn, to make further rigorous groundwater testing more intensive and implement mitigation options for safe drinking water supplies.     

Recovery of Burkholderia pseudomallei and B. cepacia from drinking water

Samples of drinking water were examined in order to evaluate the occurrence of two gram-negative bacteria: Burkholderia pseudomallei and B. cepacia. A total of 85 samples were collected from public and private buildings in the province of Bologna (Italy). Other bacteriological indicators (heterotrophic plate count at 22 and 36 degrees C) were also examined, together with physical and chemical parameters (temperature, pH, residual chlorine, total hardness and chemical oxygen demand (COD)). High levels of B. pseudomallei were recovered (mean value = 578 cfu/100 ml) in about 7% of samples, while B. cepacia was recovered in 3.5% (mean value = < 1) of the samples. The two microorganisms were found to correlate positively with heterotrophic plate counts at 22 and 36 degrees C, but not with the physical and chemical parameters taken into consideration.     

Characterization of new nitrosamines in drinking water using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry

N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), a member of a group of probable human carcinogens, has been detected as a disinfection byproduct (DBP) in drinking water supplies in Canada and the United States. To comprehensively investigate the occurrence of possible nitrosamines in drinking water supplies, a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry technique was developed to detect both thermally stable and unstable nitrosamines. This technique consisted of solid-phase extraction (SPE), liquid chromatography (LC) separation, and tandem quadrupole linear ion trap mass spectrometry (MS/MS) detection. It enabled the determination of sub-ng/L levels of nine nitrosamines. Isotope-labeled N-nitrosodimethylamine-d6 (NDMA-d6) was used as the surrogate standard for determining recovery, and N-nitrosodi-n-propylamine-dl4 (NDPA-dl4) was used as the internal standard for quantification. The method detection limits were estimated to be 0.1-10.6 ng/L, and the average recoveries were 41-111% for the nine nitrosamines; of these, NDMA, N-nitrosopyrrolidine (NPyr), N-nitrosopiperidine (NPip), and N-nitrosodiphenylamine (NDPhA) were identified and quantified in drinking water samples collected from four locations within the same distribution system. In general, the concentrations of these four nitrosamines in this distribution system increased with increasing distance from the water treatment plant, indicating that the amount of formation was greater than the amount of decomposition within this time frame. The identification of NPip and NDPhA in drinking water systems and the distribution profiles of these nitrosamines have not been reported previously. These nitrosamines are toxic, and their presence as DBPs in drinking water may have toxicological relevance.     

饮水安全——我们的大事——从水源污染问题看饮水安全

2012年的开年对于很多老百姓而言,似乎是不太平静的。喝水这么简单的事情,有时竟变得如此困难。1月15日起,广西龙江河宜州拉浪段发现重金属镉超标,后查明污染源来自附近矿业,柳州市启动紧急应对措施,截止到2月3日,政府才刚刚召开记者招待会,宣布柳州市刚刚度过了这次水污染最困难的时期：但就在同一天下午,