Carnegie Mellon-Developed Chemicals That Break Down Water Contaminants Pass Safety Test

A family of molecules developed at Carnegie Mellon University to break down pollutants in water is one step closer to commercial use.

Study results published online in the journal Green Chemistry show that the molecules, which are aimed at removing hazardous endocrine disruptors from water sources, aren’t endocrine disruptors themselves as they proved to be non-toxic to developing zebrafish embryos.

Created by Carnegie Mellon green chemist Terry Collins, the molecules, called TAML® activators, provide an environmentally friendly method for breaking down toxic compounds that contaminate water, including endocrine disruptors. Endocrine disrupters, which are found in almost 25 percent of our streams, rivers and lakes, can disrupt the normal functions of the endocrine system by mimicking or blocking the activities of hormones in wildlife leading to impaired development. While the connections between the adverse effects of endocrine disrupting water contaminants on aquatic organisms and human health have yet to be established, animal studies suggest that endocrine disruptors may be involved in a host of modern-day health epidemics including cancers, learning disabilities, obesity, and immune and reproductive system disorders.

Certain medications are designed to disrupt the endocrine system, such as birth control pills and breast and prostate cancer drugs. In some cases, people taking these drugs excrete a significant amount of the active ingredients into wastewater. Concentrated animal feeding operations also release a multitude of veterinary drugs and artificial and natural hormones into bodies of water. The toxic molecules then contaminate our waterways in part because they are not cleared by conventional wastewater treatment approaches.

“Fish in rivers and lakes can be adversely affected by even minute traces of ethinylestradiol, an artificial estrogen found in birth control pills. In what is a worldwide problem, male fish become more feminine, which impairs their ability to reproduce and contributes to declining fish populations,” Collins said.

In previous work, Collins and his collaborators showed that TAMLs used with hydrogen peroxide can easily and efficiently remove steroid hormones, including ethinylestradiol, from water after one treatment.

“Quite a few common commercial chemicals cause endocrine disruption,” said Collins, the Teresa Heinz Professor of Green Chemistry. “Before TAML activators are commercialized for treating municipal water, it is important to be sure that they aren’t introducing into the water the very problem they were designed to reduce or eliminate.”

In the current study, the research groups of Carnegie Mellon’s Collins and Oregon State University‘s Robert L. Tanguay tested several TAML activators to determine whether they exhibit any endocrine disrupting ability. Using zebrafish as a model system, the researchers exposed the fish embryos to seven different types of TAML activators. The embryos used in the study had had their outer membrane, called the chorion, removed to heighten their sensitivity to chemicals. At the concentrations typically used for decontaminating water, none of the TAMLs impaired embryo development. Collins said at higher concentrations three of the TAMLs impaired development, indicating that they should be avoided for use in water treatment.

The researchers also looked at the relationship between the chemical structure of the TAML activators and the level of toxicity.

“We found that certain structural features of the TAML activators led to a higher degree of toxicity. This knowledge can guide the redesign or design of new TAML molecules that are not toxic to fish or other wildlife,” Collins said. “Fortunately, the most useful catalysts for treating water exhibited the lowest toxicity.”

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