About five years ago, N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) began
to be detected in drinking water sources. Typically an oxidative
degradation product of unsymmetrical
dimethylhydrazine, NDMA is a component of rocket fuel and is
also formed during numerous industrial manufacturing processes
as a byproduct of reactions involving chemicals called
alkylamines. The US Environmental Protection Agency has identified
NDMA as a probable human carcinogen. However, because
NDMA had not historically been considered a common drinking
water contaminant, no federal or state drinking water standards
were established for it until 1998 in California. In addition to its
presence in drinking water, it has recently been suggested that
NDMA may be present in sewage and reclaimed water after
chlorination, as well as surface water processed by conventional
drinking water treatment methods. The mechanisms of NDMA
formation appear to be associated with the chlorination process.
Therefore, an urgent need has developed for technologies that can
remediate drinking water sources contaminated by this compound.
This need sparked a growing interest in the potential of pulsed-ultraviolet
(UV) and pulsed-UV/hydrogen peroxide treatment
processes for removing NDMA from drinking water. The authors of
this article evaluated the effectiveness of these treatments for
NDMA removal. The results showed that NDMA can be reduced
with UV light treatment. This finding will help drinking water
utilities to better comply with state and federal standards and to
more effectively protect public health. Includes 21 references, tables, figures.
| Edition : | Vol. 95 - No. 9 |
| File Size : | 1
file
, 440 KB |
| Note : | This product is unavailable in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus |
| Number of Pages : | 11 |
| Published : | 09/01/2003 |
