Organic Extractables in Municipal Wastewater Vancouver, British Columbia

Abstract

Abstract Composite five to seven-day sample s of chlorinated and unchlorinated primary-treated municipal wastewater were collected at the Iona Island treatment plant during a 62-day exposure of juvenile chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). No differences between chlorinated and unchlorinated samp les were detectable and only 9 chlorinated extractables we re identified. Mass spectrometric analysis of sewage and sludge extracts identified 100 base/neutral components and 60 acidic substances. Some major constituent s we re quantified. Fatty acids, petroleum hydrocarbons, aromatic acids and chemical disinfectants we re predominant. Toxic compounds present included chlorophenols, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH’s) and nonylphenols plus nonylphenolethoxylates. Tetrachlorophenol (TCP) and pentachlorophenol (PCP) reached maximum levels of 7.8 and 13.2 μg · L−l respectively. The PAH’s we re heavily concentrated in sludge samples. Nonylphenol was present in wastewater and sludge but the corresponding ethoxylates occurred only in wastewater. PCB’s were detectable only in sludge. Some novel identifications included two substituted monochiorophenol disinfectants and two generic drugs.