2025 SETAC Europe Poster: Suspect Screening and Non-Target Transformation Product Identification in Samples Derived from Drinking Water Treatment Processes
The EFSA guidance document on the impact of water treatment processes on residues of active substances or their metabolites in water abstracted for the production of drinking water was issued in August 2023. In general, the guidance covers the identification and exposure assessment of transformation products (TPs) of Biocidal and Plant Protection Products (PPPs) using experimental and in silico methods for hazard prediction. This does not just cover the effects of water treatment on the active substances but also their transformation products and their subsequent toxicological assessment.
Drinking water treatment is generally performed using chlorination, ozonation or UV treatment processes for disinfection or a combination of several processes. The guidance provides methods for simple laboratory procedures that are intended to be performed without the need for complex and expensive equipment.
Performing the laboratory tests is not the major challenge when considering this guidance, rather, it is the analysis. The number and complexity of potential transformation products can be significant when considering the multiple processes involved. One of the most extensively used analytical methods for suspect and non-target analysis is high resolution mass spectrometry coupled with liquid chromatography.
This presentation focusses on the strategies that can be employed using liquid chromatography with High Resolution Accurate Mass Spectrometry (HRAM) to perform suspect screening and non-target identification on samples derived from water treatment processes.
Rory Mumford will present this research during the SETAC Europe 35th Annual Meeting, May 11-15, in Vienna, Austria.