Genotoxic effects of wastewater from an oncological ward.

Aim of this study was the evaluation of the genotoxic activities of hospital wastewaters. Samples from an oncological ward of the general hospital of Vienna, Austria, were tested in the Salmonella/microsome assay in strains TA98, TA100 and TA1535 with or without metabolic activation, and in the single-cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) assay with primary rat hepatocytes. In the bacterial tests, consistently negative results were obtained while in the experiments with liver cells a significant and dose-dependent induction of DNA damage (up to two-fold over the background) was found.

Fate of cancerostatic platinum compounds in biological wastewater treatment of hospital effluents.

The present work focuses on the fate of two cancerostatic platinum compounds (CPC), cisplatin and carboplatin, as well as of two inorganic platinum compounds, [PtCl(4)](2-) and [PtCl(6)](2-) in biological wastewater treatment. Laboratory experiments modelling adsorption of these compounds onto activated sludge showed promising specific adsorption coefficients K(D) and K(OC) and Freundlich adsorption isotherms. However, the adsorption properties of the investigated substances were differing significantly.

Determination of activated sludge biological activity using model corrected CO2 off-gas data.

Carbon dioxide (CO(2)) online off-gas monitoring is useful to detect changes in biological activity for activated sludge systems especially under limited oxygen conditions like under simultaneous nitrification-denitrification (SND) where respirometric measurements are not applicable. So far, the influence of the bicarbonate system on the liquid-gas transfer of CO(2) prevented the wider use of off-gas CO(2) for monitoring purposes in wastewater treatment. The objective of the paper is to demonstrate a practical method to correct measured off-gas CO(2) as an indicator of biological activity by taking into account pH shifts (resulting in CO(2) release or retention) and changes in influent alkalinity.

NOx monitoring of a simultaneous nitrifying-denitrifying (SND) activated sludge plant at different oxidation reduction potentials.

Simultaneous nitrification-denitrification (SND) allows biological nitrogen removal in a single reactor without separation of the two processes in time or space but requires adapted control strategies (anoxic/aerobic conditions). In this study, the formation of gaseous nitric oxide (NO(G)) and nitrogen dioxide (NO(2G)) was monitored for SND in relation to the oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) and nitrogen removal in a lab batch reactor and a pilot membrane bio-reactor (MBR). In addition hospital wastewater (COD/N(tot)>6:1) was treated on site for 1 year.

Presence of cancerostatic platinum compounds in hospital wastewater and possible elimination by adsorption to activated sludge.

Platinum originating from the excreted cancerostatic platinum compounds (CPC) cisplatin, carboplatin and oxaliplatin was monitored over a period of 28 days in the wastewater of the oncologic ward of the Vienna University Hospital. Concentration levels ranging from 4.7 to 145 microg L(-1) were measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).