Chlorination in a wastewater treatment plant: acute toxicity effects of the effluent and of the recipient water body.

This study investigates the impact of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent on the toxicity of the recipient water body and the effectiveness of the disinfection treatment applied (sodium hypochloride) to assure the compliance of both microbiological and toxicological emission limits. No toxicity was found in the majority of samples collected from the recipient river, upstream and downstream of the WWTP, using three different toxicity tests (Vibrio fischeri, Daphnia magna, and Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata). Only three samples presented toxic unit (TU) values with V.

Benzene and formaldehyde in air of two Winter Olympic venues of "Torino 2006".

The 20th edition of the Olympic Winter Games took place in Torino, Italy and in other 7 winter sport sites belonging to Torino district in February 2006. The Olympic Winter Games had competitions for 15 different sports, and involved around 2500 athletes, 650 judges and umpires, thousands of accredited journalists, and almost 2 million spectators. Aiming to conduct an environmental health survey related to this important event, and taking into account their known or suspected carcinogenicity properties, benzene (B) and formaldehyde (FA) were analyzed in air in two venues of the Torino Olympic Games: Torino and Pragelato.

The endocrine disrupting activity of surface waters and of wastewater treatment plant effluents in relation to chlorination.

The present study investigated the biological quantification of estrogenic activity in the effluent of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and in the recipient river in north-western Italy. Samples of the WWTP effluent and those of river water upstream and downstream the WWTP were taken from September 2006 to May 2007. The effluent was evaluated in the presence and absence of chlorination.

Faecal sterols determination in wastewater and surface water.

A simplified method to detect faecal sterols, as an alternative assessment of environmental faecal pollution is proposed. The aim of this study is the development of a method to determine sterols in water samples avoiding sample filtration through glass fibre filter. The method is based on a liquid-liquid extraction and a final GC-FID determination.