ORGANIC POLLUTION OF WATER AND HUMAN HEALTH

The issue of human health should be considered in correlation with monitoring and protection of environment we live in, because of the increase of pollution of anthropogenic origin and the increase of health risk. Health risk caused by water pollutants with chemical compounds, including toxic micropollutants is not fully assessed, since chemical pollutants cause undesirable health effects after a long-term exposition.

Therefore, it is very important to choose the methodology of research for wider spectrum of pollution, especially organic, that can pose a threat to human health, and can be detected in environmental samples. On the basis of the review of existing eco-analytical research chromatographic methods in water analysis were selected, especially high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography (GC) with mass detection in GC/MS, HPLC/MS techniques.

Non-target analysis revealed a high diversity in water chemical composition and a wider spectrum of organic contaminants comprising pharmaceuticals, technical additives, personal care products and pesticides. Some of the identified compounds are known as pollutants whereas some of these substances are so far unregistered contaminants. Although it was reported that the application of some of the identified compounds has been banned or restricted (e.g. lindane), the analyses showed that they can still be found in the environment. The study presented not only a comprehensive view on the state of pollution in studied waters, but also the eco-analytic methods and research results of the study may serve as the basis for widening the monitoring of environment.

Persistent organic pollution is a threat to human life to different degrees and it has not been yet fully examined. Therefore, in order to protect human health it is necessary to develop chemical trace analysis – eco analysis in complex monitoring and protection of environment we live in.