TY - JOUR
T1 - Persistent toxic substances
T2 - Sources, fates and effects
AU - Wong, Ming H.
AU - Armour, Margaret Ann
AU - Naidu, Ravi
AU - Man, Ming
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors thank the Collaborative Research Fund (HKBU1/ CRF/08) and the Special Equipment Grant (SEG_HKBU9) of the Research Grants Committee of Hong Kong and the Mini-AOE (Area of Excellence, RC/AOE/08-09/01) of Hong Kong Baptist University for support.
PY - 2012/12
Y1 - 2012/12
N2 - Persistent toxic substances (PTS) include the Stockholm persistent organic pollutants, like dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, polychlorinated biphenyls, dioxin/furan, etc., and organometallic compounds, like organomercury, organotin, and organolead, which all share the same characteristics of being persistent, toxic, bioaccumulative, and able to travel long distances through different media. The adverse health effects of some of the emerging chemicals like pentabromodiphenyl ether, bisphenol A, and di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, which are widely used in daily appliances (e.g., TVs, computers, mobile phones, plastic baby bottles), have become a public health concern due to more evidence now available showing their adverse effects like disturbance of the endocrine system and cancer. This article is an attempt to review the current status of PTS in our environment, citing case studies in China and North America, and whether our existing drinking water treatment and wastewater treatment processes are adequate in removing them from water. Some management issues of these emerging chemicals of concern are also discussed.
AB - Persistent toxic substances (PTS) include the Stockholm persistent organic pollutants, like dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, polychlorinated biphenyls, dioxin/furan, etc., and organometallic compounds, like organomercury, organotin, and organolead, which all share the same characteristics of being persistent, toxic, bioaccumulative, and able to travel long distances through different media. The adverse health effects of some of the emerging chemicals like pentabromodiphenyl ether, bisphenol A, and di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, which are widely used in daily appliances (e.g., TVs, computers, mobile phones, plastic baby bottles), have become a public health concern due to more evidence now available showing their adverse effects like disturbance of the endocrine system and cancer. This article is an attempt to review the current status of PTS in our environment, citing case studies in China and North America, and whether our existing drinking water treatment and wastewater treatment processes are adequate in removing them from water. Some management issues of these emerging chemicals of concern are also discussed.
KW - Drinking water treatment
KW - Emerging chemicals of concern
KW - Wastewater treatment
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84870871185&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1515/reveh-2012-0040
DO - 10.1515/reveh-2012-0040
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 23079509
AN - SCOPUS:84870871185
SN - 0048-7554
VL - 27
SP - 207
EP - 213
JO - Reviews on Environmental Health
JF - Reviews on Environmental Health
IS - 4
ER -
