Structural transformation and potential toxicity of iron-based deposits in drinking water distribution systems

Discoloration events in drinking water distribution systems (DWDSs) are usually considered an aesthetic issue rather than a health concern, and the potential toxicity of the iron-based particles resuspended from deposits in DWDSs has not been a focus. More importantly, it has not been recognized that the iron-based particles may have structural transformation under the complex condition in DWDSs which would further increase their adverse effects. In the present study, iron particle-dominated loose deposits, which were collected from a real DWDSs through pipe flushing, were firstly found to possess obvious toxicity to human liver cells. To further evaluate the potential harms of the deposits, FeOOH crystals (which is one of the most representative components in the deposits of DWDSs) were grown with different types of coexisting matters which may emerge in DWDSs. Results showed that the FeOOH had obvious structure transformation with coexisting matters which further influenced their toxicity: the samples with sharp surfaces had higher toxicity than those with smooth surfaces. Interestingly, although the FeOOH particles formed with perfluorooctanoic acid (FeOOH-PFOA) did not have the sharpest surface or smallest particle size among all the samples, they demonstrated the highest toxicity with strong generation of reactive oxygen species. Experimental and theoretical studies verified that PFOA induced the electron migration around Fe in FeOOH-PFOA particles. The FeOOH-PFOA not only was able to capture electrons directly from DNA, but also generated ROS from O₂ using DNA as an electron donor which might greatly enhance the oxidative damage to cells. This study would broaden the understanding of the potential harms of deposits in DWDSs.