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Textile is one of the biggest industries and it has an enormous impact on the global economy. However, the textile industry is labelled as the most polluting of all the industries and this is due to its contaminated wastewater. Textile wastewater contains organic hazardous compounds like alkylphenols (APs) such as nonylphenols (NPs), and alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEOs) for example nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEOs), which may come from various detergents, wetting agents, emulsifying agents, etc. used in textile industries. Literature review revealed that no work was reported on the APs and APEOs in the textile wastewater of Bangladesh. This study reports the status of some APs and some APEOs after assessing wastewater of some textile industries in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Investigations were carried out with the wastewater of seven textile industries located in the Dhaka Division, Bangladesh. Tests were carried out by an Agilent Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer (LC-MS). The results revealed that none of the wastewater samples contained APs, and APEOs other than nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEOs) a form of APEOs. And it might have released from the textile products treating stuff through dissolution process. Among all the seven industries, two industries (28%) contained nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEOs). The mean concentrations of the detected NPEOs were determined as 11.27 ± 0.24 µg L-1 and 14.01 ± 0.09 µg L-1 in the wastewater of the mentioned two industries. The levels of the observed concentrations of NPEOs were much higher than the specified limits for textile wastewater. Findings of the present work will create pressure on the textile industries of home and abroad for treating textile wastewater effectively and not letting APEOs cum NPEOs in the wastewater. And such activities all over will pave the way to save the ecological system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonylphenol (NP), Octylphenol (OP), and their ethoxylates (NPEO and OPEO) have been the subject of considerable scientific and regulatory attention, primarily due to concerns about their aquatic toxicity and endocrine activity. Environmental monitoring has been conducted and reported for these substances in the United States (U.S.) for several decades. This paper develops an updated statistically based meta-analysis of the occurrence and ecological relevance of these substances in fresh and marine surface waters and sediments in the U.S. between 2010 and 2020. The overall objectives of this study were: (1) to evaluate the impact of analytical detection limits (DLs) and treatment of censored or non-detected (ND) samples on reported results, (2) to summarize and evaluate recent (2010–2020) occurrence and concentrations of these substances in surface waters and sediments, (3) to conduct an ecological screening assessment of the potential risks of these substances to aquatic organisms in surface waters and sediments for this same period, and (4) to examine temporal trends of these substances in surface waters and sediments relative to previous investigations. Given that a large proportion of all NP, NPEO, OP and OPEO samples in recent (2010–2019) U.S. monitoring studies were below their respective method Limit of Detection/Limit of Quantification (LOD/LOQ) detection frequency ranging from 0 to 24%), proxy values were imputed using robust regression of order statistics (ROS). Nationally, NP and OP concentrations in fresh surface waters and sediments have decreased from 2010 to 2019. In contrast, changes in NP and OP concentrations in marine waters and sediments were more variable with some increases noted. A screening environmental risk assessment indicated that less than 1% of all samples exceeded U.S. or Canadian environmental quality guidelines. No exceedances were noted after 2016 which indicates a low potential for risk to aquatic organisms. [Display omitted] • Datasets dominated by non-detects (ND) may not reflect environmental trends. • ROS improved ND proxy values estimated compared to traditional ND estimates. • Use of ROS-ND concentrations provided a more accurate view of temporal trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generally, a major route of alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEs) and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) to enter the environment is via the wastewater treatment works (WWTW) facilities. Consequently, the levels of APEs and BFRs in sewage sludges may give an indication of the general use and exposure of these compounds. The present study was aimed at an integrated method for the analysis and quantification of APEs and BFRs in sewage sludge from selected wastewater