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Occurrence and removal of triclosan in Canadian wastewater systems

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Abstract

Triclosan (TCS) is an antimicrobial agent used in many personal care and cleaning products. It has been detected in most environmental compartments and the main entry pathway is wastewater effluents and biosolids. TCS was analyzed in 300 samples of raw influent, final effluent, and biosolids from 13 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) across Canada representing five types of typical wastewater treatment systems. TCS was almost always detected in influent (median 1480 ng/L), effluent (median 107 ng/L), and biosolids (median 8000 ng/g dry weight) samples. Removals of TCS from lagoons as well as secondary and advanced treatment facilities were significantly higher than primary treatment facilities (p < 0.001). TCS removal was strongly correlated with organic nitrogen removal. TCS removals at most lagoons and plants that use biological treatment were higher during summer compared with winter. However, no seasonal or temperature effects were observed at the two primary facilities, likely due to the absence of biological activity. Aerobically digested solids contained the lowest levels (median 555 ng/g) while anaerobically digested primary solids contained the highest levels of TCS (median 22,700 ng/g). The results of this large comprehensive study demonstrate that TCS is consistently present in wastewater and biosolids at relatively high concentrations and that removal from wastewater and levels in biosolids are strongly influenced by the wastewater and solids treatment types.

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Acknowledgments

This study was undertaken in support of the Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) and Health Canada risk assessment of triclosan. Thanks are due to the Canadian municipal WWTPs that granted access for sampling, and to Scott Dunlop, Sam Dith, Mehrzad Parsa, Scott Alexander, and Julian Torres for completion of field sampling.

Funding

Funding was provided by the Chemicals Management Plan (CMP).

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Author notes

  1. Paula Guerra

    Present address: Contract Pharmaceuticals Limited, 2145 Meadowpine Blvd, Mississauga, ON, L5N 6R8, Canada

  2. Ariba Shah

    Present address: Queen’s University, 1-149 Brock St., Kingston, ON, K7L 1S2, Canada

  3. Amber Albert

    Present address: Columbia University, 232W 116th St. Unit 809, New York, NY, 10026, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environment and Climate Change Canada, Science and Technology Branch, 867 Lakeshore Road, Burlington, ON, L7S 1A1, Canada

    Paula Guerra, Steven Teslic, Ariba Shah, Amber Albert, Sarah B. Gewurtz & Shirley Anne Smyth

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  1. Paula Guerra
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Correspondence to Shirley Anne Smyth.

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Guerra, P., Teslic, S., Shah, A. et al. Occurrence and removal of triclosan in Canadian wastewater systems. Environ Sci Pollut Res 26, 31873–31886 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-06338-w

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