AWWA ACE99446

AWWA ACE99446 Advances in the Toxicological Assessment of Disinfection By-Products in Rodent and Fish Biomedical Models
Conference Proceeding by American Water Works Association, 01/01/1999

Hartley, W.R.; Gennings, C.; Teuschler, L.; Thiyagarajah, A.; Simmons, J.E.

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The potential health effects of complex mixtures of disinfection byproducts in drinking water is a critical public health issue. Typical disinfection byproducts (DBP) from treatment of drinking water with halogens include mixtures of chloroform, bromoform, chlorodibromomethane (CDBM), and bromodichloromethane (BDCM). Determination of the toxicological interactions of DBP mixtures is essential in the risk assessment process and selection of drinking water disinfection methods which minimize potential health risks. An array of efficient and short-term toxicological methods for assessing the toxicity of DBP mixtures is presented. The methods presented for assessment of DBPs include the use of the Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) for assessment of developmental toxicity (neurological, circulatory/heart, and reproductive effects) and cancer, and the rodent for assessment of hepatic and renal toxicity. The proposed methods for the medaka and rodent are demonstrated by toxicological evaluation of bromoform and chloroform. As these toxicological methods are further refined, they may be used to provide toxicological information for risk management decisions to reduce health risks from drinking water with DBP contaminants.