TY - JOUR
T1 - National inventory of alkylphenol ethoxylate compounds in U.S. sewage sludges and chemical fate in outdoor soil mesocosms
AU - Venkatesan, Arjun K.
AU - Halden, Rolf
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2014 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2013
Y1 - 2013
N2 - We determined the first nationwide inventories of alkylphenol surfactants in U.S. sewage sludges (SS) using samples from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2001 national SS survey. Additionally, analysis of archived 3-year outdoor mesocosm samples served to determine chemical fates in SS-amended soil. Nonylphenol (NP) was the most abundant analyte (534 ± 192 mg/kg) in SS composites, followed by its mono- and di-ethoxylates (62.1 ± 28 and 59.5 ± 52 mg/kg, respectively). The mean annual load of NP and its ethoxylates in SS was estimated at 2408-7149 metric tonnes, of which 1204-4289 is applied on U.S. land. NP compounds showed observable loss from SS/soil mixtures (1:2), with mean half-lives ranging from 301 to 495 days. Surfactant levels in U.S. SS ten-times in excess of European regulations, substantial releases to U.S. soils, and prolonged half-lives found under field conditions, all argue for the U.S. to follow Europe's move from 20 years ago to regulate these chemicals.
AB - We determined the first nationwide inventories of alkylphenol surfactants in U.S. sewage sludges (SS) using samples from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2001 national SS survey. Additionally, analysis of archived 3-year outdoor mesocosm samples served to determine chemical fates in SS-amended soil. Nonylphenol (NP) was the most abundant analyte (534 ± 192 mg/kg) in SS composites, followed by its mono- and di-ethoxylates (62.1 ± 28 and 59.5 ± 52 mg/kg, respectively). The mean annual load of NP and its ethoxylates in SS was estimated at 2408-7149 metric tonnes, of which 1204-4289 is applied on U.S. land. NP compounds showed observable loss from SS/soil mixtures (1:2), with mean half-lives ranging from 301 to 495 days. Surfactant levels in U.S. SS ten-times in excess of European regulations, substantial releases to U.S. soils, and prolonged half-lives found under field conditions, all argue for the U.S. to follow Europe's move from 20 years ago to regulate these chemicals.
KW - Alkylphenol ethoxylates
KW - Biosolids
KW - Emerging contaminants
KW - National inventory
KW - Soil half-life
KW - Surfactants
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84871801187&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84871801187&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.envpol.2012.11.012
DO - 10.1016/j.envpol.2012.11.012
M3 - Article
C2 - 23274446
AN - SCOPUS:84871801187
SN - 0269-7491
VL - 174
SP - 189
EP - 193
JO - Environmental Pollution
JF - Environmental Pollution
ER -