OCURRENCE OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS (PAHs) AND THEIR CHLORINATION BY-PRODUCTS IN DRINKING WATER AND THE COATINGS OF WATER PIPES

摘要

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a group of aromatic organic compounds that can be generated during the incomplete combustion of organic materials but also they can occur naturally in products derived from fossil fuels such as coal tar or asphalt. Several PAHs have shown genotoxicity in vitro and are suspected to be endocrine disrupting chemicals. In France, the quality limits for some PAHs in drinking water are set at a total of 0.1 u/L for benzo[b]fluoranthene, benzo[k]fluoranthene, benzo[g,h,i]perylene, and benzo[1,2,3-c,d]pyrene and at 0.01 μ/L for benzo[a]pyrene, according to the European Council Directive 98/83/EC on the quality of water intended for human consumption. The presence of PAHs in surface waters and water reservoirs is frequently an indication of an industrial waste contamination. In contrast, PAHs detected in drinking water rarely originate from the raw water source but from the water distribution systems. In Europe until the 1970s, steel and cast iron water pipes were commonly lined with coal tar pitch to prevent corrosion. Although coal tar was then replaced by other materials, many coal tar lined systems are still in use today. Coal tars contain PAHs which have been shown to migrate into drinking water .