Trace Organic Contaminants and their Transformation Products in the Environment - Challenges for Environmental Health and Engineering

Description

Presented by Carsten Prasse, Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University

More than 80,000 chemicals are in commercial use today. Several hundred of these compounds have been detected in the urban water cycle, including pharmaceuticals, personal care products, biocides, household and industrial chemicals. But what happens to these compounds once they enter the environment and, eventually, our bodies? In my research group, this question drives our investigations on the occurrence and fate of trace organic contaminants in engineered and natural systems. Transformations of chemicals in the environment occur primarily through biodegradation, photo-degradation, and chemical oxidation, with the latter being of increasing importance for water treatment. We have detected these transformation products in surface waters, groundwater, and sometimes even in our drinking water. In addition to their environmental persistence, transformation products can be more toxic than their parent compounds. The public health concern presented by toxic TPs is exacerbated by the fact that few regulations exist to mitigate these new, more toxic compounds.

Amidst the thousands of parent compounds giving rise to transformation products, prioritizing compounds that are precursors to toxic transformation products is critical. Yet how can we assess the toxicity of thousands of anthropogenic compounds and their transformation products present in the environment? To address this question, we are developing new methods that allow us to understand the toxicity of trace organic contaminants and their transformation products at the molecular level by investigating their interactions with biomolecules such as proteins and DNA. In this talk, I will elaborate on the development and application of these approaches to assess environmental exposures to toxicants and to evaluate (water) treatment technologies.

Seminar hosted by Assistant Professor Damian Helbling.