Laboratory Focuses on Detection and Treating Contaminated Water

A laboratory has been opened in the United States that will focus on the detection of pharmaceuticals, hormones, and other organic contaminants in water. It will also evaluate the effectiveness of methods for removing these compounds.

An Associated Press survey revealed that an assortment of drugs including antidepressants, antibiotics, and birth control prescriptions were detected in the municipal drinking water of major metropolitan areas in the United States.

The University of Colorado's (Boulder, CO, USA) department of civil, environmental, and architectural engineering has opened the Center for Environmental Mass Spectrometry (CEMS), a laboratory that will focus on contaminants in drinking water. To measure trace amounts of compounds and detect unknowns in complex water samples, CEMS required a liquid chromatography/mass spectroscopy (LC/MS) system with very high mass accuracy, mass resolution, sensitivity, and speed. Agilent (Santa Clara, CA, USA) has loaned its Agilent 6220 Accurate Mass Time-of-Flight LC/MS system to the lab at no charge.

"Pharmaceuticals are biologically active compounds designed specifically to affect the human body,” said Dr. E. Michael Thurman, one of the founders of CEMS and a 30-year veteran of the United States Geological Survey (USGS; Menlo Park, CA, USA) in water testing. "Low concentrations of parts-per-billion or parts-per-trillion generally aren't considered dangerous over the short term, but no one knows about the long-term human and ecological effects. There are also troubling effects on wildlife, such as male fathead minnows that are becoming ‘feminized' from traces of the human birth control compound EE2 in streams at concentrations of parts-per-trillion. This is noteworthy on a number of levels.”

"Agilent is proud to support this innovative lab because few things are as fundamental to quality of life as clean drinking water, said Mike McMullen, vice president and general manager, Agilent Chemical Analysis Solutions Unit. "Over the years, global markets have demanded greater and greater analytical power in the quest for a cleaner environment with safer food, water, and air. This is an excellent example of how our technology is being used for the greater good.”

Prof. Karl Linden directs the treatment of pharmaceuticals in water and plays a key role in laboratory development and design. "Basic water-treatment technology, both for wastewater and for drinking water, has changed in recent years, now including treatment by ozone, UV, and carbon,” said Prof. Linden. "We're looking at the problem from a number of angles; first, to help define this growing problem and to underscore the need for more testing and treatment at the municipal level. We also intend to work with people around the world to help find solutions such as evaluating various water-treatment options.”


Related Links:
Agilent
University of Colorado
United States Geological Survey