treatment plants. The optimization of the extraction procedure included variation of the amount of extracted biomass, the duration, temperature during sonication as well as type of extraction solvent. Chromatographic determinations of APEs and BFRs were carried out with gas chromatography equipped with mass spectrometry detector after derivatization with heptafluorobutyric anhydride (HFBA). The mean percentage recoveries ranged from 39% to 79% (n = 3) for sewage sludge after extracting 5 g biomass sludge with hexane: acetone (4:1) at 55 °C for 45 min in two cycles. The mean concentrations of APEs obtained ranged from < LOQ to 365 ng g − 1 , < LOQ to 166 ng g − 1 , < LOQ to 642 ng g − 1 while the concentration of BFRs obtained range from < LOQ- 17 ng g − 1 , < LOQ to 163 ng g − 1 , < LOQ to 14 ng g − 1 for sludge samples from Leeuwkuil, Rietspruit, and Sebokeng, respectively. All compounds, except for nonylphenol (NP), BDE47, and BDE154, were detected from the Rietspruit WWTW. The presence of these pollutants in Rietspruit WWTW may be attributed by the fact that this treatment plants treat wastewater from domestic as well industrial discharges from the surrounding area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The determination of alkylphenols in sewage sludge is still hindered by the complexity of the matrix and of the analytes, some of which are a mixture of isomers. Most of the methods published in the literature have not been validated, due to the lack of reference materials for the determination of alkylphenols in sludge. Given this situation, the objectives of the present study were to develop a new quality-control material for determining octylphenol, nonylphenol and nonylphenol monoethoxylate in sludge. The material was prepared from an anaerobically digested sewage sludge, which was thermally dried, sieved, homogenized and bottled after checking for the bulk homogeneity of the processed material. Together with the sewage sludge, an extract was also prepared, in order to provide a quality-control material for allowing laboratories to test the measuring step. The homogeneity and 1-year stability of the two materials were evaluated. Statistical analysis proved that the materials were homogeneous and stable for at least 1 year stored at different temperatures. These materials are intended to assist in the quality control of the determination of alkylphenols and alkylphenol ethoxylates in sewage sludge. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A comprehensive two-dimensional system coupling hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) and ion mobility-mass spectrometry (IM-MS) has been developed for the separation and analysis of alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEOs). The first-dimensional HILIC was performed on porous silica stationary phase using acetonitrile–water gradient elution, which was readily compatible with electrospray ionization (ESI), and enabled good chromatographic separation of APEO oligomers on account of their differences in ethoxy chain length. Maintaining the fidelity of pre-ionization resolution in the first dimension, the second-dimensional IM-MS employed a hybrid quadrupole ion mobility time-of-flight mass spectrometer and added an orthogonal post-ionization separation for APEOs based on their size, shape and electric charge during a very short period of 13.0ms. By virtue of the combination of HILIC and IM-MS, comprehensive resolution according to both hydrophobicity difference and mobility disparity has been achieved for APEO ethoxy homologues. The orthogonality of the developed two-dimensional system was evaluated with the correlation coefficient and peak spreading angle of 0.2191 and 77.34° for octylphenol ethoxylates (OPEOs), and 0.1490 and 81.43° for nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEOs). A significant enhancement in peak capacity was achieved for the comprehensive two-dimensional plane with the actual peak capacity calculated to be approximately 7 and 122 times higher than that of the two dimensions used alone, respectively. The attractive potential for removing the effects of isobaric interference of APEOs by the rapid and solvent-free ion mobility approach was also highlighted. