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Publications in Scientific Journals:

B. Grillitsch, O. Gans, N. Kreuzinger, S. Scharf, M. Uhl, M. Fürhacker:
"Environmental risk assessment for quaternary ammonium compounds: a case study from Austria";
Water Science and Technology, 54 (2006), 11-12; 111 - 118.



German abstract:
Quaternary ammonium compounds (QAC) are widely used as disinfectants, biocides, and detergents, among a variety of other applications. The cationic surface-activity of QAC determines their
potential to act as a biocide on both target and non-target organisms. This study aims to provide a broadbased environmental risk characterization and evaluation for selected QAC with particular focus on the situation in Austrian rivers. A modular study design was employed involving environmental exposure
characterization, QAC fate and effect analysis in wastewater, ecotoxicological effect characterization, and environmental risk evaluation. A wide array of Austrian surface waters and wastewater effluents were screened for the selected key compounds, benzalkonium chlorides and dialkyldimethylammonium chlorides with different C-chain lengths. Ecotoxicological effect characterization was based on both microbiotests for a set of representative aquatic organisms and a literature review. For risk evaluation, the PEC/PNEC ratio
was above 1 for some rivers. Notably, small rivers with a high particulate matter were contaminated with QAC in the case of high water incidents. Hence, for the Austrian sites studied, a QAC-derived risk to sensitive aquatic non-target organisms could not be excluded.

Keywords:
Quaternary ammonium compounds; risk assessment; water pollution; wastewater treatment


Online library catalogue of the TU Vienna:
http://aleph.ub.tuwien.ac.at/F?base=tuw01&func=find-c&ccl_term=AC06585834


Created from the Publication Database of the Vienna University of Technology.