Chlorine is a common disinfectant in water treatment. Its wide use is due to its low cost, high effectiveness and persistence. However, chlorine can react with natural and synthetic organic compounds in water to form disinfectant by-products (DBP) of varying toxicity and bioactivity. These include the well-known carcinogens such as trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids. Low quality plastics are often used in less developed countries for water pipes, and leaching of monomers, solvents and plasticizers is a real concern. The aim of this work is to investigate the effect of chlorinated water on the fate of common plasticizer (e.g., phthalates) and the bioactivity of the resulting byproducts.Diethyl phthalate is a widely used plasticizer and is frequently found in environmental samples. Exposure of diethyl phthalate to chlorinated distilled water did not show reaction, however reaction and byproduct formation were observed when chlorinate tap water was used. This suggests that water matrix plays a significant role in byproduct formation. The treated water did not show an increase in acute toxicity nor genotoxicity, but has mild anti-estrogenic activity.

Effects of exposure of phthalates to chlorinated drinking water

249th National Meeting (2015)

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