Endocrine Disruptors and Persistent Organics in Ithaca NY
Jose Lozano, Director, Environmental Laboratory, IAWWTF
ABSTRACT
We present the results of Endocrine Disruptors and Persistent Organics, ED/POs, found in
water samples in the Ithaca NY area. We sampled the raw drinking water supply, the
wastewater influent and effluent, and in Cayuga Lake during classes and break periods of
Ithaca College and Cornell University. These emerging pollutants were tested at the USGS
National Laboratory and at Cornell University. We found a significant difference in the ED/POs
concentration profiles between the period of classes and the break periods. There were also
differences in ED/POs concentration between the raw water sources of the two drinking water
plants that were studied. This difference may correlate with the land uses of the watersheds
used as the water source. We also characterize the ED/POs removal efficiency of the Ithaca
area wastewater treatment plant. The ED/POs with low polarity are removed, while those that
are polar are more likely to be detected in the effluent. Among the ED/POs with removal
efficiencies below 80% are: Carbamazepine and Phenytoin (anti-convulsants), the
antidepressants Venlafaxine and Citalopram, the anti-histaminic Diphenhydramine, or the antiviral Efavirenz, and other ED/POs.
BIOGRAPHY
Jose Lozano, Ph.D. in Biology and Ecological Physiology from Cornell University, a former
Scientist at the Boyce Thompson Institute, and currently is Lab Director at Ithaca Area
Wastewater Treatment Facility. Lozano has over 20 years of experience, and more than 10
industry publications, including an impact study on Effluent and Lake Phosphorus Results,
supporting the significant and positive effect on both the performance of the wastewater plant
and on the water quality of southern Cayuga Lake. He has recently received an additional
award from the Water Resources Institute to expand his research on Endocrine Disruptors /
Persistent Organics in Ithaca’s watershed and wastewater treatment system. Lozano is in the
process of commercializing his Electroactive Attached Growth for wastewater treatment in
NEXUS-NY.
th
8 Annual NYS Biotechnology Symposium
- May 19 & 20, 2016 -