Thursday, March 3rd, 2011
East Los Angeles College
Building G1 (Administration), Room 301 A/B
1301 Avenida Cesar Chavez
Monterey Park, CA 91754-6099
“Contaminants of Emerging Concern in
Treated Wastewater”
Speaker: Eric Nelson
Los Angeles County Sanitation District
6:00 pm check-in
6:45 pm dinner
7:30 pm presentation
Abstract: There has been considerable interest lately related to the presence of pharmaceutical, personal care products (PPCPs), hormones, and other endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) in treated wastewater. This class of dissolved organic compounds is frequently referred to as contaminants of emerging concern or CECs. Because treated wastewater is increasingly being used for reuse and groundwater recharge, especially in the southwestern United States, there is a need to further understand occurrence, concentrations, sources and environmental impacts of CECs. In addition, surface water discharges may impact aquatic life, and the toxicity of multiple CECs on diverse species is largely unknown.
Biography: Eric Nelson is a research chemist in the San Jose Creek Water Quality Laboratories at the LACSD. The chemistry research group investigates various aspects of chemistry associated with treating wastewater that among other things include identifying/measuring effluent constituents and supporting treatment technology investigations.
Eric graduated from Haverford College in Pennsylvania with a B.A. in Chemistry. His M.S. is from the University of Maryland’s Marine, and Estuarine and Environmental Sciences program, with a concentration in environmental chemistry. His graduate research involved the fate transport of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), i.e. PAHs, PCBs and organochlorine pesticides, in the Chesapeake Bay area. He has experience working in contracts laboratories, ran an environmental laboratory at Rutgers University (NJ) and worked for Ecology and Environment, Inc., an environmental consulting company and U.S. EPA subcontractor. Some projects he has participated in include air sampling and coordination for EPA cancer cluster investigations in California’s Central Valley, emergency response to 9/11 anthrax clean-up in congressional office buildings and fate/transport studies of POPs in Baltimore/Washington D.C and New York/New Jersey areas. Eric has been with LACSD for the past 6 years.
His current research at the LACSD involves solid phase extractions and analysis of pharmaceutical, personal care products (PPCPs) and endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs). Eric’s recent work concerning daily cycles of PPCPs and EDCs in treated wastewater was recently published in the ACS journal Environmental Science and Technology.
Cost: The food will be catered by Steven’s Steakhouse. There will be a buffet with a choice of lasagna or a chicken entrée, salad and dessert. The cost is $17 including tax and tip, payable at the door with cash or check.
Reservations: Please call Nancy Paradiso in the Section Office at (310) 327–1216 or email office-at-scalacs-dot-org by Tuesday, March 1, 2011. Note: Please honor your reservation. If you make a reservation and do not attend, you will be liable for the cost of the dinner.
Directions: A campus map and directions to the campus are available at http://www.elac.edu/collegeservices/campusmaps/drivingdirections.htm. Free parking is available in the stadium lot or the baseball field lot. No citations will be given from 5:30-9:30. See campus map on the website. Parking is also available for $2 in the lot adjacent to the G1 Building.