With growing populations and dwindling freshwater resources, impaired sources are increasingly being used for drinking water. This presentation will focus on the use of high resolution-mass spectrometry for identifying new chemicals of concern that are caused by impacts from hydraulic fracturing and wastewater reuse. Hydraulic fracturing (HF) has become widespread in the U.S., but bromide and iodide from shale formations can be released at high levels and enter drinking water sources, causing formation of toxic brominated and iodinated disinfection by-products (DBPs) at downstream drinking water plants. Additives used in the HF process can also be released and form DBPs. Wastewater reuse is another major development in the U.S., with a major indirect potable reuse plant already serving millions of people in California, and a new direct potable reuse plant currently being built in Texas. While emerging contaminants are commonly measured in wastewater reuse applications, DBPs are rarely investigated. Our group is investigating both scenarios—hydraulic fracturing impacts and wastewater reuse impacts, and uncovering new DBPs that are of toxicological concern to both human health and ecosystems. Our methods include both LC-high resolution-MS-MS and GC-high resolution-MS-MS to more completely capture the wide range of DBPs that can form (volatile, polar, semi-polar, and low and high molecular weight).

High resolution-MS uncovers new chemicals of concern in drinking water: Impacts of hydraulic fracturing and wastewater reuse

255th National Meeting (2018)

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