Emerging Contaminants WATER QUALITY QUESTIONS ANSWERED Beaufort-Jasper Water & Sewer Authority Inspire trust and enhance public health. bjwsa.org 843-987-9200 Emerging contaminants Emerging Contaminants are substances that have been identified and detected but whose health risks are still unknown or not fully known. Health risks vary with exposure level, and research may exist only for high- level exposure but not long-term, low-level exposure. Detection methods for emerging contaminants and other substances continue to improve. Substances that were not detected a few years ago may be measurable now because of improvements in lab methods and instrumentation. Emerging contaminants are not regulated usually because there is not enough science or data yet to determine the limit which will protect human health. Microplastics Microplastics (MP) are an emerging contaminant. There is no standard definition or method for measuring MPs, but generally they are considered particles which are less than five millimeters (5 mm) in size. Microplastics are the result of human activity and are not naturally occurring. MPs could be manufactured small, like beads and glitter, or a fragment of a larger plastic, and have been detected all over Earth. Microplastics pose a threat to aquatic life because they are not degradable or digestible and because they can harbor pollutants and pathogens. Wastewater plants are a source of aquatic microplastics, primarily from laundry of synthetic textiles and personal care products. In 2019, BJWSA and USCB conducted a research project on microplastics. USCB student researchers developed a method for measuring water and wastewater samples for MPs. They collected and analyzed samples from the Port Royal Water Reclamation Facility, the St. Helena Wastewater Treatment Plant, and the Purrysburg Water Treatment. The USCB investigators found the predominant MP in wastewater effluent to be fibers from synthetic textiles. They also found films from plastic bags and wrappers. The USCB measurements found significant removal of microplastics through the treatment processes, mostly in the clarification and sedimentation stages.
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EmergingContaminants
WATER QUALITY QUESTIONSANSWERED
Beaufort-Jasper Water & Sewer AuthorityInspire trust and enhance public health.
bjwsa.org843-987-9200
Emerging contaminantsEmerging Contaminants are substances that have been identified and detected but whose health risks are still unknown or not fully known. Health risks vary with exposure level, and research may exist only for high-level exposure but not long-term, low-level exposure.
Detection methods for emerging contaminants and other substances continue to improve. Substances that were not detected a few years ago may be measurable now because of improvements in lab methods and instrumentation.
Emerging contaminants are not regulated usually because there is not enough science or data yet to determine the limit which will protect human health.
MicroplasticsMicroplastics (MP) are an emerging contaminant. There is no standard definition or method for measuring MPs, but generally they are considered particles which are less than five millimeters (5 mm) in size. Microplastics are the result of human activity and are not naturally occurring. MPs could be manufactured small, like beads and glitter, or a fragment of a larger plastic, and have been detected all over Earth. Microplastics pose a threat to aquatic life because they are not degradable or digestible and because they can harbor pollutants and pathogens. Wastewater plants are a source of aquatic microplastics, primarily from laundry of synthetic textiles and personal care products.
In 2019, BJWSA and USCB conducted a research project on microplastics. USCB student researchers developed a method for measuring water and wastewater samples for MPs. They collected and analyzed samples from the Port Royal Water Reclamation Facility, the St. Helena Wastewater Treatment Plant, and the Purrysburg Water Treatment. The USCB investigators found the predominant MP in wastewater effluent to be fibers from synthetic textiles. They also found films from plastic bags and wrappers. The USCB measurements found significant removal of microplastics through the treatment processes, mostly in the clarification and sedimentation stages.