We hear the countless speculations that artificial sweeteners may have a negative effect on our health, but the news isn’t so sweet for the environment either. In turn, this might be the answer scientists are looking for.
Recently reported by Discovery News, artificial sweeteners end up in our wastewater the same way that travel through our bodies: completely unchanged.
A new study from a group of Swiss scientists shows that sweeteners are ideal for following pollution from treatment plants and similar sources, due to their unaltered state once in the waterways.
Contaminated water is clearly a long-standing issue, both for our planet and health. But because we don’t know the source of the run-off, scientists have been looking for ways to keep track of the origin of the contamination.
Environmental chemist Ignaz Buerge and the team at the Swiss Federal Research Station in Schloss hypothesized the use of artificial sweeteners as a way to keep track. They tested these waters – literally – by collecting both treated and untreated samples from ten wastewater plants, along with urban groundwater, tap water, and water from four rivers and eight lakes near Zurich.
They checked the water for four common sweeteners – all which were readily apparent in the untreated wastewater. Less substantial amounts were found in the treated water from three sources. But acesulfame, a popular sweetener used in most diet pops, sugarless gums, and reduced-sugar processed foods, stood above the rest, still abundant in the treated waters.
In fact, levels of acesulfame were proportionately larger closer to areas with larger populations, showing up in 65 of 100 groundwater samples – including tap water.
Although the content in the water is not a concern for human health, the fact that it was detected makes it a favourable method for determining where contamination can be sourced from.
Results of this study are published in the May issue of Environmental Science & Technology.
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Journal information: Ubiquitous Occurrence of the Artificial Sweetener Acesulfame in the Aquatic Environment: An Ideal Chemical Marker of Domestic Wastewater in Groundwater, by Ignaz J. Buerge*, Hans-Rudolf Buser, Maren Kahle, Markus D. Mller and Thomas Poiger
Plant Protection Chemistry, Swiss Federal Research Station (Agroscope), CH-8820 Wdenswil, Switzerland; available here.
Image courtesy of liverpool.nsw.gov.au/waterwaysandlakes.htm
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Discussion Take a look at what is being said about this article.
Celine Marsden, on June 5th, 2009 says:
And we thought they weren’t good for anything except masking cravings and causing tumours!
S.H., on June 5th, 2009 says:
Wives tales, Celne.