Cotto Ramos, Irmarie

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    Monitoring phthalates and chlorinated volatile organic compounds in groundwater and tap water
    (2015) Cotto Ramos, Irmarie; Padilla Cestero, Ingrid Y.; College of Engineering; Tarafa, Pedro J.; Román, Félix R.; Department of Civil Engineering; Vásquez, Pedro
    Pollutants such as phthalates and chlorinated volatile organic compounds (CVOCs), which threaten the public health and the environment, have to be monitored and analyzed to minimize their exposure. Phthalates and CVOCs are of concern because they are frequently detected in water, with CVOCs being among the most frequently detected groundwater contaminants in United States. These contaminants are associated with several adverse health effects. The goal of this research is to develop efficient, practical, and more environmentally friendly methods to monitor the presence and concentrations of phthalates and CVOCs in groundwater and tap water. Strong emphasis is given to the development of reliable methods for chemical analysis in water. The developed methods are applied on samples collected from the karst region of northern Puerto Rico to assess general contamination distribution in source and point of use waters. The samples are extracted using modified EPA liquid-liquid extraction methods and analyzed with Gas Chromatography (GC) techniques. Because a wide variability in recoveries is observed in several phthalates studies, an extraction efficiency study is performed. Statistical analysis, including graphical techniques, regression, distribution, covariance analysis, are applied to assess method performance and partitioning characteristics of phthalates between water and dichloromethane (DCM). Efficiencies studies demonstrate the modified extraction methods for phthalates are quantifiable and reproducible, but not highly efficient. Efficiency is concentration-dependent, but not highly dependent on sample and solvent volume. This research shows that DEHP is distributed between water and DCM after water extractions and described by an overall partitioning coefficient of Ksw = 1.58. Like efficiencies, Ksw show to be concentration-dependent. Low Ksw and efficiencies are attributed to cosolvent effects of DCM on phthalates solubility. The data analysis shows the presence of phthalates and CVOCs in groundwater and tap water for the studied area. Detected contaminants include chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene, di-n-butyl phthalate, di-ethyl phthalate, and di(2-ethyl hexyl) phthalate.