State of Knowledge of Endocrine Disruptors and Pharmaceuticals in Drinking Water

Over the past decade, EDCs and PPCPs have become a major issue for drinking water utilities. The public, scientists, and regulators all have begun actively investigating this issue, and utilities are often tasked with addressing and communicating complex and sometime conflicting scientific data. In recent times, many utilities have been faced with difficult requests from the community regarding occurrence, treatment, and health relevance data.
This report serves to provide utilities with summary data useful in addressing these requests. The objective of this project was to develop a concise review on the state of knowledge of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in drinking water so water utilities can communicate with customers and make internal decisions on monitoring and treatment options.
The purpose of the guide was to summarize the history, analytical methods, bioassays, occurrence, health relevance, and communication issues regarding endocrine disruptors and pharmaceuticals. Literature regarding EDCs and PPCPs in water was evaluated for applicability to drinking water utilities. Suitable data was determined by publication in peer-reviewed literature, data from within the research team and funding agency, and through suggestions from the Project Advisory Committee. It was not feasible, nor particularly useful, to review every chemical that could be considered a suspected EDC or a PPCP. Therefore, a subset of chemicals was chosen that are representative of the subclasses and types of EDCs and PPCPs that are of current scientific and public interest. The wealth of data evaluated was summarized into succinct chapters that provide the key findings of the review, while providing references for those who seek detailed information.