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Denver Potable Water Reuse Demonstration Project: comprehensive chronic rat study
L W Condie1, W C Lauer, G W Wolfe
1US Army Dugway Proving Group, STEDP-MT-C, Dugway, UT 84022.
Summary
Highly treated reclaimed water from wastewater showed no toxic or carcinogenic effects in rats. This study supports the safety of potable water reuse for public health.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Toxicology
- Public Health
Background:
- Denver Water Department's Potable Water Reuse Demonstration Project aimed to assess health effects of reclaimed water.
- Highly treated reclaimed water was compared against Denver's existing high-quality drinking water.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the chronic toxicity and oncogenicity of highly treated reclaimed water.
- To compare the health effects of reclaimed water with conventional drinking water.
Main Methods:
- A 1 million gallon/day treatment plant produced 500-fold concentrates of reclaimed water.
- Fischer 344 rats were exposed to these concentrates for up to 2 years.
- Comprehensive toxicological parameters were assessed, including clinical observations, survival, growth, hematology, clinical chemistry, urinalysis, organ weights, and histopathology.
Main Results:
- No treatment-related findings were observed in clinical pathology, gross pathology, or microscopic pathology at 26, 65 weeks, and end of study.
- Chronic exposure of rats to reclaimed water concentrates (up to 500x) did not induce toxicological or carcinogenic effects.
Conclusions:
- The study demonstrated no adverse health effects from consuming highly treated reclaimed water.
- Results support the safety of potable water reuse technologies for public water supplies.