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Biochemistry 099: Emerging Chemical
Contaminants and Their Potential Interactions in Biological Systems
LAB Practices Seminar Carol Injasoulian
City of Bay City WWTP May 14, 2013
71%
Interesting Fact : The Earth and Humans contain about the same amount of water
Are we introducing the same chemicals into our body that we are producing on Earth?
Most Likely Yes …
How Many Chemicals are produced in the World?
The chemical industry comprises the companies that produce industrial chemicals. Central to the modern
world economy, it converts raw materials (oil, natural gas, air, water, metals, and minerals) into more than 70,000
different products.
The chemical industry is also the second largest consumer of energy in manufacturing and spends over $5 billion
annually on pollution abatement
The chemical industry has shown rapid growth for more than fifty years
Reconnaissance of Contaminants in Selected Wastewater-Treatment-Plant Effluent and Stormwater Runoff Entering the Columbia River,
Columbia River Basin, Washington and Oregon, 2008–10
U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey URL: http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2012/5068/figure3.html Page Contact Information: GS Pubs Web Contact Page Last Modified: Thursday, January 10, 2013, 07:51:32 PM
The Curious Case of Copper
Bay City Conducted a Copper Source Identification study due to some seasonal Copper spikes
Four Interesting Points Were Found On Average the Residential Loading was higher than the
industrial loading (Copper Pipes) Boat Wash at Marina was always out of compliance with City
SUO (Anti-Fouling Paint) Boat washing activity highest in fall and spring (correlating with our increases in copper)
Copper sulfate is approved by the MDEQ for swimmers itch treatment : recommended dosing is 20 ppm directly into Michigan lakes (This is above the toxicity level for aquatic microorganisms)
Purchase of ICP without “trace metal” sample handling made copper problem appear larger than it actually was (several contamination issues).
Copper Results
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
Ju
n-0
8
Ju
l-0
8
Au
g-0
8
Se
p-0
8
Oc
t-0
8
No
v-0
8
Dec
-08
Ja
n-0
9
Feb
-09
Ma
r-0
9
Ap
r-0
9
Ma
y-0
9
Ju
n-0
9
Ju
l-0
9
Au
g-0
9
Se
p-0
9
Oc
t-0
9
No
v-0
9
Dec
-09
Resu
lts i
n m
g/L
Date
Copper Samples Comparison from June 2008 to December 2009
First and Water
Fifth and Water
Johnson and Water
Mason Court
The Take Home Point
Humans frequently use chemistry to alter the environment directly = treating for swimmers itch with copper
sulfate indirectly = using copper based anti-fouling paint so
algae does not attach to boat hulls
Copper is a heavy metal and will have some environmental impact Safe Drinking MCL for copper is 1.3 ppm Would you rather have swimmer’s itch, a clean
boat hull, or safe drinking water???
Unknown Chemicals in the Storm Drain Two times Bay City has had complaints about unknown substances
being released from the cities storm drains Ionia Street
Compound initially ID’d as benzyl ammonium chloride AKA alkyldimethylbenzylammonium chloride by Fire Department’s FTIR
Initial Reaction : Benzene compound very bad for environment Reaction Upon Researching
Very common disinfectant Not on the EPA / MDEQ list of contaminants of concern
Attempted to find Source 100 % of all industrial users Chemical Inventory List had at least one
product that contains this compound Conclusions
Ubiquitous Chemical that could be released at anytime This compound is a Disinfectant which should meet the criteria of
“bioactive” but is not on the radar for “chemical of concern” Could over prevalence of this compound create a superbug someday
Unknown Chemicals in the Storm Drain Two times Bay City has had complaints about unknown substances
in the storm drain Atlantic Street
Several complaints about sheen on river coming from storm Drain Mixing zone frequently gives appearance of chemical release Chemical Analysis reveals nothing above typical storm water levels for
industrial/commercial areas Reaction Upon Researching
Storm water discharges are full of petroleum distillates and other stuff at disconcerting levels
Conclusions Human use of chemicals to improve Quality of Life causing impact to
the environment and loadings continue to increase as advancements in Chemistry are made.
Unknown Chemicals in the Storm Drain Atlantic St
Unknown Chemicals in the Storm Drain
“Characterization of Used Oil In
Stormwater Runoff” Sep 2006
Bath Time Chemistry
Diethanolamine
Polyethylene Glycol
DMDM hydantoin
dimethicone cyclomethicone
Mineral oil
Triethanolamine (TEA)
Lauramide DEA
Unknown Chemicals in the Storm Drain
Enough about me
What are your experiences?
Definition of Bioactive Compound
Of or relating to a substance that has an effect on living tissue in otherwords…
Any Compound Derived from the Highlighted Elements Could be
considered to be Bioactive
How many chemical reactions occur in the human body?
~60 Elements are found in the human body but only ~27 are identified in physiological reactions.
How many chemical reactions occur in the human body?