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Alkylphenols (APs) and AP ethoxylated compounds (APEs) were screened in human subcutaneous adipose tissue samples from Italy. The samples were collected during bariatric surgery from 16 subjects (three men and 13 women) and a total of seven alkylphenol compounds (APs) was detected. Nonylphenol (NP) was the compound found at the highest level (mean 122ngg−1 fresh weight; range 10–266ngg−1 fw). Several nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEOs) were found in all the sample analysed though the frequency of detection decreased with the increasing number of ethoxylic groups. NP4EO was found only in four patients ranging from trace amounts to 41.3ngg−1 fw. Total nonylphenols (NPEs) ranged between 45 and 1131ngg−1 fw, whereas the concentration of total octylphenols (OPEs) was at least 10 times lower (range 6–80ngg−1 fw). Our findings show that the average concentration of NP is about two times higher than that found in women from Southern Spain and up to three times that of people from Switzerland. Similarly, OP mean level is two times that reported in Finland and Spain populations. This is the first study that reports the presence of alkylphenols in the Italian population adipose tissue and it draws a baseline for further researches in order to depict a trend in human exposure to these compounds and to investigate possible consequences for human health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A new sample treatment for alkylphenols (AP) and alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEO) determination in agricultural soil samples has been developed. In a first stage these compounds were isolated from soil by pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) using methanol. In a second stage the extracts were cleaned up and pre-concentrated by solid-phase extraction (SPE) using ENV+cartridges. The effect of different variables on PLE and SPE was also studied. In the last place, separation and quantification of analytes were performed by liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (LC–FD) and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Quantification limits (QL) ranged from 20 to 200ngg−1 for LC–FD and from 3 to 126ngg−1 for GC–MS. This method was satisfactorily applied in a study field designed to evaluate the environmental behaviour of APEOs in agricultural soils. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME) coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detector was applied for the determination of alkylphenols and their short-chained ethoxylates in water samples. Development of DLLME procedure included optimisation of some important parameters such as kind and volume of extracting and dispersing solvents. Under optimised conditions 50μL of trichloroethylene in 1.5mL of acetone were rapidly injected into 5mL of a water sample. After centrifuging the organic phase containing the analytes was taken for evaporation with a gentle nitrogen purge and reconstituted to 50μL of acetonitrile. The aliquot of this solution was analysed with the use of HPLC. For octylphenol (OP) and octylphenol ethoxylates (OPEOs) linearity was satisfactory in the range 8–1000μgL−1 and for nonylphenol (NP) and nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEOs) linearity was in the range from 50 to about 3000μgL−1. Limit of quantitation was 0.1μgL−1 for OP and OPEOs and 0.3μgL−1 for NP and NPEOs. Satisfactory recoveries between 66 and 79% were obtained for environmental samples. The results showed that DLLME is a simple, rapid and sensitive analytical method for the preconcentration of trace amounts of alkylphenols and their ethoxylates in environmental water samples. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This is a study of the sources of alkylphenol and alkylphenol ethoxylates in wastewater, including the new observation that the main contribution is from textiles. Alkylphenols and alkylphenol ethoxylates are widely used chemicals in various applications that are partly under environmental restrictions within Europe. The study sets out to analyze the most important sources of this large group of organic compounds in an urban wastewater system. A substance flow analysis (SFA) of the technosphere in Stockholm, Sweden in 2004 was conducted, allowing a comparison of 13 groups of goods’ emissions to wastewater. It was found that the groups of textiles and cleaning agents were the major sources to wastewater, while the group’s personal care products and paint and lacquers give smaller contributions. The content of alkylphenol ethoxylates in goods, especially in textiles, is a most significant source and is probably valid for other urban areas as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alkylphenol polyethoxylates (APEOs) have been widely used as nonionic surfactants in a variety of industrial and commercial products. Typical compounds are nonylphenol polyethoxylates (NPEOs) and octylphenol polyethoxylates (OPEOs), which serve as precursors to nonylphenol (NP) and octylphenol (OP), respectively. NP and 4-t-OP are known to have endocrine disrupting effects on fish (medaka, Oryzias latipes), so it is important to know the concentrations of APEOs in the environment. Because the analytical characteristics of these compounds depend on the length of the ethoxy chain, it is necessary to use appropriate compounds as internal standards or surrogates. We synthesized two C-labeled surrogate compounds and used these compounds as internal standards