Not your granddad's disinfection by-product problems and solutions

Three months later, you are exhausted and a lot wiser. It seems that nothing is simple in the field of DBP control. You lost your summer but you learned a lot about one of the most important topics in your field. You also figured out that there are tremendous opportunities for a young woman like yourself entering the field to use the findings from the top researchers to discover entirely new areas of DBP research and control technologies. You have a chance to make contributions to DBP control that your granddad never dreamed of. • Regulation of DBPs is complex, and no one knows the total effect that the regulations have had in reducing overall exposure to DBPs and the impact that lowered exposure has had on public health. Will Stage 3 be something you want to participate in? • There are emerging DBPs for which cost-effective control methodologies are needed that don't cause other compliance problems. • Organic precursor removal has taken on a life beyond enhanced coagulation, with PAC, GAC, and anion exchange resins providing interesting treatment options. • Hot spots and removing DBPs after they are formed seem to be areas with lots of opportunities to be innovative. • Will you be the one who puts the control of DBPs into the proper public health-protection framework? Obviously, you have chosen the right career path. You get a chance to work in the drinking water community. There is always something important to learn. You wonder about the emerging pathogens that you ran across during the DBP research. That might be an interesting topic to investigate.