Markku Reunanen

Volatile halocarbons in tap water as a problem in haemodialysis therapy.

The concentrations of volatile halocarbons in the tap water of Turku and of Turku University Central Hospital are quite high and are reduced but not eliminated during water treatment at the hospital. Before haemodialysis is started, only trichloromethane is found in the blood of the patients. Two hours later dichlorobromomethane and dibromochloromethane could also be found. These substances are absorbed, and possibly accumulate, in the body or are metabolised and excreted because all their concentrations are lower at the end of dialysis therapy. Therefore, maximum levels for volatile halocarbons in drinking water should be sufficiently low to prevent these substances being detected in body fluids and special care should be taken with hospital water.

Determination of volatile pollutants in human and animal milk by GC-MS

Volatile pollutants could readily be analyzed in drinking water and blood samples. These substances are toxic, mutagenic, carcinogenic and teratogenic. Because of their lipophilic nature they accumulate in the body and can also be analyzed in animal tissues. Although there are no reports of volatile halocarbons in milk samples, several papers deal with organochlorine compounds in milk samples. Therefore, the authors considered it reasonable to modify and adapt their method for water and blood samples for analyses of possible volatile pollutants in milk samples and milk products. Twenty-five milk samples of human origin and ten samples from cows, pigs and sheep were collected both from the suburban area of Turku and from the countryside.

Elimination of volatile pollutants from water

Several papers have dealt with the occurrence of volatile pollutants in water, air, food, blood and urine. Knowledge of the toxicity of, and long-term exposure of humans to volatile pollutants found in drinking water, food and body fluids is still limited. Toxicity in mice and rats has been investigated in several studies. Several papers indicate the carcinogenic activity of these substances. This has led both the World Health Organization and many countries to suggest maximum limits for these substances. In its guidelines for water quality, WHO has therefore recommended maximum limit concentrations for benzene, chlorinated alkanes and alkenes, chlorophenols, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, trihalomethanes and pesticides. This paper is concerned with the possibility and methods of eliminating volatile organic pollutants of health significance.

On the possibility of finding volatile halocarbons in animal blood samples

Many investigations recently have shown that volatile halocarbons can be analyzed in blood samples. Volatile halocarbons occur in drinking water in the form of chlorination products. The concentrations in the Turku areas show seasonal variations with concentrations ranging between 25 and 130 ..mu..g/l. Investigators in the USA showed a correlation between the concentrations in drinking water and in samples of human serum. No such correlation, however, was found for healthy individuals consuming chlorinated drinking water. This paper deals with the possibility of finding volatile halocarbons in blood samples from animals. The controls were animals from the country-side, receiving only well water free of volatile halocarbons.