to determine NPEOs and OPEOs by high-performance liquid chromatography (LC)-mass spectrometry. Method detection limits were 0.015 µg/L for NP (2)EO to 0.037 µ/L for NP(12)EO, and 0.011 µ/L for OP(3,6)EO to 0.024 µ/L for OP (4)EO. NPEO concentrations in water from a sewage treatment plant were less than 0.05-0.52 µ/L for final effluent and 1.2-15 µ/L for influent. OPEO concentrations were less than 0.05-0.15 µ/L for the final effluent and less than 0.05-1.1 µ/L for influent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fate of a comprehensive group of nonylphenol and octylphenol ethoxylates (APE0s) and several of their carboxylated derivatives was studied in three American wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), two of which included advanced treatment. Influent and effluent concentrations of the alkylphenolic compounds (APEs) in the three plants were very similar, but effluent concentrations showed a seasonal dependency: both carboxylate and ethoxylate concentrations in the effluents were higher in winter than in summer. Sorption to particulate matter was higher for nonylphenolic compounds than for their octylphenolic counterparts, in agreement with their difference in KOW values. Both effluent concentrations and the removal efficiency of the APEOs were strongly correlated to water temperature, but no correlation was found with suspended solids or organic carbon removal. Although APEO removal from wastewater was high, overall removal from the WWTPs, including APEOs in waste sludge and transformation products, was relatively low and suggested that advanced treatment does not invariably result in better APEO removal. Additionally, a survey of urban sewers suggested that household products still constitute an important source of the APEOs reaching WWTPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) in the aqueous environment is of increasing concern due to their adverse impact on aquatic life, and potential risk to human health. Among the EDCs of concern are steroidal estrogenic hormones such as estrone (E1), 17β-estradiol (E2), estriol (E3), and 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2), which have a high environmental prevalence and strong estrogenic activity. In addition, the extensive use of alkylphenol ethoxylates (APnEOs), bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalate compounds have resulted in an environmental presence at significant concentrations, although they appear to have a lower estrogenic activity than the steroidal hormones. As water and wastewaters are some of the primary routes of exposure to EDCs, it is important to determine at what levels EDCs are found in these media and how these levels may be reduced. Hence, it is necessary to understand the fate of EDCs in conventional water and wastewater treatment plants, as well as the efficacy of more specialized treatment methods, such as adsorption and oxidation. This paper is a summary of the latest information on the degradation of prominent EDCs by ozone and ozone-based advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). From this review, it is clear that ozone and AOPs are effective in degrading these EDCs, with the possible exception of phthalates, which are relatively stable to ozone oxidation. Knowledge of the formation of reaction products from the treatment by ozone and AOPs is relatively poor at present, and particularly for the non-steroid compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alkylphenols and their derivatives, alkylphenol polyethoxylates (APEs), are synthetic chemicals of concern owing to their endocrine properties. Nonylphenol (NP) is a critical APE metabolite because of its recalcitrance to biodegradation, toxicity, and ability to bio-accumulate in aquatic organisms. Studies of NP effects in vertebrates demonstrated estrogenic disrupting properties in fish, birds, reptiles, and mammal cells in which NP displaces the natural estrogen from its receptor. Less is known on its toxicity toward invertebrates. Effects on reproduction have been reported, but toxicity on development has been poorly documented thus far. We investigated NP toxicity on survival and regeneration of the freshwater coelenterate Hydra attenuata. Hydra is known for its regenerative capacity and its sensitivity to chemical pollution. It has been used for over 20 years to screen for teratogenicity of chemicals (Johnson et al. (1982) Teratog Carcinog Mutagen 2:263–276). Our results showed that hydra appeared as one of the most sensitive species to acute and chronic toxicity of NP compared to several freshwater invertebrates. Regeneration was disrupted at NP concentrations lower than those affecting survival. Toxicity thresholds of NP for aquatic vertebrates and invertebrates are also reported and discussed in the context of environmental risk assessment and of water quality objectives recommended for