Pharmaceuticals and other contaminants of emerging concern in landfill leachate of the United States

Norman Network Bulletin
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Abstract

Landfills are commonly the final respository for a heterogeneous mixture of waste from residential, commercial, and industrial sources. The use of landfills as a means of waste disposal will likely increase as the global population increases and nations develop. Thus, landfills receiving such waste have the potential to produce leachate containing numerous organic chemicals including contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) such as pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and hormones. This leachate is often discharged to pathways that lead directly (e.g. groundwater, streams) or indirectly (e.g. wastewater treament plants) to the environment. Limited research, however, has been conducted regarding the characterisation of landfill leachate for CECs.

To provide the first national-scale assessment of CECs in landfill leachate across the United States, fresh leachate samples (i.e. prior to onsite treatment) from 19 landfills in 16 states were collected in 2011 and analysed for 202 CECs [1]. The targeted CECs were selected for analysis because they were expected to be persistent in the environment; are used, excreted, or disposed of in substantial quantities; may have human or environmental health effects; or are potential indicators of environmentally relevant classes of chemicals or source materials.

Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Pharmaceuticals and other contaminants of emerging concern in landfill leachate of the United States
Series title Norman Network Bulletin
Issue 4
Year Published 2015
Language English
Publisher NORMAN Network
Contributing office(s) Iowa Water Science Center, National Water Quality Laboratory, Toxic Substances Hydrology Program
Description 2 p.
First page 10
Last page 11
Country United States
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