Occurrence and Removal of Pharmaceutical and Hormone Contaminants in Rural Wastewater Treatment Lagoons

With an increasing population in rural areas, the use of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) and naturally produced steroid hormones is also increasing. However, rural wastewater treatment plants were not specifically designed to remove PPCPs or hormones. Are these compounds being removed from water supplies? If they are, how effectively are they being removed and which treatment process is most effective? Samples from a rural wastewater treatment plant in Illinois were collected at each stage of the treatment process. Samples were taken twice, in September and November 2011. In addition, one sample each from upstream and downstream of the effluent discharge was taken in September. All the same samples were taken in November with the addition of a sample from the Mackinaw River downstream of the small stream to which the wastewater effluent discharges. Samples were extracted and analyzed in the lab for PPCPs and hormones via a new method developed by ISTC researchers. Results were published in Li et al (2013). Science of the Total Environment 445-446, 22-28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2012.12.035Ope