Climate change and
resource depletion are major environmental threats, most agree. However the threat sometimes feels intangible. To many it is a
theoretical threat and the ramifications often too large to wrap one’s mind
around. However, there is a more tangible environmental threat facing us, and
our planet: contaminants
of emerging concern. Contaminants of emerging concern are a threat that can be
both quantified and mitigated if we make the effort. The threat of contaminants
of emerging concern is also a unique opportunity. While the field is new, and
we do not have 50 or 60 years of scientific evidence to show trends, we know
the threat it there, and it is one that can be turned around quickly. At this
time, we have the unique opportunity for reform and curb this problem before it
gets out of hand.
There are
thousands of contaminants of emerging concern, and, therefore, an overarching
definition is difficult. The best definition comes from a study conducted by a
number of California environmental groups:
Contaminants of
emerging concern are a diverse group of relatively unmonitored and unregulated
chemicals found in consumer and industrial products that have been shown to
occur…in wastewater discharges, ambient receiving waters, and drinking water
supplies. Contaminants of emerging concern include pharmaceuticals, personal
care products, and other commercial and industrial compounds.[1]
While this definition gives scientists a
framework in which to conduct research and to start generating data, they point
out, there is still “a lack of basic information and the technology to
efficiently measure contaminants of emerging concern…[which] hampers our
ability to assess their potential risks….”[2] However, state and local
health and regulatory agencies recognize that there is a problem, and have
begun to fund research in the field. Still, there is much data to gather before
“a comprehensive strategy” can be developed to create the monitoring and
regulatory actions that will be necessary to address the threat of contaminants
of emerging concern. [3]
Obviously, this is
an emerging field that has scientists worried, but the fact that not much is
known about these contaminants is alarming. The products that have been
identified as contaminents of emerging concern have been in public use for
years; yet, the fact that they may actually be harmful to our environment and to
us is just coming to light. This is the next big ecological issue we must focus
on, as it affects not only our natural resources, but it affects our health No
one knows how much damage has already been done; however, that is no reason to
continue blindly on. If we tackle this problem now, we can get ahead of the
curve and take action before things spiral out of control.
The
need to address this threat now, despite the lack of data, is the perfect
example of a popular theory called the precautionary principle. In terms of the
environment, this principle states that “if a threat of serious or irreversible
damage to the environment or human health exists, a lack of full scientific
knowledge about the situation should not be allowed to delay containment of
remedial steps if the balance of potential costs and benefits justifies enacting
them.”[4] Many decisions made in the
fields of science, health, and public policy, are based on this principle. In
the case of contaminants of emerging concern the threat is serious and the
damage potentially irreversible to both the environment and human health. We
know enough to know that.
Several
states, including California, have begun research into these contaminants. Among
the agencies responsible for this research are the Southern California Costal
Water Research Project (SCCWRP)[5] and the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA)[6]. SCCWRP is interested in
studying contaminants of emerging concern in coastal waters and sediment, as
well as recycled water. They have focused on municipal wastewater and discharge
areas along the coast. The issue is that these contaminants are not typically
monitored. While wastewater is screened for certain contaminants, the
infrastructure is not yet in place to monitor emerging contaminants. Nor do we currently
have the technology to remove these contaminants from the water, making it important
to monitor both discharge areas and recycled water—to see the damage done and
how best to move forward.
The results of the
study, commissioned in 2004 and scheduled to be completed in 2011, are expected
to be released sometime in 2012. SCCWRP targeted the fish living near the four
largest discharge locations in Southern California, with one location acting as
a reference. The locations were the City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County
Sanitation District, Orange County Sanitation District, and City of San Diego
outfalls. Dana Point acted as their reference.[7] San Diego outfalls also
represented “characteristics and levels of legacy contamination in sediments.”[8] At each of these locations
scientists collected Horneyhead turbot, a type of flat fish, during May-June
2006, a period associated with the peak-spawning season. The Horneyhead turbot
was selected because they are found throughout “southern California at the same
depths as ocean wastewater discharge….”[9] Scientists took samples of
the liver, plasma, and gonads to analyze and determine the concentrations of
contaminants of emerging concern. Also, scientists took frequent samples, over
the course of the study, of the water in each area testing for contamination.
Lastly, quarterly samples of fish were taken from the sources “to compare
seasonal reproduction patterns among discharge and reference sites.”[10]
Preliminary results,
released in 2011, showed that pharmaceuticals and personal care products, as
well as, industrial compounds were found in coastal waters in about the same
concentration as “priority pollutants such as trace metals.”[11] Trace metals, such as lead and mercury, are
known to be poisonous and have been linked to birth defects and other serious
health issues. Among the pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and other
contaminants of emerging concern found were atenolol, a pharmaceutical used to
treat high blood pressure and prevent angina; benzophenone, an organic compound
used in the printing industry; ibuprofen and naproxen, pharmaceutical pain
relievers; oxybenzone, a chemical found in sunscreen; sulfamethoxazole, an
antibiotic; triclosan, a chemical used in antibacterial and antifungal
products; and bisphenol A, or BPA, a compound found in containers, and banned
by the United States and Canada in the manufacturing of baby bottles.
