Available at www.sciencedirect.com journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/watres Fate and removal of polycyclic musks, UV filters and biocides during wastewater treatment T. Kupper à , C. Plagellat, R.C. Bra ¨ndli, L.F. de Alencastro, D. Grandjean, J. Tarradellas Ecole Polytechnique Fe ´de ´rale de Lausanne (EPFL), Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology (CECOTOX), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland article info Article history: Received 3 November 2005 Received in revised form 6 April 2006 Accepted 12 April 2006 Available online 23 June 2006 Keywords: Fragrances Personal care products UV screens Permethrin Carbendazim Sorption ABSTRACT The fate of polycyclic musks (PCMs) (HHCB, AHTN, ADBI, AHDI, ATII, DPMI), UV filters (3-(4- methylbenzylidene) camphor, 4-MBC; octyl-methoxycinnamate, OMC; octocrylene, OC; octyl-triazone, OT) and biocides (permethrin, carbendazim) during wastewater treatment was studied on a full-scale plant. Average influent concentrations of OMC, HHCB, OC, AHTN, 4-MBC and OT were at 20070, 4420, 1680, 1430, 960 and 720 ng L 1 , respectively. The other PCMs, permethrin and carbendazim ranged between o limits of quantification and 670 ng L 1 . Concentrations in the water line decreased significantly for most compounds. Removal rates for PCMs ranged from 72% to 86%, for UV filters from 92% to 499% and were at 92% and 37% for permethrin and carbendazim, respectively. Removal during wastewater treatment was mainly driven by sorption onto solids and biodegradation. For anaerobic sludge digestion, elimination of PCMs, OMC and the biocides was observed. & 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Increasing interest has been addressed to personal care products and biocides in recent years. They have been detected in water systems where they can have adverse effects on aquatic ecosystems. The present study focuses on prominent organic compounds incorporated in these pro- ducts: polycyclic musks (PCMs), UV filters, permethrin and carbendazim. PCMs (HHCB, AHTN, ADBI, AHDI, ATII, DPMI; Table 1) are widely used as fragrance ingredients in washing and cleaning agents, personal care products and in other consumables (Kupper et al., 2004). In 2000, the European production of the two most important compounds HHCB and AHTN was 1427 and 358 t, respectively, whilst commercialized volumes of the other PCMs were below 20 t (Anonymous, 2004). Due to high consumption volumes and low degrad- ability, they have been detected in treated wastewater, in surface waters, in fish and in sediments (Bester, 2004, 2005; Heim et al., 2004; Schmid et al., 2004). Recently, antiestrogenic effects of HHCB and AHTN have been observed in an in vivo fish assay (Schreurs et al., 2004). Organic UV filters are used in sunscreen products. The consumption is increasing due to the growing awareness of hazards posed by UV radiation and recommendations for prevention of skin cancer. To improve product stability, UV filters are used as additives for cosmetics, plastics, clothing or varnish (Ash and Ash, 2000; Balk et al., 2001). In Switzerland, 3-(4-methylbenzylidene) camphor (4-MBC), octyl-methoxy- cinnamate (OMC), octocrylene (OC) and octyl-triazone (OT) are among the most common compounds incorporated in sunscreen products (Poiger et al., 2004; Table 1). They absorb UV light in the wavelength range of 280–315 nm (UVB radiation). Concentrations in products can reach 10% and estimated volumes used in Switzerland are between 1 and 32 t for these compounds (Plagellat et al., 2006). UV filters have been detected in fish, lake water, wastewater (Poiger et al., ARTICLE IN PRESS 0043-1354/$ - see front matter & 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.watres.2006.04.012 à Corresponding author. Tel.: +41 44 823 53 82; fax: +41 44 823 53 89. E-mail address: thomas.kupper@shl.bfh.ch (T. Kupper). WATER RESEARCH 40 (2006) 2603– 2612