There is an imminent public health concern within our drinking water system: the presence of disinfectant by-products enables ingestion of toxic species.  The source of these disinfectant by-products (DBPs) is the unnatural reaction between engineered nanomaterials and chlorination chemicals.  To complete the reaction even more, the presence of natural organic matter (NOM) in the water system exacerbates the production of potentially harmful and unfilterable species before reach the household tap.  Photochemical reactions involving metal species and natural organic matter has been a concern for a few decades, but there has been no studies reported upon to-date that describe the chemical mechanisms of nano-specific DBPs either with or without NOM present. Primary examples of engineered nanomaterials that have already been identified in water waste effluents include copper, silver, titanium dioxide, and zinc oxide nanoparticles. These metal-based materials are commonly used in nanotechnology-based consumer products and cause increasing concern regarding their release into the environment. Due to high surface area and mobility of copper, silver, titanium dioxide, and zinc oxide nanoparticles play critical roles in: cycling of elements, transporting of pollutants, and interacting with microbial communities. The proposal seeks funding for a project that outlines a strategy to evaluate the chemical mechanisms of action and the toxicological mechanisms of action of DBPs formed after nanoparticle, chlorine, and NOM reactions.  Preliminary evidence shows that by-products are formed in the presence of environmentally relevant conditions and the toxicity of these by-products is more prevalent than conventional DBPs.  These data warrant further investigation using relevant nanoparticles chaperoned through simulated water treatments processes.<br/>

Impact of advanced materials on the formation and toxicity of disinfection byproducts during drinking water chlorination

255th National Meeting (2018)

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