Toxic Chemicals from Household Consumer Products in Stormwater, Wastewater, and Puget Sound
Common consumer products contain chemicals that have been linked to adverse human and environmental health effects, and that have been detected in water bodies (such as Puget Sound).
This work will investigate the relationships among (a) chemicals in household products, (b) their presence in stormwater, wastewater, and water bodies, and (c) adverse biological impacts associated with these chemicals in both humans and aquatic systems. Our study of "consumer products" includes items such as fragranced products, laundry supplies, dishwashing detergents, all-purpose cleaners, hand sanitizers, personal care products (lotions, fragrances, cosmetics), deodorizers, and baby products. Many of these products are used not only in households, but also in industries and institutions. In our "shelf to Sound" approach, we identify compounds of interest in consumer products used in Seattle area households (and in the U.S.), and then track the compounds, out of the home into municipal stormwater and sewage streams, and finally into local rivers and Puget Sound.
Funded by Seattle Public Utilities
Anne C. Steinemann, PI, with Richard Keil, Co-PIAbove: Seattle skyline over Elliott Bay from dock in West Seattle. Seattle Municipal Archives Photo.