Aquatic Life Water Quality Standards Technical Support Document for Nonylphenol and Ethoxylates

Document
Description
From the Minnesota State Register, Volume 33 (35), March 2, 2009: Nonylphenol (NP) is an industrial chemical used primarily as an intermediary compound in the development of numerous commercial non-ionic surfactants. These surfactants are ingredients of detergents and emulsifyers found in household, industrial, agricultural, and other applications. The chemical makeup of the surfactants is largely in the form of nonylphenol and octylphenol ethoxylates, more broadly referred to as alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEs). Concentrations of these APEs primarily consist of nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPE) and have been reported from water samples collected from studies of the Mississippi River, smaller Minnesota streams, and wastewater effluents. Sources of NPEs to the environment include point and nonpoint discharges to surface waters. Under anaerobic conditions NPEs breakdown to NP. Nonylphenol is toxic to aquatic organisms demonstrated, in part, through recent national criteria established by the EPA (AWQC– Nonylphenol 2007( EPA822R05005)). The need to develop national criteria was based both on concerns of NP toxicity and its presence in surface waters throughout the nation. The capacity of NP as an endocrine-disrupting compound is also documented in the EPA criteria document and in numerous reports in the scientific literature. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are those compounds [human-made compounds or natural compounds at unnatural concentrations due to human activity] that exert an adverse effect through interaction with the endocrine system of mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and many invertebrates [from the MPCA's Legislative report on EDCs www.pca.state.mn.us/publications/reports/lrp-ei-1sy08.pdf]. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has reviewed the EPA AWQC and recent literature to develop draft numeric acute and chronic water quality criteria as the basis for future proposed Water Quality Standards (WQSs). Based on the available data on NP and NPEO, MPCA 's acute (FAV and MS) and chronic (CS) criteria were developed to be total NPE concentrations (NP plus two short chain ethoxylates, NP1E0 and NP2EO). MPCA reviewed EPA's conclusions on the EDC studies that suggest while the draft chronic criteria are not based specifically on EDC –mediated effects, would be protective of chronic adverse effects observed in aquatic species studies that impact aquatic communities.
Date Issued
2010-10-14
Number of Pages
21
Decade
Author
Associated Organization
Rights Holder
Minnesota Water Research Digital Library
Rights Management
Creative Commons