• There are 4 compounds in DNA • Guanine • Adenine • Thymine • Cytosine
• There are 4 compounds in RNA • Guanine • Adenine • Uracil • Cytosine
• There are 20 Amino Acid Bases • There are ~ 47,000 different enzymes • There are ~ 2 million different proteins • The Actual Number of Chemical Reactions that occur in the human
body is well…. Hard to Calculate (100 trillion cells in the body, within a single cell 4000 chemical reactions are catalyzed by enzymes, and there countless others not catalyzed by enzymes ….)
The Chemistry of Life and Living Classes of Biochemicals
• Amino Acids
• Peptides
• Proteins
• Enzymes
• Lipids
• Carbohydrates
• Nucleic Acids
• Neucleotides
• Hormones
Potentially Bioactive Compounds • Pesticides / Herbicides
• Endocrine Disrupters
• CFCs
• PCBs
• Pharmaceuticals
• Organophosphates
• VOCs
• SVOCs
• PCPs
• nanoparticles
• Heavy Metals
• Toxins
• Disinfectants
• Petroleum Products/
Distillates
CATALYSTS & ENZYMES
YIELDS
UMMMMMMMM
Okay then I will focus on the general concepts…
IS THERE A CHEMIST IN THE ROOM WHO CAN COVER THIS PART OF THE PRESENTATION?
Significant Potential for Chemical Interactions / Affects
Antagonistic Effects : Combined effect of chemicals is less than the sum of each chemical's effect alone.
Chemicals can interfere with each other or one can interfere with the other (4+4=5; 4+ (-4)=0; 4+0=1).
(Example 1: Caffeine and alcohol : Yeager Bomb)
(Example 2: 2, 3-dimercaprol has long been used as antagonist therapy for lead or arsenic poisoning)
Significant Potential for Chemical Interactions / Affects
Additive Effect : Combined effect of chemicals is equal to the sum of each chemical's effect alone (4+4=8).
(Example: Chlorinated insecticides and halogenated solvents both produce liver toxicity. The liver toxicity of an insecticide formulation containing both can be equivalent to the sum of the liver toxicity of both.)
Significant Potential for Chemical Interactions / Affects
Synergistic Effects : Combined effect of chemicals is greater than the sum of each chemical's effect alone (4+4=20). AKA + Superadditive
(Example: A small dose of mercury that kills 1 in 100 rats and a dose of aluminum that will kill 1 in 100 rats, when combined have a
striking effect: all the rats die)
Significant Potential for Chemical Interactions / Affects
Potentiation: Toxicity of one chemical is increased in the presence of another, non-toxic chemical (0+4=10).
(Example: Isopropanol + Carbon Tetrachloride Three workers from a color printing factory were admitted with acute hepatitis, it was
concluded that the outbreak was in all likelihood due to the combined use of carbon tetrachloride and isopropyl alcohol in the
cleaning operation)
Biochemical Molecules are very Specific, Minor Changes to Chemical Structures can have dramatic results
From Chromosomes
Women being more complicated begins at the chromosome level
To Chemicals (An Example of Chemical Specificity)
To Chemicals (An Example of Chemical Specificity)
Can you find the 4 structural differences between Sex Hormones?
To Chemicals (An Example of Chemical Specificity)
Can you find the 4 structural differences between Sex Hormones?
These 4 Changes in Chemical Structure are like the Difference Between Mars and Venus
What are the Physiological and Structural Differences Between Men and Women?
Physiological Voice Pitch Fat Distribution
and Amount Production of Eggs
vs Sperm
Structural Sex Organs Muscle Hair Distribution Birthing Ability
What Happens when we continually dose the Environment with one of these
Hormones more than the other?
Studies are ongoing , nothing is conclusive…
The Good News • The Human body can and does adjust to biological stressors
• Genetic Change
• Developmental Adjustment
• Acclimatization
• Cultural Practices Technology
Genetic Change
• Dark colored skin is prevalent in most hot/sunny climates
• Sickle-cell anemia is largely the result of indirect selection for this trait by malaria. Heterozygous carriers of the sickling gene usually do not have sickle-cell anemia and are sufficiently resistant to the malarial microorganism that they are at a selective advantage.
Developmental Adjustment
• Stunting of growth in famine areas is common, large bodies require more food and nutrients than smaller ones.
• In children, lungs naturally grow larger to accommodate the need for increased oxygen. At very high altitudes, this results in a more "barrel chest" appearance
Acclimatization Many people acquire dark skin tans during the summer months
and lose them during the winter. This change in skin coloration is a seasonal acclimatization to the destructive effects of ultraviolet radiation from the sun
When skin divers descend into the ocean, they experience rapidly increased water pressure. Within seconds, they can suffer from excruciating pain in their ears due to the unequal pressure inside and outside of their eardrums. They must equalize this pressure by blowing hard through their nose. By doing this, they are making a short-term acclimatization to the changed environment
Cultural Practices & Technology
• This is where we as a profession can have the most impact on all of these potential chemical stressors
• Wastewater and Water Treatment Technologies are advancing at about the same rate as Chemical Synthesis
• Leveraging technology is something we have always done in order to mitigate the effects of chemical stressors
• We would like to fall back on the idea that “Wastewater plants are not designed to remove these emerging contaminants”
• However, we as a community need to be ready to come up with creative solutions for the complexities of the environment we are creating and living in.
