Water recycling is a critical part of the solution to water scarcity caused by climate uncertainties and urban population growth in Australia. A major impediment to water recycling is lack of public acceptance and clear regulatory guidance of chemicals that may remain in the treated water. The large number of compounds and ultra-low concentrations that can cause biological effects are problematic for chemical analysis lone. Bioassays are ideal screening tools that can detect a wide range of contaminants based on their biological effect. In combination with chemical analysis, 'unknown� biologically-active contaminants can be detected and identified. This project selected a battery of bioassays based on their relevance to consumption of potentially polluted water (basal toxicity to gastro-intestinal, liver and white blood cells; genotoxicity; enzyme induction in liver cells; estrogenic, androgenic, glucocorticoid, progestagenic and thyroid endocrine effect; neurotoxicity; immunotoxicity) and applied these tools to screen recycled water for potentially harmful chemicals.

Is there a needle in the haystack?  Determining recycled water quality using a battery of bioanalytical tools and chemical analysis

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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