In the case of
emerging contaminants, the scientists found “several indicators of endocrine
disruption.” For instance, traces of vitellogenin were found in almost 90% of
the male turbot, as well as “unusually high estrogen concentrations in males,
reduced thyroid hormone concentrations, and impaired production of the stress
hormone cortisol.” The scientists were unable to attribute any of these
findings to a specific discharge location, meaning the effects of the
contaminants of emerging concern were widespread. In addition, the fish
examined displayed evidence of effects to gonad condition, reproductive cycles,
and gender ratio.[12]
In the same region,
but in a earlier study, scientists found evidence of contaminants in the blubber of
California sea lions stranded along the Los Angeles and Orange County
coastlines between 1993 and 2006. The levels of contaminants found at that time
“were among the highest reported to date.“[13] Additionally, scientists
found contaminants in estuarine sediments in Southern California.[14]
These findings are
unnerving because they raise the possibility of biomagnification. While the
sediment and the fish examined in this study may display low levels of
contamination, as we move up the food chain the concentration could increase
exponentially, ultimately resulting with humans having the highest
concentration levels because of resource consumption. The health effects could include
endocrine disruption, such as found in the Horneyhead turbot, as well as
spontaneous sex change and other unknown health conditions.
Despite these
findings, there are those who will still deny the existence of this problem and
its importance as an environmental and personal health threat. These are the
same people who will often discount the credibility of the threat of climate
change despite the ample scientific evidence of its existence. In the case of
contaminants of emerging concern, scientists have demonstrated that these
contaminants are reaching our coastline and are present in our recycled water. The
preliminary data strongly suggests a threat. And as the precautionary principle
states, “if a threat of serious or irreversible damage to the environment or
human health exists, a lack of full scientific knowledge about the situation
should not be allowed to delay containment of remedial steps if the balance of
potential costs and benefits justifies enacting them.”[15]
There are a number
of steps that can be taken now to remediate the existing and future impact of
these contaminants. The focus should be on creating simple programs. It is not
enough to designate a drop off location for hazardous contaminants and pass
legislation making improper disposal of products containing these contaminants
illegal. The goal of any program should be to make it something that can be
easily incorporated into an individual’s day, disrupting their normal
activities minimally, and that can easily become as routine as the act of recycling
paper or plastic bottles has become.
One strategy would
be to better take advantage of a program that already exists. Many pharmacies
provide customers with postage-paid bags in which to mail their unused
prescriptions back to the manufacturer for proper disposal. This program should
not only be expanded to all pharmacies, but much work needs to be done to raise
awareness that it exists and the benefits it has for, not only environmental
health, but also personal health. Another program takes advantage of existing
trash collection infrastructure. Currently, households receive bins for
recycling. An additional bin should be provided for personal care products and
other hazardous materials. Most people simply throw these containers in the
trash or wash the remaining product down drains to empty the containers for
recycling. The contents of these containers should instead be placed in a
separate bin, so that they can be taken to a facility where they can be
processed and properly disposed of.
Given the fact that
the technology does not exist to extract these contaminants from water sources
once there is contamination, everything must be done to keep them out of the
water supply now that there is evidence that they pose a threat. These
contaminants can be properly disposed of—that technology does exist. When it
comes to curtailing the effects of an environmental threat, contaminants of
emerging concern present a unique opportunity. We can do something—even the
simple act of bagging excess pharmaceuticals and mailing them back to the
manufacturer for proper disposal could have a huge impact on environmental and
human health. The time is now to make these changes and address this problem
before the effects get out of hand and remediation becomes impossible.
[1] http://www.nwri-usa.org/pdfs/CACCECReport.pdf
[2] Ibid
[3] Ibid
[4] http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/precautionary-principle.html
[5]http://www.sccwrp.org/ResearchAreas/Contaminants/ContaminantsOfEmergingConcern.aspx
[6] http://water.epa.gov/scitech/cec/
[7]http://www.sccwrp.org/ResearchAreas/Contaminants/ContaminantsOfEmergingConcern/EffectsOnBiota/EmergingContaminantEffectsOnCoastalFish.aspx
[8] Ibid
[9] Ibid
[10] Ibid
[11] Ibid
[12] Ibid
[13]http://www.sccwrp.org/ResearchAreas/Contaminants/ContaminantsOfEmergingConcern/EffectsOnBiota/EmergingContaminantEffectsOnCoastalFish.aspx
[14] Ibid
[15] http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/precautionary-principle.html
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