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Pharmaceuticals and personal care products in biosolids/sewage sludge: the interface between analytical chemistry and regulation

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Abstract

Modern sanitary practices result in large volumes of human waste, as well as domestic and industrial sewage, being collected and treated at common collection points, wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). In recognition of the growing use of sewage sludge as fertilizers and soil amendments, and the scarcity of current data regarding the chemical constituents in sewage sludge, the US National Research Council (NRC) in 2002 produced a report on sewage sludge. Among the NRC’s recommendations was the need for investigating the occurrence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in sewage sludge. PPCPs are a diverse array of non-regulated contaminants that had not been studied in previous sewage sludge surveys but which are likely to be present. The focus of this paper will be to review the current analytical methodologies available for investigating whether pharmaceuticals are present in WWTP-produced sewage sludge, to summarize current regulatory practices regarding sewage sludge, and to report on the presence of pharmaceuticals in sewage sludge.

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Acknowledgements

TLJ-L would like to thank her technical senior environmental employee, Mr. Tom Moy, for all of his hard work and assistance in the day-to-day laboratory operations.

Disclaimer

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), through its Office of Research and Development (ORD), funded and performed the research described. It has been subjected to the Agency’s administrative review and approved for publication as an EPA document. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation by EPA for use.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Exposure Research Laboratory, Office of Research and Development, US Environmental Protection Agency, Las Vegas, NV, 89193, USA

    T. L. Jones-Lepp

  2. Office of Water, Office of Science and Technology, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, 20460, USA

    Rick Stevens

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  1. T. L. Jones-Lepp
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  2. Rick Stevens
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Correspondence to T. L. Jones-Lepp.

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Jones-Lepp, T.L., Stevens, R. Pharmaceuticals and personal care products in biosolids/sewage sludge: the interface between analytical chemistry and regulation. Anal Bioanal Chem 387, 1173–1183 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-006-0942-z

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