Probabilistic risk assessment for zinc in some commercial dishwashing detergents: The nitrification processes in US POTWs

A US patent was issued to a commercial dishwashing detergent composition in which soluble zinc is used to protect glassware from corrosion. Some of the consumed detergents are discharged as wastewater and treated in publicly owned treatment works (POTWs). A probabilistic risk assessment was conducted to quantitatively determine the risk of zinc in the detergents to the nitrification processes in US POTWs. The procedure for POTW local limit development designed by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was used as a reference when conducting the risk assessment. The assessment took into account the background zinc concentrations in POTW influents and potential shock loading patterns, and was conducted at different market penetration rates (MPRs) for the US market of detergents based on the patented formula. The assessment involved several conservative factors including conservative determination of primary treatment efficiency, bioavailability, inhibition concentration, configuration of the nitrification process, as well as background zinc concentration in wastewater. With the conservative factors in the assessment, it was found that zinc in detergents does not present a significant risk to the nitrification processes in POTWs at a MPR up to 10%. It was noted that additional analyses would be required when the MPR is higher than 10% to adequately account for the effects of the conservative factors on the result of the assessment.