Safe reuse water: Assessment of the removal of chemical contaminants from reuse water using a fish biomonitoring system

有明确的科学数据表明，我们正在进入全球变暖时期。从历史上看，即使是平均环境温度的小幅上升也会导致淡水的大量流失。在水资源稀缺的社区（如南阿尔伯塔、加州等），再生水的饮用可能是必要的。因此，迫切需要确定由于消费和/或暴露于回用水而产生的潜在危害和相关的公共健康风险，并制定适当的补救措施，以应对废水和回用水中存在的污染物。在水生环境中，污染物，如激素，已被证明会导致鱼类生殖行为的生理改变和生理功能的下调。也有报道称，从污水处理厂附近的沃茨采集的雄鱼中发现了雌性特征。同样令人不安的是，据报告某些癌症（乳腺癌、前列腺癌、睾丸癌）的发病率上升，据推测，特定肿瘤的发病率较高可能是由于环境中的雌激素化合物。拟议的研究的目的是使用新开发的国家的最先进的鱼类模型系统，以评估公众健康风险的化学污染物在回用水之前和之后的具体修复协议。本研究的具体目的是：（1）。回用水中主要化学污染物的时间分析;（2）。使用新开发的鱼类分析方法，评估鱼类在急性和亚慢性接触未经处理和经处理的再利用水后的生理状况;和（3）使用高剂量紫外线辐射和过氧化氢（UV/H2 O2）和/或纳米材料基质灭活/去除化学污染物后再利用水的安全性评估，以及开发化学污染物灭活/去除的剂量反应模型。建议的鱼类生物监测分析和修复方法将是有用的评估潜在的公共健康风险的回用水的水行业。

There are clear scientific data based indications that we are entering a global warming period. Historically, even small increases in average ambient temperatures have been associated with significant loss of fresh water. Potable use of reclaimed water may be necessary in communities where water is a scarce resource (e.g. Southern Alberta, California etc.). Thus, there is an urgent need to determine the potential hazards and associated public health risk due to consumption and/or exposure to reuse water and the development of appropriate remediation measures for contaminants present in wastewater and reuse water. Within the aquatic environment, the contaminants, such as hormones, have been shown to cause physiological alterations in reproductive behavior of fish and down-regulation of physiological functions. There are also reports of female characteristics in male fish taken from waters near sewage treatment plants. Equally troubling is reported rise in the incidence of certain cancers (breast, prostate, testicular) and it has been speculated that higher prevalence of specific neoplasias may be due to estrogenic compounds in the environment. The objective of the proposed research is to use newly developed state-of-the art fish model system to evaluate the public health risk of chemical contaminants in reuse water before and after specific remediation protocols. The specific aims of the proposed research are: (1). Temporal analysis of major chemical contaminants present in the reuse water; (2). Use of newly developed fish assays for the assessment of physiological status of fish following acute and subchronic exposure to non-treated and treated reuse water; and (3) Assessment of the safety of reuse water following inactivation/removal of chemical pollutants using high dose ultraviolet radiation and hydrogen peroxide (UV/H2O2) and/or nanomaterial matrix, and development of dose response models for inactivation/removal of chemical pollutants. The proposed fish biomonitoring assays and remediation methods will be useful for the assessment of potential public health risk of reuse water by the water industry.