Evaluating paraben and paraben transformation product release in effluent following wastewater treatment and their movement into river water and fish tissues in the surrounding environment.

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dc.contributor.advisorCobb, George P.
dc.creatorPenrose, Michael T., 1994-
dc.creator.orcid0000-0002-9419-965X
dc.date.accessioned2024-07-30T12:43:50Z
dc.date.available2024-07-30T12:43:50Z
dc.date.created2023-12
dc.date.issued2023-12
dc.date.submittedDecember 2023
dc.date.updated2024-07-30T12:43:50Z
dc.description.abstractParabens are a class of compound used as preservatives in personal care products and foodstuff. Because of their widespread usage, parabens are ubiquitous, being found in surface waters across the globe. Parabens have received attention due to findings that suggest that they are weakly estrogenic. However, there is a general lack of information on the release and impact of the paraben transformation products that are formed during treatment. This dissertation emphasizes the transformation of parabens in wastewater treatment and the effect release of these compounds in wastewater effluent has on river reaches and fish tissues following wastewater input. Two wastewater facilities were evaluated, one larger facility located along the Brazos and a second smaller facility located along Bull Hide Creek, a tributary that flows into the Brazos. The larger facility utilized chlorination as a tertiary treatment while the smaller treatment plant used UV disinfection. Treatment effectively removed parent paraben concentrations, with removal rates of over 90% for all parent parabens. Chlorinated transformation products resulted from both treatments. Analysis along the river found that the release of effluent had an impact on analyte concentrations in river water with increases in dichlorinated species directly downstream of effluent release. Analysis of fish muscle tissues found that the two most commonly used parent parabens as well as the dichlorinated parabens are accumulated at higher concentrations in the larger fish at a higher trophic level. Luminescence assays were used to determine if any of the evaluated transformation products retained the estrogenicity of the parent compounds and evaluate ecotoxicity based on the concentrations found in fish muscle tissues. Only some of the hydroxylated paraben species retained the estrogen agonist activity of the parent.
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.uri
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/2104/12873
dc.language.isoEnglish
dc.rights.accessrightsNo access – contact librarywebmaster@baylor.edu
dc.titleEvaluating paraben and paraben transformation product release in effluent following wastewater treatment and their movement into river water and fish tissues in the surrounding environment.
dc.typeThesis
dc.type.materialtext
local.embargo.lift2025-12-01
local.embargo.terms2025-12-01
thesis.degree.departmentBaylor University. Dept. of Environmental Science.
thesis.degree.grantorBaylor University
thesis.degree.namePh.D.
thesis.degree.programEnvironmental Science
thesis.degree.schoolBaylor University

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