• Find People
  • Campus Map
  • PiratePort
  • A-Z
    • About
    • Submit
    • Browse
    • Login
    View Item 
    •   ScholarShip Home
    • Academic Affairs
    • College of Health and Human Performance
    • Health Education and Promotion
    • View Item
    •   ScholarShip Home
    • Academic Affairs
    • College of Health and Human Performance
    • Health Education and Promotion
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Browse

    All of The ScholarShipCommunities & CollectionsDateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsTypeDate SubmittedThis CollectionDateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsTypeDate Submitted

    My Account

    Login

    Statistics

    View Google Analytics Statistics

    The Fate and Transport of Pharmaceuticals and other Personal Care Products Through Groundwater Beneath and Adjacent to Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems in Eastern North Carolina

    Thumbnail
    View/ Open
    DelRosario_ecu_0600M_11014.pdf (26.32Mb)

    Show full item record
    Author
    Del Rosario, Katie Lynn
    Abstract
    In the United States, nutrient and pharmaceutical loading into lakes, streams, and estuaries is a problem that has been recognized for decades and is of special concern for many North Carolina (NC) watersheds. Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are used in households on a daily basis, and include prescription analgesics, antibiotics, and hormone regulators as well as over-the-counter medications, fragrances, and cleansers. Onsite wastewater treatment systems (OWTS) are a potential non-point source of nutrients, such as nitrogen and carbon, as well as PPCPs, and are extensively used in coastal NC. The goal of the present study was to determine the fate and transport of total dissolved nitrogen (TDN), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and PPCPs from OWTS in the Tar-Pamlico river basin. Four residential OWTS, in Greenville, NC, were sampled to determine the flow path of TDN and DOC using hydrologic, physical, and chemical data, and determine the detection frequency of selected PPCPs. Specific site conditions influencing TDN, DOC, and PPCP concentrations were analyzed including: soil type, distances from the OWTS, wastewater loading rates, and various chemical properties such as pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), temperature, and electrical conductivity. Treatment efficiencies from the tank to the drainfield ranged from 32-95% for TDN and 45-82% for DOC. The PPCPs most commonly detected in groundwater beneath the OWTS drainfield, and down-gradient of the system included: DEET, ibuprofen, caffeine, and homosalate (a sunscreen agent), ranging in concentrations from 0.12 [mu]g L⁻¹ to 12.04 [mu]g L⁻¹ in the groundwater. The concentrations of PPCPs detected in this study were inversely correlated with distance from the tank ([rho]=-0.56; p-value= <0.0001). Findings from this study have implications for OWTS regulations in NC and could potentially be used to guide future nutrient and toxics-based water management strategies.
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/10342/4230
    Subject
     Environmental health; Geochemistry; Water resources management; Anthropogenic pollutants; Groundwater pollution; Nutrients; Pharmaceuticals; PPCPs; Water resources 
    Date
    2013
    Citation:
    APA:
    Del Rosario, Katie Lynn. (January 2013). The Fate and Transport of Pharmaceuticals and other Personal Care Products Through Groundwater Beneath and Adjacent to Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems in Eastern North Carolina (Master's Thesis, East Carolina University). Retrieved from the Scholarship. (http://hdl.handle.net/10342/4230.)

    Display/Hide MLA, Chicago and APA citation formats.

    MLA:
    Del Rosario, Katie Lynn. The Fate and Transport of Pharmaceuticals and other Personal Care Products Through Groundwater Beneath and Adjacent to Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems in Eastern North Carolina. Master's Thesis. East Carolina University, January 2013. The Scholarship. http://hdl.handle.net/10342/4230. February 23, 2019.
    Chicago:
    Del Rosario, Katie Lynn, “The Fate and Transport of Pharmaceuticals and other Personal Care Products Through Groundwater Beneath and Adjacent to Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems in Eastern North Carolina” (Master's Thesis., East Carolina University, January 2013).
    AMA:
    Del Rosario, Katie Lynn. The Fate and Transport of Pharmaceuticals and other Personal Care Products Through Groundwater Beneath and Adjacent to Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems in Eastern North Carolina [Master's Thesis]. Greenville, NC: East Carolina University; January 2013.
    Collections
    • Health Education and Promotion
    • Master's Theses
    Publisher
    East Carolina University

    East Carolina University has created ScholarShip, a digital archive for the scholarly output of the ECU community.

    • About
    • Contact Us
    • Send Feedback