A citizen science approach estimating titanium dioxide released from personal care products

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Consumer Product Analysis

Background:

• Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is prevalent in personal care products (PCP).
• Wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) receive TiO2 from consumer use, leading to environmental discharge.
• Understanding TiO2 loading from household sources is crucial for environmental monitoring.

Purpose of the Study:

• To utilize a citizen science approach to determine the prevalence and usage of TiO2-containing PCPs.
• To estimate the quantity of TiO2 entering WWTPs and subsequently the environment from household sources.
• To identify specific consumer products contributing most significantly to TiO2 loading.

Main Methods:

• Citizen science initiatives collected household-scale data on PCP usage.
• Inventories were generated from citizen science data to estimate TiO2 quantities, including nanoscale forms.
• WWTP water samples were analyzed for total titanium using ICP-AES for comparison.

Main Results:

• Citizen science data provided valid estimations of TiO2 entering WWTPs.
• Estimated TiO2 loading aligned with other top-down assessment methods.
• The study identified key consumer products with the highest TiO2 contribution.

Conclusions:

• Citizen science is a viable method for estimating TiO2 loading from consumer products.
• This approach effectively engages community stakeholders in environmental monitoring.
• Citizen science can be applied to track other emerging contaminants in the environment.