Environmental transformation processes, including those occurring in natural and engineered systems, do not necessarily drastically alter molecular structures of bioactive organic contaminants. While the majority of generated transformation products are likely benign, substantial conservation of structure in transformation products can imply conservation or even creation of bioactivity across multiple biological end points and thus incomplete mitigation of ecological risk. Therefore, focusing solely on parent compound removal for contaminants of higher relative risk and potency, the most common approach to fate characterization, provides no mechanistic relationship to potential biological effects and is inadequate as a comprehensive metric for reduction of ecological risks. Here, we explore these phenomena for emerging pollutant classes, with a primary focus on endocrine-active steroid hormones. This talk will present examples of bioactive transformation products and related implications for fate assessment, regulatory approaches, treatment technologies and research opportunities.

Integrated analytical and computational tools for assessing the risks of emerging contaminants and their bioactive transformation products

254th National Meeting (2017)

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