surface waters in industrialized countries. NP levels have decreased during the last decade because of a voluntary agreement of surfactant producers and users. At present, concentrations of NP found in surface waters are far below 1 μg/L in Europe, but can reach several μg/L when wastewater treatment plant inefficiency occurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Removals of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) and carboxylated alkylphenol polyethoxylate metabolites (APECs) were studied at the Sweetwater (Tucson, Ariz.) soil aquifer treatment site that treated chlorinated secondary effluent. The site was operated in a first phase by flooding irregularly for weeks interrupted by days of drying and in a second phase by a regular schedule of flooding for 3 days and drying for 4 days. The average hydraulic loading rates were 0.13 and 0.17 m/day in the first and second phases, respectively. During drying, oxygen intruded at least 3 m deep into the unsaturated subsurface causing nitrification of the ammonium that was retained in the top layer during flooding. Nitrification increased nitrate concentrations to >200 mg/L but most was removed to <10 mg/L during transport to 38 m depth. At 38 m depth, removals of DOC, EDTA, NTA, and APECs during the first phase were 85, 80, 90, and 98%, slightly higher (<7%) than during the second phase. Most of the DOC removal occurred during transport to 3 m and most of the trace organics removal occurred during transport from 3 to 38 m depth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Nonylphenol is a degradation product of alkylphenol polyethoxylates (APEs). APEs represent an important class of non-ionic surfactants widely used in many detergent formulations and plastic products for industrial and domestic use. Nonylphenol interacts with xenobiotic- and drug-metabolizing CYP forms, including members of the CYP3A and CYP1A1 subfamilies in fish. The pregnane X receptor (PXR) and aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) are known regulators of the induction of CYP3A and CYP1A1, respectively. Previously in our laboratory, we have shown that nonylphenol, in addition to inducing plasma egg-yolk and eggshell proteins, also modulates hepatic CYP3A- and CYP1A1-mediated enzyme activities in juvenile Atlantic salmon. Given the potential for indirect actions of nonylphenol on xenobiotic and steroid metabolism, studies were carried out to determine the effects of nonylphenol on the expression of two critical enzyme systems using juvenile salmon and waterborne nonylphenol at environmentally relevant concentrations (5, 15 and 50 μg/L) and ethanol solvent control and sampled at different time intervals (days 0 (control), 3 and 7) post-exposure. Our data show that nonylphenol-induced CYP3A and CYP1A1 mRNA levels correlate with PXR and AhR at day 7 post-exposure to 5 and 15 μg NP/L. For CYP1A1 and AhR, nonylphenol caused a temporal decrease at day 3 post-exposure, thereafter CYP1A1 and AhR mRNA levels were significantly induced at day 7. 50 μg NP/L caused a more pronounced effect on CYP1A1 by decreasing the mRNA levels at days 3 and 7, compared to control. Despite the decreased CYP1A1 mRNA levels at day 7, 50 μg NP/L caused a significant induction of AhR mRNA at the same time period. This study suggests a possible regulation by xenoestrogens of fish hepatic CYP3A and CYP1A1 enzymes via PXR and AhR, respectively, and may have impact on the metabolism of endogenous and exogenous substrates. This is the first study that simultaneously examined CYP3A, CYP1A1, PXR and AhR transcripts following nonylphenol treatment in any aquatic species or earlier diverging vertebrates. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

No abstract available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper presents the results of an investigation on the occurrence of alkylphenols (APs) and their ethoxylates (APEs) in 8 edible marine species from the Adriatic Sea and tries to estimate the corresponding intake for the Italian population. Two crustaceans, Nephrops norvegicus (Norway lobster) and Squilla mantis (spottail mantis shrimp), plus six fish species, Engraulis enchrascicolus (anchovy), Scomber scombrus (Atlantic mackerel), Merluccius merluccius (European hake), Mullus barbatus (red mullet), Solea vulgaris (common sole) and Lophius piscatorius (angler) were analyzed for their content of nonylphenol (NP), octylphenol (OP) and octylphenol polyethoxylates (OPEs). These compounds were found in all analysed samples. NP was detected at the highest concentrations: 118–399 and 9.5–1431ngg−1 fresh weight (fw) respectively in crustaceans and fish. OP was found at respective levels of 2.7–4.7 and 0.3–3.8ngg−1 fw in crustaceans and fish, whereas OPE was determined at respective concentrations of 1.2–16.8 and 0.2–21.1ngg−1 fw in the same species. These results, together with those from a previous study on 4 edible mollusc, allow to estimate respective daily intakes for NP, OP, and OPE of about 12, 0.1, and 0.1μgday−1 for an Italian adult living along the Adriatic Coast. In relation to NP and OP, these intakes are much lower than the doses associated with toxic effects in laboratory animals (9mgkg−1 bw for rats). Nevertheless, data of exposure from other sources to these chemicals and others with similar biological characteristics are needed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

