Tricosan in Greywater: Implications for Reuse

摘要

Greywater is household wastewater containing all used water except sewage. In order to conserve water, it has been proposed to use greywater for irrigational purposes. If this was the case, greywater would travel straight from the house to outside for use, minimizing the need for installing pipelines and such to carry the water elsewhere. However the widespread use of a variety of antibacterial and there subsequent presence in greywater raises concerns regarding impact on environment and health. Our research looked at the possible modification of microbial communities within the soil due to the presence of a commonly used antibacterial agent, triclosan. Along with the community structure, we also looked at any antibiotic resistance due to the constant exposure to triclosan.