Occurrence and Cytotoxicity of Aliphatic and Aromatic Halogenated Disinfection Byproducts in Indoor Swimming Pool Water and Their Incoming Tap Water

Environ Sci Technol. 2022 Dec 20;56(24):17763-17775. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.2c07175. Epub 2022 Dec 8.

Abstract

Disinfection byproducts (DBPs) in swimming pool water are of wide concern for public health. In this study, the occurrence of five categories of aliphatic halogenated DBPs, i.e., trihalomethanes (THMs), haloacetic acids (HAAs), haloacetonitriles (HANs), halonitromethanes (HNMs), and haloketones (HKs), and six categories of aromatic halogenated DBPs, i.e., halophenols (HPs), halonitrophenols (HNPs), halohydroxy-benzaldehydes (HBALs), halohydroxybenzoic acids (HBAs), halobenzoquinones (HBQs), and haloanilines (HAs), was examined in seven indoor swimming pool water and their incoming tap water. The correlations between the DBP concentrations and water quality parameters were explored. Moreover, the cytotoxicity of the aliphatic and aromatic halogenated DBPs was tested with human hepatoma (HepG2) cells, and the concentration-cytotoxicity contributions of different DBP categories were calculated. The results demonstrate that 24 aliphatic (5 THMs, 8 HAAs, 5 HANs, 4 HNMs, and 2 HKs) and 50 aromatic halogenated DBPs (9 HPs, 8 HNPs, 9 HBALs, 8 HBAs, 11 HBQs, and 5 HAs) were present in the swimming pool water, among which 41 aromatic halogenated DBPs were detected in swimming pool water for the first time. The average concentrations of the five categories of aliphatic halogenated DBPs in the swimming pool water were in the order of HAAs > HANs > HKs > THMs > HNMs, while those in their incoming tap water were in the order of THMs > HAAs > HKs > HANs > HNMs. The average concentrations of the aromatic halogenated DBPs in the swimming pool water were significantly lower than those of the aliphatic halogenated DBPs, following the order of HBQs > HPs > HBAs > HBALs > HAs > HNPs, while those in their incoming tap water were in the order of HBALs > HBQs > HPs > HBAs > HAs > HNPs. The average concentration-cytotoxicity contributions of different DBP categories in the swimming pool water followed the order of HAAs > HANs > HNMs > HKs > HBQs > THMs > HPs > HNPs > HBAs > HBALs > HAs, with HAAs, HANs, and HNMs possessing the main concentration-cytotoxicity contributions (93.2% in total) among all DBP categories.

Keywords: aliphatic halogenated DBPs; aromatic halogenated DBPs; concentration-cytotoxicity contribution; disinfection byproducts; occurrence; swimming pool DBPs.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Disinfectants*
  • Disinfection / methods
  • Halogenation
  • Humans
  • Liver Neoplasms*
  • Swimming Pools*
  • Trihalomethanes / analysis
  • Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis
  • Water Purification* / methods

Substances

  • Disinfectants
  • Water Pollutants, Chemical
  • Trihalomethanes