It was found that a degree of the binding of alkylphenols to N-alkylacrylamide gel increased transitionally to induce the volume phase transition of gel. Binding isotherms of nonylphenol (n-Ph), propylphenol (p-Ph), ethylphenol (e-Ph), methylphenol (m-Ph), and phenol (Ph) to N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPA), N,N-diethylacrylamide (DEA), N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMA), and acrylamide (AM) gels were examined. Two types of binding, the site binding at β < 1 and the multimolecular binding at β > 1, were observed, where β was a degree of binding to a monomeric unit of the chain. The former binding was analyzed with the Hill equation applicable to the cooperative binding and the latter binding with the Brunauer−Emmett−Teller (BET) equation applicable to the multilayer adsorption. The binding constant, K, and the Hill coefficient, N, decreased and increased, respectively, in the order of DEA, NIPA, and DMA gels in the case where the binding alkylphenol was the same. The K value increased in the order of Ph, m-Ph, e-Ph, p-Ph, and n-Ph that bound to the same type of gel. The N value was found to change little with the type of binding alkylphenol. The complexes of N-alkylamide with alkylphenol were condensed to form the ordered nanostructures that were observed as broad scattering peaks in small-angle X-ray scattering experiments. The fluorescence excimer emission was observed for the phenol-binding DMA gel, which corresponded to the condensed state of phenol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects were studied of 4-tert-octylphenol (OP) on hepatic cytochrome P450 enzymes in rats. Rats were treated intraperitoneally with OP twice, at doses of 5, 10, and 20 mg/kg. Among the cytochrome P450-dependent monooxygenase activities, testosterone 2α-hydroxylase activity, which is associated with CYP2C11, was significantly decreased by OP at all doses. The level relative to control activity was 67–22%. CYP3A2-dependent monooxygenase, testosterone 6β-hydroxylase activity was also decreased by 51% by OP at 20 mg/kg. Furthermore, immunoblotting showed that OP (10 or 20 mg/kg) significantly decreased CYP2C11/6 and CYP3A2/1 protein levels. However, the reduction ratio of CYP2C11/6 and CYP3A2/1 protein levels by OP treatment was lower than that of testosterone 2α-hydroxylase and testosterone 6β-hydroxylase activities. The Clint (Vmax/Km) value for testosterone 2α-hydroxylase was significantly decreased by OP at all doses, whereas the Clint value for testosterone 6β-hydroxylase was only decreased by OP at 20 mg/kg. In addition, 7-ethoxycoumarin O-deethylase activity was significantly decreased by 32% by the highest dose of OP. By contrast, CYP1A1-, CYP1A2-, CYP2A1-, CYP2B1/2-, CYP2D1-, CYP2E1- and CYP4A1/2/3- dependent monooxygenase activities were not affected by OP at any dose. These results suggest that OP changes the male-specific cytochrome P450 isoforms in rat liver, and that these changes closely relate to the toxicity of OP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on an authorial response to comments on the article "Fate of Octyl- and Nonylphenol Ethoxylates and Some Carboxylated Derivatives in Three American Wastewater Treatment Plants." The authors state that they stand by their alkylphenoxyethoxy carboxylate (APEC) data and the conclusions they came to. They agree with the comments concerning the quality of alkylphenol ethoxylate removal in the three wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) but claim that the pollutant's fate in WWTPs needs to go beyond simply elimination of the pollutant from water and also include remaining environmental compartments and transformation products, as while they may be less toxic than the original polluted material, they may still be assessed for risk to aquatic species.

The article provides comments on the paper "Fate of Octyl- and Nonylphenol Ethoxylates and Some Carboxylated Derivatives in Three American Wastewater Treatment Plants." The article claims that there is a reversal in the data on influent and effluent alkylphenoxyethoxy carboxylates, and that the article confuses wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) removal with WWTP degradation. It presents information on alkylphenol ethoxylate removal for the three WWTPs and includes information on total suspended solid removal.